< For the Music Genius - Episode 258 >
“The variation is not good, and what’s more, I couldn’t control my emotions properly.”
This was the assessment of French master Yugoslavia.
As the main stage opened, two hundred new violinists selected from around the world headed to Brussels.
It was a stage that lasted for a full fortnight. Dozens of people came up on stage each day, and judges from each country evaluated and gave scores.
Only the 12 with the highest scores were able to advance to Chapel.
“What a crappy performance.”
Victor frowned and looked away as if there was nothing more to see.
Perhaps because he knew the judges would be harsh in their evaluation, the violinist on stage was trembling.
I guess I’m so nervous that I can’t perform at my usual level.
‘Tsk.’
Kang Hyun clicked his tongue inwardly. It was a sense of pressure he had not been aware of when he visited Brussels seven years ago.
On the one hand, I understood. Who were the people sitting on the judges’ bench? They were all masters from each country that new violinists aspire to be. If they didn’t tremble even a little, their hearts must have been made of steel.
‘Still, that’s true.’
Perhaps because I had high expectations, the level of the contestants who came out one after another was not very good.
They were selected from thousands of applicants. However, there were some who performed so poorly that it was hard to believe they were different people than in the video.
Of course, when filming the tape audition, you must have maintained the best condition and repeated the video recording several times until there were no mistakes. However, the stage is real.
jing!
The pitch was off. It was evidence that too much force was being applied to the fingers touching the strings.
On stage, not a single mistake could be tolerated. Moreover, the masters sitting on the judges’ bench did not miss even a single mistake made by the contestants.
I don’t know how many days it’s been since I’ve seen violinists make mistakes like this.
“next.”
The expressions of the violinists coming down from the stage were all the same. Their shoulders were hunched, and a look of self-reproach and disappointment was clearly crossing their faces.
What about the judges? It was a series of unpleasant feelings, like drinking flat cola. That was when.
“I am participant number 71.”
Anna walked up onto the stage, her platinum blonde hair billowing.
She was already a renowned talent at the Moscow Conservatory. Moreover, she was the girl who was among the final 12 in the Queen Elisabeth Competition seven years ago. At that time, she was the youngest of all the contestants, except for Kang Hyun.
Chinese master Deng Lun, who was a judge seven years ago, as well as Hirose and even Victor, were all waiting for Anna’s stage, their postures raised.
Anna took a deep breath and took a flowing stance.
Paganini Caprice No. 24.
I never thought they would choose this song. It was a song that contained a lot of techniques. If you think about Anna’s usual personality, it’s a song that’s quite different from hers.
But as soon as the song started, Anna’s eyes changed as if it were a lie. A series of unstoppable techniques: parallel octaves, arpeggios, high positions, rapid movements, pizzicato.
The bow swayed fiercely as if it would not miss a single 32nd note. The long, white fingers pressing the strings glided over them as skillfully as a spider.
Exclamations burst out from Yugo, who was sitting next to me.
‘You’ve grown a lot.’
Kang Hyun’s eyes were clearly filled with emotion. It was similar to the feelings of a parent looking at a grown child.
It was a performance on a completely different level from the Queen Elizabeth performance seven years ago.
No longer was she a shy and nervous little girl. Her platinum hair and green eyes, fluttering in the wind, confidently expanded her presence.
After the performance, the bows were pointed to the floor, but none of the judges spoke first.
It was proof that everyone was deeply moved. Anna left the stage with a confident look, unlike the other contestants.
“It was a truly wonderful performance.”
Starting with Yugoslavia,
“I expected it since the director of the Moscow Conservatory wrote a letter of recommendation, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad. It felt like I was seeing a diamond in the rough after a long time.”
“This year, unless something unexpected happens, I think that contestant Anna might win.”
“As expected from a student raised by Alexei. His performance was clearly on a different level from the other contestants.”
The judges’ opinions continued. Rather than finding mistakes, it seemed like a place to relieve the afterglow of the stage by becoming an audience member. It was a sight that could not be seen in the previous main stage.
“I feel like I’m finally washing my eyes.”
Even Victor didn’t seem to have a pleasant expression. Victor, whose eyes met Kang Hyun’s just then, narrowed his eyebrows and turned his head away as if there was nothing more to see.
It seemed like they thought it was Kang Hyun’s fault that he and Viktor ended up together. In reality, it was just the two youngest members of the judges who were assigned.
That was when.
“I am participant number 72.”
Another contestant came up on stage. Most of the judges didn’t seem to have much expectations since it was Anna’s next stage. Of course, it was still a short time before they could shake off the lingering emotions they felt from Anna’s stage.
But then Hirose’s eyes lit up and he took a step forward. Kang Hyun was only able to realize this when he saw the presence on the stage.
Sabrina.
Sabrina, with her white hair, tended to attract attention just by her presence.
Moreover, he was clearly different from the other contestants. His face was clearly relaxed, as if he had swallowed the word nervousness.
Kang Hyun smirked at her appearance. And then he had a feeling. When Sabrina started playing, the judges would once again be unable to escape from the deep aftertaste.
* * *
The main stage that lasted for a full fortnight was over. Anna looked down at the calluses on her hands. They were traces that showed that the past seven years had not been in vain.
“It’s still the same here.”
Anna smiled as she looked at Chapelle, known as the dawn of melody. Chapelle, no different from seven years ago, was still full of mysterious beauty.
Anna had not yet greeted the eleven violinists besides herself. She looked around the Chapel step by step, recalling her past memories.
“Right, here at that time.”
Anna stopped walking in the kitchen as memories from the past came back to her.
It was in the middle of the night when she was hungry and headed to the kitchen. Anna, who was thinking of putting butter on her toast, saw two pale figures. The man and woman were embracing each other, illuminated by the soft light coming from the refrigerator.
“Pfft.”
When I think back to that time, I can’t help but laugh. At that time, the person who had met Anna’s gaze, who was short at the time, was none other than Kang Hyun.
By the way, I wonder if William is doing well. I heard that he is touring Europe and holding concerts.
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It was a time when I was walking, completely immersed in memories of the past.
Jiying.
Anna’s head turned at the unexpected melody. It was a melody from the Chapel’s garden. It was before all twelve violinists had gathered. But who was playing?
Anna walked as if in a trance. Someone was playing a song, accompanied by the occasional sound of insects and the wind.
Jiying.
The sound was so sweet that Anna swallowed without realizing it.
Under the warm Chapel sunshine, someone was walking barefoot on the grass with his shoes off.
Anna was so captivated by the sight of her playing the violin that she lost her soul. And then, without realizing it, she spoke.
“hyeon?”
Because it was a similar feeling to when I first encountered the strings playing the violin under the dawn.
But the one who lowered his bow and turned his head was none other than a white-haired girl.
* * *
“Mr. Hyun, how do you feel about being invited as the youngest judge?”
The Belgian national broadcaster is producing a documentary on the Queen Elisabeth Competition. The producer will interview not only the participants of the Chapelle but also the judges.
This time it was Kang Hyun’s turn. Kang Hyun answered with a faint smile.
“At first, I was a bit taken aback because I felt like I was sitting in an over-the-top position.”
“Are you saying not now?”
“I can’t just be nervous anymore since I’m sitting in the important position of a judge. I’m trying my best not to be a burden to the contestants and the other judges.”
The PD, with his dark features, nodded and continued asking questions.
“Mr. Hyun, seven years ago you won the Queen Elisabeth Competition as the youngest winner, and seven years later you became the youngest judge. What are the differences between then and now?”
“At that time, many violinists with outstanding skills participated in the competition. Of course, there are many participants with outstanding skills this year as well. If I had to compare, I would like to raise my hand for seven years ago.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I’m not one of the participants this year, am I?”
The PD smiled at Kang Hyun’s joke. As expected, Kang Hyun was different from the other judges. Not only did he respond to boring interviews with ease, but he also had a sense of broadcasting. Wasn’t he the one who had already captivated countless Americans with his wit on the Ellen Show?
“If you were to predict the strongest candidate to win this year, who would you say is it?”
“The twelve violinists selected as Chapelle, known as the dawn of melody, are all exceptionally talented. It is difficult to single out one of them and say that he or she stands out.”
“What if Mr. Hyun had been included among those twelve participants?”
Kang Hyun answered with a smile. Then the PD spoke as if he had remembered something.
“Oh, I heard that the judges will also be living in the same mansion as the contestants for eight days. Rumor has it that two of the judges will be roommates in the same room. Is that true?”
Where on earth do you hear this information?
“you’re right.”
“Is it true that Russian master Viktor and Mr. Hyun will be roommates?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The PD raised the corners of his lips meaningfully. It seemed that he had found a scene that was quite satisfactory for the 8-day schedule at Chapel to be filmed as a documentary.
PD also already knew how difficult the Russian master Viktor was.
“If you spend time with Mr. Victor, there might be trouble, but are you close enough to live with him even considering that?”
Should we call this becoming close? Strictly speaking, since they are not close, it could be seen that they share the same room. However, he could not move according to the PD’s taste. This time, Kang Hyun answered with a smile.
“What would you do if you had the opportunity to be roommates with another judge besides Mr. Victor?”
“Still, I want to be roommates with Mr. Victor.”
It’s no use saying you don’t like Victor here.
But did Kang Hyun know? Later, the Korean media named Russian master Viktor as Kang Hyun’s closest judge.
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