The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 195



Only Noblemtl

195 Quiet Concert Hall

* * *

Strict.

A word that indicates that one’s speech, attitude, or character is very strict and thorough.

Felix Mendelssohn himself gave this variation the title ⌜Strict⌟.

But when you actually listen to this song, you don’t get that ‘strict’ feeling.

It’s a song that doesn’t really suit the title, but it’s so romantic, beautiful, and colorful that you’ll be captivated by its melody.

Scholars say.

At that time, when Romanticism was in full swing, the title “Variations Gorgeous” was all the rage.

Mendelssohn is said to have attempted to express classical music by creating a piece with the opposite title, ⌜Strict Variations⌟.

Mendelssohn, who participated in the production of a tribute album to create a memorial statue of Beethoven, wrote the variations called ⌜Strict⌟ to commemorate Beethoven.

Just look at the letters Mendelssohn sent to his friends.

Judging from the fact that the ⌜Strict Variations⌟ was described as ‘D minor, and as if in a bad mood,’ the scholars’ opinions are probably not wrong.

But is that enough of an explanation?

Indeed, can this piece be fully explained by saying, ‘It is a piece that follows the strict variation form of classicalism’?

I have read Mendelssohn’s books countless times.

I read books containing his life, thoughts, inspiration, attitude, ideas, and words whenever I had time.

Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy family.

He grew up without any lack under the care of a banker father and a mother who came from a banking family.

The so-called golden spoon.

then.

Was his life smooth?

Born into a Jewish family, Mendelssohn had to live in a world of anti-Semitism.

His parents always told him to be careful.

He said that although he is wealthy, he will not be in big trouble, but he should always be careful with his words and actions because there is discrimination that exists whether he knows it or not.

Felix Mendelssohn had an older sister (Fanny Mendelssohn) who was four years older than him.

Fanny, who showed musical talent that was just as outstanding as Felix.

In modern times, there is talk that Fanny was a more musically gifted composer than her, as she was such an outstanding musician.

but.

At that time, Fanny, a Jewish woman, could not attract attention in the classical music world.

A very strict world.

Felix, the younger brother, always felt sorry for his older sister Fanny, and so they spent most of their childhood in the mansion and studied music together.

As time passed and Felix established himself as a musician, Fanny went unnoticed.

Moreover, Fanny’s suffering deepens as she marries into a family that knows nothing about music.

At this time, what could Felix, who loved his older sister, do?

Maybe I should write her a letter of consolation.

Or maybe I should have participated in some reform to change the world.

Some say it easily.

With that much money and fame, what can’t he do?

however.

Indeed, is that really true?

Is it really that easy?

The world is becoming a better place.

The immutable truth.

Even though I, a 14-year-old musician, didn’t know much, I knew that it was true through books.

But even now, the world was strict.

Discrimination is disappearing, but it still exists.

They are always making fun of those who have failed.

They make fun of the time put into making effort and call them stupid.

Moreover, they even look for the weaknesses of successful people and bring them down.

The world is becoming a better place.

······Is that really true?

The number of people I’ve seen probably isn’t that many compared to someone in particular.

The people I’ve seen making music probably haven’t had any special experiences.

There is a comment I saw when Seol-ha Noona was first active in ⌜TEST⌟.

A comment asking how long a singer who failed by clumsily pushing a sexy concept can go with one well-received song.

Sister Seol-ha just worked hard.

All I did was spend time hoping for their praise and encouragement, only to get criticism in return.

I’ve experienced things like that too.

The daily, unconscious accusations and sharp words tormented me.

So I tried harder.

We have tried to create strict standards that no one can criticize.

I played the piano for 12 hours a day, and I would fall asleep every day after looking at sheet music.

I have done so.

The results did not come out.

Maybe it was because I was stupid, as they say.

I know now, but at the time I didn’t know what the lump was that had built up inside me.

I didn’t know the direction.

then.

Can I just impose the world’s strict standards on me, who is struggling like that?

Is it okay to sneer at a forgotten musician by saying, “If you didn’t want to be forgotten so badly, why didn’t you do better?”

What on earth gives them the right to do that?

My thoughts become deeper.

⌜Strict Variations⌟ reveals a score of brutality.

The melody that starts out lyrically meets the contrasting melodies of the two hands to express ominousness.

He vents his anger in staccato.

Another variation follows.

The vertical syncopated rhythm further heightens the mood.

Within the strict structure of Mendelssohn’s variations.

I was the first to vent my grievances.

‘No······. That’s not it······.’

Me first.

We expressed our dissatisfaction.

* * *

korea.

Students gathered in the auditorium look at the screen.

The performance is so fast that it is difficult to follow with the eyes, covering the entire keyboard.

The octave chords leap forward and move more violently.

To vent one’s anger.

In this strict, strict world······.

A friend of the same age will stand up for you.

The students of Seolhwa Yejung watched their friend’s performance without moving an inch.

At that moment, a girl standing in a corner of the auditorium absentmindedly wipes her eyes.

A performance by an old friend.

Watching my friend’s heart being revealed so openly······.

Because I’m sick and sick again.

and.

Thank you, thank you again.

Lee Ha-eun tried hard to lower her head and wipe away her tears.

Before we knew it, the next variation had begun.

Mendelssohn’s “Strict Variations” changed in an instant, as befitting a variation set.

The ominousness in the performance gradually subsides.

Anger is reduced.

The strict syllables begin to express splendor through contrast.

A very delicate expression.

The pianist’s melody······.

Carefully embrace the listener’s heart.

You said everything was okay.

I said everything would be okay.

Pat your back gently.

The girl memorized each of her friend’s variations in her mind.

.

.

.

A woman looks at her smartphone in a workshop in Namyangju.

They even forgot for a moment that they were holding an acoustic guitar in their hands······.

The boy’s performance took my breath away.

The four people gathered in a music store in Hongdae and staring at computer monitors also held their breath.

They smiled faintly at their brother’s performance.

In the waiting room of a broadcasting station, there was a female singer who was shedding tears without even realizing that her mascara was running.

There was also a little girl listening to her senior’s piano performance, hugging her guitar bag tightly on a rattling bus.

There was also an old man who watched his grandson play in his company’s private office.

It wasn’t just people who had a relationship with the boy.

There were also convenience store part-timers who happened to click on the video that appeared on ‘Newtube Real-time Trending’ and people who stopped practicing in the practice room of the Korea University College of Music and watched the video.

A male student who was watching the boy play quietly opens his mouth.

“You······. You are a true pianist.”

The boy clenched one hand and then unclenched it.

Kim Jae-young, who successfully underwent surgery for trigger finger syndrome two years ago, expressed his gratitude to the boy in his heart.

If there had been no mention of that child.

He might never be able to play the piano again.

There was a time when I practiced hard just to seize one opportunity.

To please the professor.

To be recognized by everyone.

I became stricter with myself.

Had to be strict.

‘I just thought the world was like that······.’

As he went in and out of the hospital for rehabilitation, he felt many things.

I learned a lot from seeing sick people.

Let’s take a step back and look at the world, there are things that are actually nothing.

just.

Take it easy.

Be true to yourself.

All you had to do was give it your all in what you loved.

In living in the world······.

There was no need for the word strict.

Kim Jae-young smiled and turned down the volume on his smartphone.

and.

It’s still awkward though.

It certainly has a beautiful sound······.

I started playing my own music again.

* * *

The Beaux-Arts Concert Hall in Brussels.

The boy’s variations begin to move past the middle and into the end.

The anger and dissatisfaction shown in the first half had disappeared without a trace.

Before I knew it, the melody was filled with longing and warmth.

Starting with the note with the instruction sforzando (play only that note strongly), the melody becomes more and more gorgeous.

The triplets add smoothness to the melody.

The addition of the pedal creates a rich sound.

A fast and powerful variation.

The left and right hands exchange melodies as if in a conversation.

The boy’s piano fills the concert hall without a single space.

The unique melody that the pianist plays quietly speaks to you.

‘Through this performance······.’

‘Even if it’s just a little bit······.’

‘I hope you find peace······.’

The boy’s emotions are conveyed intact.

His artistic soul sings.

The piano sings according to the instructions of cantabile (singing).

I couldn’t help but be amazed by his perfect performance.

Max Richter, known as the Melody of Dresden, quietly closes his eyes.

He found it difficult to find Miller’s tone in the child’s playing anymore.

My friend’s voice, which had been clearly noticeable last year, had become even more faint.

This child.

That boy······.

started making its own unique sound.

Through Mendelssohn’s ⌜Strict Variations⌟, the artist is given his own unique value.

The pure and beautiful sound of the piano pierces my lungs.

The breathtaking, noble performance continues.

The boy was giving hope to the hearts of the people here.

A tough world.

It gives you the strength to survive in this harsh world.

Anyone who heard the boy’s performance here today······.

I will never forget this performance for the rest of my life.

Mendelssohn died five years after composing this piece.

He passed away at the young age of 38.

Six months after Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved sister Fanny passed away, Felix also succumbs to illness.

Mendelssohn had a strict view of the world.

Not knowing that the world was suffocating Mendelssohn······.

I disappeared without a care in the strict world.

What if he had a little more leeway?

If that were the case.

Couldn’t we have lived in a flexible world rather than a strict one?

Ironically, Mendelssohn made the Strict Variations very flexible.

The melody generally has regular phrases.

It always drove the direction smoothly and beautifully.

So Mendelssohn······.

In this strict world.

Instead of negative and sad things, I wanted to look at more beautiful things······.

Max Richter had this thought when he heard the boy play.

The boy’s performance changes once again.

The melody progresses rapidly.

Two 32nd notes and a 16th rest playing for a moment are repeated endlessly.

The Martian barrage.

jump.

The piano comes to life in response to the instructions allegro vivace (very fast and lively).

Kick away all the depression and anxiety.

The melody soars splendidly.

The boy’s hands move faster as he plays the coda.

The audience held their breath in response.

I was afraid I might miss even a little bit of this performance.

Let’s all focus together.

The melody changes faster as it meets Presto (very fast).

A little more.

Just a little more.

The melody that was freely flying beyond the boundaries of strictness slows down for a moment.

The final note is extended slightly, with a gorgeous broken chord progression.

Mendelssohn wanted to end this music on a soft note.

I just wanted to live comfortably in this world.

With my sister Fani, I wanted to spread my music to the world.

The composer’s tender heart is expressed······.

All 17 variations are completed.

The reverberation of the piano and the boy’s small breathing fill the hall.

The concert hall of the Beaux-Arts was that quiet.

It was as if time had stopped here, and no one moved.

The audience embraced this music in their hearts, each with their own thoughts.

The boy’s performance today was music that had to be like that.

For a very short while.

They are in this strict world······.

I took some time to relax.