The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 210



Only Noblemtl

210 Anticipation

* * *

An alley in Brussels.

As we sat drinking tea at an outdoor table in a cafe, a little white girl, who looked to be no older than five years old, loitered around our table for a while.

Looking at the two adults watching from afar, I think they are their children······.

The girl finally made up her mind and strode toward me, handing me a notebook and a pen.

Her little hands tremble slightly.

“By any chance······. If you have time, could you please sign my autograph, Mr. Pianist?”

A child who looks like Suyeon from 1 or 2 years ago.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“You mustered up the courage to come here, so of course I should give you an autograph. What is your name?”

“I, I······!”

This is something that was clearly ordered by one’s parents.

But this kid even told me directly that he really liked my playing.

After I returned the notebook after signing, the child smiled brightly.

“Thank you! I will support you until the end, pianist! Fighting!”

“Thank you. You have to go back slowly so that you don’t fall. Okay?”

“yes!”

A child who moves really slowly, perhaps because he listened to me.

I felt strangely grateful that even children at such a young age heard my performance.

Fortunately, the child was able to return safely(?) to his parents in about 20 seconds.

At that time, Sooyeon watched the situation and muttered.

“Hmm. You’re still very young. That was when I was really scared to walk. I fell down a lot. I’ll have to overcome that······.”

I answered with a snicker.

“That kid, I told him to be careful when he goes back, so he’s acting like that. But isn’t that kid a lot younger? Is he younger than Sooyeon?”

Suyeon nods her head seriously.

“Brother. I’m only six this year. That kid is only four or five years old. To be honest······.”

It’s said that the time they lived was different.

It’s said that there is a difference in experience.

It’s not that it’s wrong, but I couldn’t really give an answer.

I just smiled and looked at Suyeon, and Suyeon lifted her chin slightly and continued talking.

“And if it were me, I would have asked for a handshake as well as an autograph. It’s not often you get a chance to meet a pianist. If it were up to me, I would have even asked to take a picture with him. Otherwise, I might have regretted it later.”

“Really? But Suyeon, you’ve never done that before, right? Even when you went to see other pianists’ performances with me, you didn’t really get autographs.”

“Ah~ That’s right······.”

Suyeon suddenly got up from her seat and started walking briskly.

I watched him do something, and he moved to where the little kid was just standing.

He covered his mouth with his fist, coughed in vain, and then came towards me.

And then he shamelessly spoke to me.

“Wow! Aren’t you pianist Han Seo-jin? It’s an honor to meet you! In fact, I’m the ‘oldest’ fan of the pianist!”

It was only then that I realized what Suyeon was doing.

So, I also did something similar to Sooyeon and coughed in vain before joining in on the skit.

“I am honored. But what brings you to Brussels?”

“Of course I came to see pianist Han Seo-jin’s performance. I watched it all the way up to the first round, and she played really wonderfully~ So, what I’m saying is······.”

Suyeon asks if she can give me her autograph.

I nodded readily, took off a page of spring notebook, and signed it. Then, the soft Suyeon held my hand and we took a picture together.

Only then did Suyeon loosen her shameless expression.

“Hehe. Actually, my favorite pianist is my older brother. I had no reason to ask the performers for autographs or take pictures at other concert halls.”

“I see. You didn’t even know that.”

“No, it’s because I didn’t say anything. And seriously, your playing has always been great! It was even better in Brussels. My heart was pounding!”

“Was it so?”

“Yeah! It was so amazing!”

When Sooyeon patted his head a few times out of gratitude, he immediately smiled bashfully.

Time passed quickly.

My parents, who had been away for a while, returned to the cafe, and our family walked along the small stone-paved road typical of Europe.

Warm sunshine.

A very warm breeze.

Flags bearing the Queen Elisabeth emblem were displayed all over Brussels, and flower pots were filled with beautiful flowers.

The performances by the Queen Elisabeth Competition participants on stage flow out through the speakers, filling the streets.

On the monitors installed inside various stores, videos from the first round of the finals were mainly played.

Among them, I could easily find videos of my performances.

“Oh my! Aren’t you that kid? The ⌜Immortal⌟ player!”

“This is the best performance in Queen Elizabeth history! I will support you until the end!”

“Wow! That kid is that musician. He’s 14 years old······.”

“He’s a genius. He’s a genius. I’ve never seen anyone play Beethoven’s music like that before.”

And thanks to that, more and more people in Brussels were recognizing me.

After briefly greeting people and chatting with them, I was able to arrive at the practice room in no time.

Our family said they would be back here when practice was over.

Consideration given to not disturbing my practice.

I said goodbye to Suyeon, my mother, and my father, and went up to the practice room alone.

Professor Kang Yu-han arrived at the practice room first.

I quickly looked at my watch, and Professor Kang Yoo-han shook his head.

“You’re not late. I’m just a little early. It’s my last day using this practice room, so I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“It turned out like that so quickly······.”

“After your performance tomorrow, the Queen Elisabeth Competition will come to an end. It was truly a great competition. It was more great than any competition I have ever seen.”

Professor Kang Yoo-han had been sitting in front of the piano for some time. He tapped the piano with his hands and looked out the window at the scenery.

“The performance of ⌜Immortal⌟. If I had taught you, you would never have been able to play like that. My choice was right. I can only talk to you as Seojin, I can’t teach you music.”

“I······. thought that ‘conversation’ was a lesson.”

When I told him honestly, the professor smiled kindly.

“You may have thought so because you were kind. To you, I am just a process. So always create music with your own thoughts. You should look at everything in this world with your own eyes and think for yourself. Only then will you be able to produce another performance like ⌜Immortal⌟. Perhaps······. That may be your destiny.”

“······.”

“Heh heh. Maybe I’ve become too sentimental as I get older. Just sit down. You’ll need my help practicing the concerto, too. I’ll support your playing. Whenever you need it. Whenever.”

I was about to say something, but couldn’t and sat down in front of the piano across from Professor Kang Yu-han.

Two pianos.

When the professor plays the orchestra part, I play the piano solo part.

How to practice a concerto without a real orchestra.

Professor Kang Yoo-han slowly raised one hand.

He gives me the starting signal, as if he were a conductor.

The song begins with brass opening the door.

But the real beginning is when the piano’s powerful chords begin to unfold.

An introduction in which the orchestra and piano play almost simultaneously.

The magnificent brass announces the beginning of the piece, and the piano immediately plays thick chords, increasing the volume of the piece.

I played the piano to express to the professor what I couldn’t convey verbally.

Gratitude and gratitude.

and.

I pressed the keys all the way down with indescribable respect.

The professor also answers with the piano.

Gracefully and leisurely.

Very gently.

Melody leads the way.

The small practice room was quickly filled with the sounds of the orchestra.

Various melodies come and go endlessly.

The leading chord and the descending chord of the song.

The first and second themes are intertwined to awaken a huge melody that had been dormant.

A gorgeous song.

The work that will mark the end of the contest.

I prepared the finale of Queen Elizabeth with Professor Kang Yoo-han.

Just like any other day a year ago.

We talked together through music.

* * *

Belgium’s number one cultural and artistic space.

In the concert hall of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, an orchestra of dozens of musicians creates flowing melodies.

All five string sections play a single note in unison under the baton of Julian Brel, the chief conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra.

The sense of pressure created by brass and woodwind instruments.

In between, the beautiful melody of the piano penetrates breathtakingly.

Harmony is created in a split second.

Perfect timing.

A perfect harmony.

The audience couldn’t take their eyes off the stage, even though they felt pressured by the grand melody.

At that moment, the pianist’s long black hair sways.

Her dress also dances to the rhythm of the passionate performance.

A melody that approaches the coda of the last movement.

About 50 orchestra members create dynamic harmony······.

The grand concerto ends with a central melody on the piano.

“Brava!!!”

“Waaa …

As soon as the performance ended, the audience erupted in cheers.

Day 1 of the second final stage.

Just as the fifth performer’s performance was ending.

In a studio at the Palais des Beaux-Arts overlooking the auditorium, the host of ⌜Queen Elisabeth⌟ asks the commentator a question.

“It was a performance that naturally elicited admiration. ⌜Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3⌟. It also matched well with the Brussels designated piece ⌜Immortal⌟, so I think I was able to immerse myself even more. Contestant Lee Hyun-joo. She is definitely worthy of being a disciple of Queen Elizabeth. What do you think of this performance?”

Lee Hyun-joo, the disciple of the youngest ever Queen Elizabeth winner.

Although she came in eighth in the semifinals, her performance showed some power.

Russian master Basyanov answers the host’s questions.

“As I mentioned last time, contestant Lee Hyun-joo is also a strong candidate for the championship. The ⌜Immortal⌟ she played in the first round of the finals was also great. She finished it lyrically with the theme of ‘han’. Of course, I think her performance today was also top-notch. Clean touch. Unadorned interpretation. I think she will get high marks from the judges.”

Langwi then answers.

“It was a very good concerto. The orchestra and harmony were especially good. I think it was one of the best performances of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 that I’ve heard recently. Strangely enough, Korean performers are particularly noticeable this year.”

The host laughs and asks the question again.

“Haha. The contestants from South Korea definitely stood out this year. Especially Han Seo-jin, the youngest contestant ever. She’s scheduled to perform in the finale tomorrow, right? As a reward for winning first place in the semifinals.”

Bashanov nods.

“Yes. Along with the premiere of ⌜Immortal⌟, I am looking forward to seeing a great concerto. Especially since you have chosen such a wonderful concerto.”

The host smiled as he immediately understood the hidden meaning in Bashanov’s words.

“Russian composer. Tchaikovsky’s ⌜Piano Concerto No. 1⌟. A concerto loved by all classical music lovers.”

“It is also one of the repertoires that a pianist should never miss.”

“That’s right. Since the second round of the finals gave the contestants a free choice of concerto, Brussels is hoping for a great ending. All the contestants will have chosen the concerto they are most confident in.”

The concerto that the participants can play with the most confidence.

The second stage of the finals, where these songs were presented to the audience without any reservations.

The hosts and commentators of ⌜Queen Elizabeth⌟ exchanged such stories for a while before returning to focusing on the evaluation of contestant Lee Hyun-joo.

After a while, the last performer of the day came up on stage.

The contestant who chose Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which is the exact same repertoire as the boy.

An orchestra and pianist perform Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece under the direction of Julian Brel.

Bashanov and Langwi focus on the gorgeous melody they are playing.

I’ve been imagining Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 that the child will play tomorrow.

A boy who always showed unexpected performances.

How on earth would he have interpreted a large-scale piano concerto······.

What kind of performance will they show after ⌜Immortal⌟······.

Ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s finale.

They were full of anticipation.