The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 220



Only Noblemtl

* * *

On the plane to Vienna, Austria.

“Hmm~ Hmm~”

Suyeon, who shared a pair of earphones with me, hummed.

Suyeon must have seen a lot of my performances while following me around, because she was conducting lightly in the air.

Suyeon was moving her index fingers diligently to match the smartphone video, and her appearance was quite serious.

‘The beat is good too. You also know the timing when conducting is needed.’

I stared at Suyeon for a while, and soon Suyeon noticed my gaze and glanced at me.

“Ahem! Oppa. I’ve been liking this song a lot lately, so my hands are moving on their own. It might seem a bit awkward to you, but I’ve been really enjoying the music.”

“Not awkward at all. Rather, my brother was surprised. I didn’t know that my younger brother could conduct so well.”

“······ really?”

“Okay~”

I cleared my throat slightly and continued speaking.

“But if I had known that the conductor was on the plane, I would have gotten his autograph sooner. Could you please give me your autograph right now? Conductor Han Su-yeon?”

“Hehehe. No matter what, I’m not like that~ If you were me, wouldn’t you know~”

Suyeon, who had been laughing bashfully at my joke, began to gesture with a little more confidence.

I corrected Suyeon’s gestures here and there, and the orchestra’s melody became more and more splendid to match our gestures.

“Wow! I really feel like I’ve become a conductor.”

“yes?”

“But did you know how to conduct, Oppa? I became more accurate when I did what Oppa told me.”

“To play a concerto, you have to know a little about conducting. So I knew a little bit about it. Like this.”

I listened to the melody of the orchestra, then grabbed Suyeon’s hand and pointed to the direction of the cello part on the smartphone screen, and soon the cello began to play the main melody.

“Isn’t it fun?”

“Yeah! And it’s so amazing!”

Suyeon said she would learn piano when she returned to Korea.

My younger brother told me directly that he had been greatly influenced by me.

While we were together in Vienna, I wanted to leave Suyeon with a little more of a ‘good impression about music’.

And looking at Sooyeon’s bright eyes, it seemed like my intention was somewhat successful.

The piece my brother and I were listening to was Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Conductor – Paul Askin.

Conductor – André Joven.

Pianist – Michał Payans.

Orchestra – Vienna Philharmonic.

Live concert footage from 5 years ago.

Before my first meeting with Bin Phil, I was doing some studying.

In fact, I have heard countless performances by the Vienna Philharmonic since I was a child. Not only the Vienna Philharmonic, but also the Berlin Philharmonic and the RCO.

The world’s greatest orchestras.

Whenever they appeared on classical music education programs on KBC or EBC, I would always watch the reruns without fail.

In addition, I listened to countless classical albums that my mother bought for me, and I searched for and watched YouTube videos until now.

Moreover, piano concertos have been heard more often than average.

Thanks to that, ironically, a world-class orchestra like the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was more familiar to me.

Tchaikovsky’s ⌜Piano Concerto No. 1⌟ is gradually moving towards its finale.

The concerto between conductor Askin, who leads the contemporary Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and pianist Fajans, who is called the master of masters, was so perfect that it gave me goosebumps.

After the video finished playing, Suyeon looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“Brother. Can I hear this performance one more time?”

“Of course, Conductor. You can ask me anything you want.”

Suyeon finally bursts into laughter at my joke.

Suyeon and I listened to this concerto again from the beginning.

It didn’t take that long to get from Brussels to Vienna.

The flight time alone is approximately 2 hours.

Thanks to booking first class through ⌜Schmid⌟, I was able to sit in seats with partitions separating each seat. It was comfortable and easy to talk to Suyeon, so I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

After some time had passed, I held Sooyeon’s hand tightly, as she was still afraid of the moments of takeoff and landing.

“Did you have a comfortable flight?”

The stewardess came to greet me in person.

“Yes. Thanks. And I really appreciate you even preparing a snack for me.”

The stewardess who said Sooyeon was cute and even gave her cookies that she personally bought.

The stewardess smiled and bowed her head slightly toward us siblings.

“No problem. Then, I hope you have a wonderful performance in Vienna too. Pianist Han Seo-jin.”

“······.”

Now that I look at it, I guess you knew I was a musician.

I thanked them again a half beat late, and since I was in first class, I was able to get off the plane first.

My mother, who was following right behind me and Suyeon, poked my shoulder.

“But Seo Jin-ah. What did the stewardess say before you got off the plane?”

“yes?”

“I misunderstood it because it was German. If I had known this would happen, I should have studied hard for a second foreign language in high school. They say that everything you learn in school is useless, but it actually has a lot of uses. Right?”

Now, mother’s expression was very similar to Suyeon’s.

As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water, and Soo-yeon’s eyes sparkle just like his.

I knew my mother’s hidden intentions and told her honestly, and she just coughed for no reason.

“Ahem! So you knew right away that my son was a pianist?”

“I guess so.”

“Then, can Mom be happy?”

“But not too long.”

“Of course~”

My mother, who smiles like a little girl and puts her arm around my shoulder.

Thanks to that, my father ended up taking responsibility for my mother’s backpack, but fortunately, Suyeon comforted my father who was having a hard time, so he was able to relieve some of the burden of being the head of the household.

Before collecting your luggage and leaving the immigration hall.

I was the first to greet Professor Richter.

He said that since he had several prior engagements in Vienna, it seemed like we would only be able to meet again on the day of my performance.

Mr. Richter was about to say something to me, but instead he just shook his head.

When I tilted my head slightly, Professor Richter smiled kindly and continued speaking.

“······ I’m just looking forward to your performance. Conductor Askin’s Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is said to be one of the best orchestras in the history of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, so you’ll learn a lot. How many rehearsals did you say we’ll have?”

“Two sessions of three hours each. I heard that they specially allocated more time.”

“Yes. It is unusual for an empty phil to invest six hours in one musician. Seojin, you will do well. You are a proper pianist now.”

Mr. Richter tapped my arm.

And after exchanging greetings with Professor Kang Yoo-han, he left the arrival hall first.

I had to stand there blankly for a moment and look at Professor Richter’s back.

‘What was it that you were trying to tell me a little while ago? You were trying to say something, but you kept forgetting······.’

Professor Richter, whose face showed a bitter expression, even if only for a moment.

‘It’s clear that Professor Richter had that kind of expression······.’

I could quickly recall that memory.

After finishing the Ettlingen Concours.

On the balcony of the restaurant we went to for a little after-party.

Mr. Richter made this face as he told me the story about Mr. Miller.

That moment suddenly comes to mind.

But I soon decided to shake that thought off.

‘You can ask me about it later. For now, I need to focus more on the blank space.’

The first rehearsal is in three days.

and.

Collaboration with Bin Phil in 5 days.

This was more important now.

I left the arrival hall under the guidance of Director Rogers of ⌜Schmid⌟.

There, I was able to meet again as many journalists as at Brussels Airport.

There were also numerous cameras and a crowd of people gathered.

Professor Kang Yoo-han came up to me and gently placed his hand on my shoulder.

Then he whispers very quietly.

“You are already a world-class pianist. The first impression of a musician like that is always important. So smile at them. And there is no need to be intimidated, so always be confident in front of them.”

“all right.”

“Okay. That’s the answer. Let’s go.”

I followed the professor’s advice, raised my head slightly, and took a step forward before anyone else here.

and.

Camera flashes began to go off incessantly, matching my steps.

* * *

Outside Vienna, Austria.

A small house in a quiet residential area, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The man standing in front of the beautifully painted sky blue door knocked politely.

‘Maybe······. It’s been three years. I was too careless under the pretense of performing.’

After a while, the door slowly opened and an elderly woman appeared.

“Max. I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I should have come here more often, but I haven’t. Sophia. How have you been?”

“Yes. But you’ve aged a lot in the meantime. You’ve gotten more wrinkles.”

Max Richter smiled at Sophia Miller’s affectionate gesture.

“Because people cannot overcome the flow of time.”

“Yes. That’s natural. That’s the most natural thing. Welcome.”

The two hugged lightly.

Max Richter and Sophia Miller have known each other since they were young children.

We got to know each other naturally through a person named Mark Miller.

Of course, Max Richter, who studied music in Europe, didn’t have many opportunities to meet with Sophia and Mark Miller, who studied music in the United States.

Max Richter was close to the Miller family, so much so that he often had meals with them when they visited Mark Miller’s European concerts.

Even after each of them began living as performers.

Even after Mark Miller began his career as a popular music composer.

They were always in touch.

Because of their nature as musicians, they couldn’t be stuck somewhere and couldn’t meet often, but they always got along like family.

There was a day when they all postponed their performance schedules and gathered together······.

That was at Mark Miller’s funeral.

Mark Miller’s funeral was held in the United States.

Deep in Max Richter’s heart, the cries of Sophia, who loved her younger sister so much, still remained.

But Max Richter never showed any of that.

“Look at my mind. I didn’t even tell you to come in when you had a guest in front of you. Come in. I’m almost done packing, so the house might not look very nice, but······.”

“That’s not important, Sophia. Excuse me.”

Richter followed Sophia into the house.

As Sophia said, there was nothing special inside the house.

The large furniture had either already been put away or wasn’t there to begin with, and there was nothing there except for a table and chairs.

The cardboard boxes stacked neatly against one wall seemed to be the only things in the house.

Moreover, the amount did not seem that much.

Sophia went to where the boxes were, slowly looked at the writing, and then opened one of the boxes.

She said without looking back as she took out the kettle and mug.

“Coffee? Tea?”

“I’d rather have tea.”

“I guess so. You’ve been like that since you were little.”

Sophia expertly prepared the tea and handed Max a mug.

Two people sitting at the table in an empty kitchen, chatting away.

They mostly talked about people who weren’t here right now.

In some ways, it could have been a sad topic of conversation, but since so much time had passed and they had nothing more to talk about, they were rather indifferent.

“······ It’s already been 12 years. Time really flies.”

“It’s been around that time since Sophia entered the empty field, right?”

“That’s roughly true. I’ve been working in Vienna for a little over ten years. I was lucky enough to settle down in Europe. But now it’s time to go back.”

“Then what about other performance activities?”

“As I said on the phone, I’m going to quit everything. I’ve had enough of empty fields. I’m thinking about teaching kids from now on. It’ll be fun. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“······.”

Max Richter listened to her and took a sip of his tea without thinking.

Sophia Miller has been a lifelong musician.

As a soloist when I was young.

After that, he became a member of an orchestra.

Max Richter was sad that her activities came to an end like this.

“It was three years ago when we last collaborated, right?”

“That’s right. It was in Rome. There was a lot of noise about Dresden’s Melodies coming to the Vienna Philharmonic Tour to play a concerto.”

“It was only then that I finally had a schedule. Usually, performance schedules are set two years in advance, but one of the schedules suddenly fell through, so I ended up collaborating with the Vienna Philharmonic.”

“Isn’t the life of a performer tough?”

“I knew I had started this.”

“But in the meantime, Ettlingen is going steadily?”

“Even though it’s difficult every year, I try to go if possible.”

“You are still the same.”

“I’m trying to do that.”

Sophia knew that Max was going to Ettlingen to honor Mark.

Mark’s best friend.

From Sophia’s perspective, Max was no different from her own younger brother.

Max Richter poured the rest of his cold tea into his mouth and slowly began to get to the main point.

“Three years ago, we had a collaboration in Rome. At that time, Sophia’s performance was amazing. She was a very active player in the Vienna Philharmonic. And that’s still the case now. It’s not for nothing that people say that the Vienna Philharmonic is at its best right now.”

“······.”

Max Richter took a piece of paper out of his bag and placed it on the table.

“There are some pretty good players forming a quartet in Berlin. With Sophia’s skills, she will pass the audition without any problems.”

“······ So this is why you said you would come all the way home.”

“Yes. It makes no sense for a performer of Sophia’s caliber to retire. So······.”

Sophia looked at Max and smiled deeply.

“From those early days until now. Max, you are really like my real brother. When I look at you, I think of Mark. I think of the three of us walking around downtown Berlin. I think of buying ice cream together. You and I both look older, but we are still the same as we were back then. But Max.”

Sophia patted Max’s hand.

She continued speaking seriously.

“At our age, it’s no longer too early to retire. Rather, it’s time to think about it and accept it. It’s time to pave the way for new musicians. I just made that choice.”

“······.”

“So I won’t change my decision. I’ve decided to leave the empty field, and I have no intention of going on stage again. And my mother is waiting for me alone in my hometown. I can’t just leave her alone any longer. There’s no more Mark in this world.”

“······.”

“We’re getting older. We have to admit it. Max. Mark’s friend, my friend, my brother. It’s time for us to do that.”

“······.”

The conversation is over.

Even after saying this much, Max wasn’t the type to throw a tantrum.

He was a good boy who had clear wrinkles on his face, but even if you close your eyes for a moment, you can picture his innocent and young appearance from his childhood.

Mark Miller’s best friend.

Sophia consoled Max like that.

“You said you were going on an Asian tour starting next week. You must be busy. Now go back to your accommodation and rest. At our age, it’s important to take care of your physical strength.”

“······.”

“Okay?”

“······.”

Max closed his eyes.

Then he slowly opened his eyes and added something else.

“A child with some of Mark’s tone became a pianist.”

“know.”

“That child’s performance is at the Vienna Musikverein in five days.”

“I know that too.”

“Then, you will leave for America after seeing that child’s performance?”

“······.”

“Sophia.”

“I am······.”

Sophia got up from her seat.

And then he headed to the sink with two empty mugs.

As I turned on the faucet, the sound of water rushing began to echo throughout the house.

The water that quickly filled the mug overflowed in no time.

Sophia barely managed to answer.

“I don’t have the confidence to face that child’s performance. Even if he runs away, I have nothing to say. But······.”

Sophia locked the door.

“I can’t break the peace that I’ve just barely found.”

“That child’s performance has more meaning than that? The performance heard live at the concert hall and the performance heard through audio equipment······.”

“There’s a big difference. I know it even without you telling me. I’m also someone who has been involved in music.”

“······.”

Sophia speaks of herself in the past tense.

Max realized that no further persuasion would be possible.

Max took a small piece of paper out of his suit pocket and placed it on the table as he spoke softly.

“I’ll leave this here too, in case you change your mind.”

“······.”

“When did you say you were going to America?”

“······ Five days later. It’s a night flight.”

“Yes. It’s in five days. That child’s performance starts at 5pm that day, so if everything goes well, I’ll be able to see it.”

“······.”

“Sophia. I want you to find peace. That’s why I had to tell you this. I’ll come back again in a day or two. Then······.”

Max got up from his seat, went over to Sophia, who was looking out the window in the kitchen, said hello, and left the house.

Sophia watched Max’s back as he trudged on through the window until the very end.

After some time had passed, Sophia glanced back at the table in the kitchen.

On the table was a notice Max had left for a Berlin quartet, along with a recruitment notice for the group.

Tickets to the ⌜Queen Elisabeth Competition Winners Gala Concert – Vienna⌟ were available.