Chapter 82
For the participants of the Beethoven Competition, every day was a day of intense practice, but for those not part of the competition, it was just a quiet early winter afternoon.
Professor Hermann and Professor Lech were sitting next to each other in a cafe with large windows, chatting.
"So, is the work of recruiting Junwoo going well?" Professor Lech asked.
Professor Hermann clicked his tongue.
"It's not common for parents not to be present at a competition as important as the Beethoven Competition. Perhaps they didn't accompany them because the professor in charge and a friend were with them. Since they are still so young, I think we should talk to their parents before proceeding."
"Haha, I suppose so."
"I'll be fifteen soon, so I plan to take Junwoo and his parents to Munich after the competition."
"Yes, I hope you have a good son," Professor Hermann said with a smile. "By the way, I envy you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Professor, isn't it a fact that Nam Soo-hyun will go with you?"
"…"
Professor Lech closed his mouth. He looked uncomfortable and regretful. Professor Hermann felt a strange current and leaned forward.
"Is there a problem?"
"…Later," Professor Lech sighed. As he hesitated, another man suddenly interrupted him.
"Professors, I'm a little late."
Among the professors was Kirill of the Berlin Philharmonic. Professor Hermann, who had exchanged greetings with Kirill, changed the subject.
"So, is the practice going well?"
"Haha, I'm sure there was a time when the training went well. You can only practice a lot."
"Still, tell me about the children, I'm curious."
Kirill said with a laugh.
"Now that I think about it, I heard a rumor that Professor Hermann would stay with Junwoo and Professor Lech with Soo-hyun. I guess it's true."
"Haha, that's right. Please tell me the story."
Kirill exhaled.
"Well, first of all, I heard that a girl named Marion majored in music in Paris. But she's not at all up to the orchestra's level. She's been practicing hard for the past week, so she's become somewhat more acceptable, but don't expect much."
What intrigued the two professors was not Marion's story. Kirill, seeing the professors with shining eyes, smiled and said to Professor Hermann.
"Junwoo accepts things very quickly. He's a child who will make up for what he lacked today the next day. I don't know what kind of education he received or what kind of education he's receiving now, but the professor in charge seems to be very capable. Oh, wasn't he the professor in charge?"
Kirill looked at Professor Lech as he asked his last question. He seemed to also know that Soo-hyun was guiding Junwoo.
"And Soo-hyun. That boy needs no words. Rehearsal? That doesn't matter. It's hard to tell if it's for Soo-hyun or for the orchestra. When Soo-hyun's rehearsal, which is assigned to him last, approaches, all our members get nervous. If they do something wrong, a teenager will eat them up, haha."
Professor Hermann swallowed.
"So, you're saying I'm going to be eaten?"
Kirill said, slapping his thigh.
"The true meaning of the concerto. The boy knew it very well. The interesting thing is that, unlike the other children who chose the piano concerto, the piece that Soo-hyun chose was 'Emperor'."
Professor Lech said with a slightly surprised look on his face.
"Emperor? Isn't that a symphony, not a piano concerto?"
Professor Hermann also said in surprise.
"Are you saying you're doing a symphony? Isn't that a piece that has no piano?"
Kirill smiled slightly and looked at the two professors. A playful expression appeared on his face.
"You'll know whether he stands out or not on the day you see him."
When Kirill seemed to be still hiding something, Professor Hermann spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Please don't do that. Tell me more."
Kirill said, snapping his fingers.
"You two are judges. Please don't be swayed."
"…"
Professor Hermann reluctantly kept his mouth shut, but he still had a look of regret on his face. Kirill added, feeling happy that he now had a secret that only he knew.
"Let me tell you just one thing."
"What is it?"
Kirill leaned forward and whispered,
"You will see wild beasts in this competition."
"…?"
Piano stage on the hotel terrace. Junwoo, who was still sitting on the sofa with the two sisters today, asked Soo-hyun.
"The piece I'm going to play is the Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15. Any advice?"
The younger of the two sisters laughed and teased Junwoo.
"It seems Junwoo is always asking Soo-hyun questions. Is it the same today? Haha."
My sister said, laughing.
"Well, if you owe me so much, why don't you buy some milk yourself instead of buying it for me?"
Junwoo, who heard the two sisters' teasing, said with a red face.
"I, I know!"
Junwoo took out his credit card, waved it, and spoke to Soo-hyun.
"Mom said you can use this as much as you want. She said she'll buy you whatever you want to eat because you made it to the finals thanks to you."
Soo-hyun smiled. The boy must have told his parents something, as if he were giving them all the credit. That's the kind of person he was.
"It's okay, I get a lot of support too?"
"Sponsorship is sponsorship, and this is this. Anyway, from today on, tell me whatever you want to eat. I'll pay for everything."
Although it was a lesson that couldn't be compared to buying food, the two friends exchanged food. The two sisters laughed at the cute deal that could only happen at this age. Soo-hyun said, leaning back on the sofa with his hands clasped behind his neck.
"The Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, consists of the first movement, Allegro con brio; the second, Largo in A-flat; and the third, Rondo. Allegro. The important thing is that the time signature changes in each movement. The first movement is in 4/4, the second in 2/2, and the third in 2/4. The key is also different in both movements. The first and third are in C major, and the second is in A-flat major."
There was no one sitting here who didn't know this fact, but before they knew it, they had reached a point where they were pricking up their ears to listen to Soo-hyun without interrupting him.
"Beethoven had to show originality to escape from Mozart's shadow. That's why he created this piece."
The younger of the two sisters asked mischievously.
"Really? But if the Piano Concerto No. 1 was created for that reason, shouldn't the later pieces be even more different? Concertos No. 2 and No. 3 have a strong Mozartian flavor, so why is No. 1 different?"
After Soo-hyun lay down completely on the sofa, he looked up at the sky and said.
"The Piano Concerto No. 1 is actually the third piano concerto he wrote. He composed it in 1782, at the age of fourteen, but at that time the orchestral part was not available, so it was difficult to include it as a concerto. In fact, his first piano concerto was the Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19, composed in 1795. After several revisions, it was finally revised in 1798 and published by the publisher Hoffmeister in Leipzig in 1801."
The two sisters opened their mouths wide.
"Wow! This is on the level of a music dictionary. It seems Soo-hyun loved Beethoven."
Soo-hyun smiled bitterly. It wasn't that he liked him, it was just that he got extremely angry if he didn't memorize it. Junwoo, who was listening intently, took out his cell phone and even took notes. Soo-hyun looked at Junwoo and continued to speak.
"The Piano Concerto No. 1 is a work from his early period, but it shows that his unique personality had developed considerably. However, it is said that the overall structure was still influenced by Mozart. He later realized this and regretted it. Mozart's unique speaking style was maintained in the overall form of the concerto and in the details, as seen in the thematic progression between the soloist and the orchestra."
Junwoo tilted his head.
"Regretted? I've never heard a story like that. Wasn't it natural for musicians of the time to be influenced by Mozart? Beethoven overcame it and developed his own unique personality."
Soo-hyun nodded.
"That's right, Beethoven also learned composition techniques by imitating the works of Mozart and Haydn. His early works were influenced by them."
The two sisters looked at Soo-hyun and Junwoo with surprised and blank faces.
'Is this really the conversation between teenage geniuses? It sounds like a conversation between university professors.'
Junwoo said with disgust when he saw Soo-hyun yawning as he sat down.
"Are you sleepy again? Do you have narcolepsy or something?"
"What's that?"
"Sleeping without even trying."
"No, I just can't sleep at night."
"Why can't you sleep? I always fall asleep before you, but I've never woken up to strange noises at night, so I guess you sleep quietly too."
Soo-hyun sighed. He couldn't say that Beethoven gave him harsh lessons every night.
"There's something like that."
The younger sister of the two sisters, who was looking at Soo-hyun talking nonsense, asked.
"So, should Beethoven's early works be performed in the style of Mozart?"
It must have been an important check for Junwoo as well, as he quickly took his phone and looked at Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun said, yawning so hard his mouth tore.
"Ah~~ Ham. Among all the concertos, the one that holds the most important place in the history of the development of the concerto genre is Beethoven's piano concerto. If the classical form of the concerto was completed by Mozart, then the concerto took a leap forward with Beethoven, who succeeded him."
Soo-hyun, with a sleepy face, continued to speak to the three people with shining eyes as if they were listening to a professor's explanation.
"He transformed the musical nature of Mozart's concerto, intended for the entertainment of a limited upper-class audience, into a concerto for the independent composer himself, targeting the general public. He also expanded the form standardized by Mozart to a grand level, raising it to a level comparable to that of a symphony. Finally, he maximized the role of the solo part by actively participating in the development of the work from beginning to end."
Soo-hyun stood up from his seat and mentioned what Uncle Franz had said.
"No composer of the 19th century managed to escape from Beethoven's shadow. Therefore, it would be foolish to perform Beethoven's music in the style of Mozart."
Junwoo shouted, waving his cell phone wildly.
"Then how should I play it!"
Soo-hyun rubbed his sleepy eyes and headed to the piano.
"Come here, I'll tell you."
Junwoo, who was very excited, jumped up and followed her. The two sisters, seeing him, shook their heads.
"Junwoo, is he competing or taking a lesson?"
"My vote is for the latter."