God of Piano

‘I’m curious. I hope Donatti is a worthy student.’

To be honest, just looking at Prelude #4, Rowoon was a student worth paying attention to. But Taylor saw too many stars that would shine only briefly and then fade into darkness. That number 4 was the moment this student shone, and it was still unclear whether or not what awaited him after that would be darkness.

Of course, it was a cause for concern.

When he submitted the video for the first audition, the performance log Rowoon got was all about Prelude No. 4, a song that has become a hot topic for these professors now.

But now, Rowoon has obtained performance logs from all the songs except for the doggie waltz. Of course, they couldn’t know about him, and even if they did, they wouldn’t quite understand what that meant.

However, it was fine. The second audition was not far off, and Rowoon was thinking of pouring the meaning directly into their ears.

And so,

The day of the test dawned.

#

The California Conservatory wasn’t too far from Hidden Valley High School, but even then it wasn’t a car-free drive. Rowoon was originally going to ask Chris for a ride after the entrance exam was over, but just in time something happened that made him unable to move.

Thanks to that, while he was suffering from headaches, there was someone who solved his troubles, and that was none other than Gregor. When his mother agreed to take him, Gregor asked if he would like to accompany him to the California Institute of Music. There was no reason to refuse. Rowoon agreed,

I regretted it a little.

“okay. Are you Ron?”

“I heard a lot from Greg. Regardless of the era, whoever the opponent plays beautifully?”

“Our Greg is good at baroque or classicism, but he seems to have a relatively difficult time with songs that rely on emotion, such as romanticism or impressionism.”

“Hang out together and give me some advice. I think you two could be good friends!”

It never occurred to me that mothers, especially mothers with children majoring in classical music, are usually extremely polarized. She asked Rowoon a lot of questions and asked for a favor. I understood that it was all for Gregor’s sake, but to be honest, it was a tiring time.

Fortunately, Gregor did not leave Rowoon alone.

“mom. Leave him alone. You should be focusing now before the audition.”

“Oh my, it was. take a look at my mind I’m sorry, Ron. I won’t talk anymore.”

Of course, that didn’t mean her mouth was completely shut. She was basically talkative. It’s hard to understand how she gave birth to such a reticent son.

However, Rowoon didn’t hate that time so much. He remembered the old times he spent with his mother. It may not be a good timing to soak in memories, but those memories helped prevent the long journey from becoming boring.

And when he arrived at the California Conservatory, when lawns, palm trees, and Renaissance-style buildings began to fill his vision, Rowoon smiled while clenching his fists in tension.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the last half year was actually half a year for this moment. It was half a year following the teachings and guidance of Chopin, Bach and Beethoven. It was half a year to look into their lives, half a year to make their performance his own, and half a year to confirm that his fingers could also express the sound of a virtuoso.

Will he be able to reap the fruits of that half year?

Rowoon questioned himself for a moment, then gritted his teeth and smiled. Rather than the answer that popped into his head, I liked that he could be confident in front of that answer.

Rowoon stood for a while in front of the campus, then slowly walked away. It wasn’t that he didn’t have thoughts to hold onto him, but he had to think that all those thoughts were worthless in front of music. Like Beethoven who left Eleonore, like Chopin who was suffering from separation from Sande but had no choice but to put the pain into notes.

Today he intended to pour out everything he had.

No matter how big the bowl the California Institute of Music prepared, it couldn’t contain it all.

＜ Flight of the Swan (3) ＞ End

＜ Flight of the Swan (4) ＞

breathing is heavy

It is not only the breath that is heavy. The air is heavy, the shoulders are heavy, the fingers are heavy, and even the eyelids are heavy. Even though the door to the waiting room was unlocked, Gregor felt like he was locked in a prison cell.

Even so, the expression on his face seemed unconcerned. This kind of panic was an obstacle that people on stage always had to face, and through many stages, Gregor learned how to deal with his heart.

‘What should we go eat after?’

Shall we eat pizza? The one with pineapple and chicken breast on top. No, no. I only eat those things when I’m resting comfortably, and I felt that the reward that came back at the end of such a hard time was a little lacking.

I like meatloaf. The peppery scent is subtle, and the meat is not too ground, so the texture is subtly alive. It is to eat mesh potatoes sprinkled with gravy like a sauce.

For dessert, lemon cheesecake. The acidity hidden in the sweetness would clean the flavor of the meat loaf left on the tongue, and it seemed to relieve the fatigue accumulated throughout the day. Just imagining it made me feel better already.

I felt a little at ease. No matter what he gets today, the taste of meatloaf and lemon cheesecake will never change. Thinking so, Gregor looked around.

There were a little over twenty students in the same situation as him in the waiting room. Considering that the audition takes place over three days, it was safe to say that the students who passed the first audition were roughly in their 70s.

And the piano department has 15 students…

‘Three out of four will fall.’

maybe even more than that. It was because the California Conservatory was notorious for not shying away from filling a vacancy if a student did not meet their standards, even if the number of admitted students was insufficient.

Except for the sound of the stage coming out of the speakers, the waiting room was terribly silent, like a morgue. At first glance, it may seem like nothing is happening, but in fact, this place was a battlefield. Because all of them were fighting the insecurities in my head as best they could.

Gregor scanned each of their faces. Someone seemed to be controlling my inner self quite skillfully, and someone had an expression that showed that they were nervous.

And Rowoon…

‘Aren’t you nervous? Or… are you pretending?’

There’s no way the pianist wouldn’t be nervous before the stage, but despite that, Gregor couldn’t help but question for a moment. It was because Rowoon’s expression with earphones in his ears looked overly comfortable.

It was like that too. What Rowoon was listening to now was Chopin’s notes on Chopin’s last performance of Chopin’s Ballad No. 2.

[Sotto Voce (lower the volume, quietly) in the first bar did not feel like it would turn off anytime soon, but it felt like it would grow louder any moment. never forget ]

[ The Presto con Fuoco (Fast with passion) part is meaningless if you don’t pay attention to the contrast with the Soto bocce part. Don’t play idle. ]

In Ballade No. 2, Chopin’s direction has changed to a higher level and more abstract direction than before. In the detailed details, everything that can be pointed out has now been pointed out, and now it must mean that there are still many things to improve in the area of sensibility.

Chopin’s words pointed out Rowoon’s deficiencies, but it made Rowoon feel more at ease. In the first place, to be seen as a pianist without problems in Chopin’s eyes, he had to become a world-class pianist. No, even if that were the case, Chopin still might not abandon that cynical attitude.

Rowoon wasn’t obsessed with Chopin pointing him out. He saw what Chopin pointed out. And it reminded me that many of the things he pointed out before are no longer mentioned.

It meant growing up.

It wasn’t just Chopin. From Beethoven, from Bach, Rowoon no longer received the same intellectual baptism as before. Of course, they still talked endlessly about how Rowoon could improve his playing, but at a certain point, those stories started to be more like advice than criticism.

They didn’t say anything special. But Rowoon felt that way for some reason. It seems that they recognized him as a worthy junior musician.

Of course, he still lacks a lot to claim to be their junior, but

That’s why you can’t tremble at the level of an audition at a conservatory like this. Not for his honor, but for the honor of his teachers.

For that reason, Rowoon was able to fight against the tension rising from the corner of his heart and win.

From the beginning, he has always played against the gods of music. I had to show them a terrible performance that I hadn’t even gotten a feel for yet. But now, where is the reason to be afraid of this stage?

Rowoon continued to listen to the nagging of his teachers. Watching the students next to him walk out the door, each with a different complexion, feeling his palms, which had been wet with tension for a moment, dry again, until his number was called.

“Seven times. Time to get on stage.”

The voice of the TA (Teaching Assistant) rang. Rowoon raised his body without hesitation. The judges he would soon face were not just judges, but teachers he would date and learn from for years to come. Rowoon grabbed the Walkman.

My mother told me from a young age that we should greet each other properly.

Rowoon has not yet forgotten her teachings.

#

‘You finally appeared…!’

Looking down at the name on the application form, Donatti smiled whitely. Rowley Lee. It was the student who made his heart beat like an immature child.

However, now that he faced Rowoon, what dominated Donati’s mind was fear rather than expectation. It’s no wonder that he was hit in the back of the head after expecting something like this not once or twice. Unlike online auditions, where perfection can be achieved through constant refinement, the actual audition situation is different.

First of all, to discuss the most obvious difference, it is that mistakes are not tolerated in this place. Of course, it doesn’t matter as long as you accidentally hit the wrong key a few times. It was the kind of mistake that even a professional pianist couldn’t be free from.

However, if such mistakes accumulate and accumulate, and the direction and flow of the performance itself begins to deteriorate, and as a result, the performance itself becomes poor…

‘Please don’t make any mistakes. I’m sure you’re well aware of how important today is.’

Of course, it’s usually because you know that, but you’ll make more mistakes.

“Massimo. He is the friend you were talking about.”

“······Iknow, right. I hope you do well.”

“Well, even if you show just as much skill as you did in the first round… your score won’t be that bad.”

Taylor didn’t say things like ‘probably’. As a judge, I had to deliberately refrain from such words. Donatti also understood Taylor.

‘The songs added are Chopin’s Ballade No. 2 and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2…’

The fact that he dared to choose Chopin again in the free performance category means that he has that much confidence in Chopin. It was worth it. Right now, isn’t it because of Chopin’s Prelude No. 4 by Rowoon that Donati is paying this much attention to Rowoon?

So, Donatti felt the anticipation rising again. Wouldn’t the reason why he picked Chopin again was because he had the confidence to prove that Prelude No. 4 was not a fluke?

The answer was to be given soon. Donatti stared at the door to the waiting room. And soon, the door opened, revealing the face he had been waiting for so long.

“······You look relaxed.”

Han muttered as if tossing it. His gaze stayed on Rowoon’s face. Rowoon was smiling. It wasn’t a stiff smile. A smile that comes out naturally because you can’t suppress your excitement.

At least it was certain that that student was looking forward to the stage. It was uncommon. This seat is for review. His audience is here to evaluate him, not to enjoy his performance.

From that point of view, even though this is a place to evaluate the quality of a pianist, it was a place where a pianist couldn’t be the most pianist.

No matter how young he was, that student would not have known him either.

Does he still want to be a pianist?

‘I’d appreciate it if you played just as much as that confidence.’

Han looked at Rowoon with calm eyes. Even though his impression of Rowoon isn’t too bad, the fact that he’s not excited right now proves that he’s a different person from Donatti in many ways.

Rowoon walked to the center of the stage and looked at them quietly. I said my name, and when asked to play the song I was most confident in, I replied that I would play Chopin’s Ballad No. 2. And sat down in front of the piano.

Of course, you won’t be able to listen to the song all the way through. As I said, the seats were not for pianists, but for students. They are here for evaluation, not appreciation.

After Rowoon played the ballad for about 3 minutes, I could already roughly guess what the performance would be like after that. They planned to stop Rowoon’s performance and ask for the next one after they had made up their minds. Just like all other students.

And Rowoon raised his finger.

The three judges slowly listened to his performance. Rowoon’s ‘Soto Boche’ was very delicate. There was something about the silence that seemed to bring about a great uproar at any moment, making the listener’s heart tremble.

It was worth it. That was because Rowoon had been pointed out dozens of times by Chopin. It wasn’t just Soto Bocce. Presto. piano. Forte. In all types of keys, including staccato, Rowoon’s playing had Chopin’s instructions buried one by one.

And Rowoon’s uncompromising efforts made all of those instructions his own. Because of that, Han, Donati, and Taylor couldn’t find any special problems in Rowoon’s interpretation of the song. The direction was great. No matter who his teacher was, he must have risked his life and death to manage Rowoon for this audition.

However, that was not the only strength Rowoon’s playing had.

journal. Chopin’s life, accepted through his composition and performance diary, was being expressed through Rowoon’s ballad.

in 1836,

Chopin, whose marriage was broken off due to his sickly body,