“I felt like it was music.”
“No, you might think it’s natural to feel that way because we’re playing.”
“By the way, it feels like you’re not just playing music, but getting into it?”
“So, practicing these days isn’t that hard. It’s fun again.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Playing with you would be fun.”
These were words that put a heavy burden on my shoulders in many ways. However, Rowoon did not hate the weight. When no one put expectations on that shoulder, when that shoulder was light, Rowoon rather let his shoulders hang down.
Shoulders become hard and straight only when there is weight on their shoulders. They said they were inspired by Rowoon, but Rowoon was inspired by them.
And so, after a while, Rowoon sat down in front of the piano and showed a performance so passionate that it is hard to think of it as simply practicing.
‘······Is this how it feels when you see it right in front?
In the corner of the practice room, Heather watched their concerto with her arms crossed. And I felt it again. Why did the professors make an exception for two students to pass at the same time?
‘I can’t help but feel sad after hearing this kind of performance.’
It was a very pretty performance to be buried just because I didn’t pass the audition. Of course, because the sum wasn’t fully matched yet, there were times when the notes were very slightly out of tune, but that was a problem that could be solved with continued practice.
And it was the same with Heather’s performance. As Heather sat down at the piano, Rowoon felt the same way Heather felt. And a few more fun facts.
‘When Heather plays, the tempo of the orchestra is oddly slow compared to mine.’
Of course, it was natural because I had to match the sound to the piano, but it was quite strange that the color of the orchestra changed as the tempo slowed down. The same orchestra, the same conductor, and the rest is just one pianist, to the point where I felt like I was watching completely different people.
And that was after each of them guessed their first sum. Jace played the recorded performance a few times before opening his mouth.
“A while ago, during Heather, when the clarinet came in for the first time, he ate up the sound of the piano too much. I know you play hard because it’s fortissimo, but the piano is the same fortissimo. Heather, I think you should play this part more consciously.”
“Rowoon was rather overpowered in this part. When the sounds of the clarinet and piano are exquisitely intertwined, this becomes a true harmony. Do you know what that means?”
Jace, who became serious, pointed out the orchestra’s problems one by one rather sharply than he thought. As if he wasn’t holding a baton as a form, looking at the parts he pointed out, they all seemed acceptable.
“Okay, let’s go again.”
So they played the same part over and over again. And the curious thing was that every time I played, a new corner was created one by one to point out. Rowoon couldn’t help but be nervous again. Of course, it would be impossible to play flawlessly and flawlessly, but I still didn’t want to show my flaws as much as possible.
Still, he had no concerto experience. I didn’t want to make the words come out in that part. ‘As expected, it’s my first time, so it’s stupid.’ I thought the moment when I said the same thing was the moment when I would lose my face when I saw Rachmaninov.
Rowoon began to play with more concentration than usual in his ear. He focused on each note made by the orchestra’s instruments, and thought about how the strength and pitch would affect his sound. In the midst of that, it was quite difficult to remember what Jace pointed out, and at the same time, to concentrate so as not to lose his own color. To be honest, I wonder if I can really do it.
However, as practice continued over and over again, Rowoon realized that something was wrong. The concerto is a very difficult piece. The process of practicing itself is very sluggish and difficult.
But, that should be it.
Rowoon made a strange expression.
‘this······.’
easy. Than you think.
＜ California Music Festival (9) ＞
＜ California Music Festival (10) ＞
Could it be because of countless replays of Rachmaninoff’s performance journal?
Is it because Bach’s blessing, the eye of music, gave him three-dimensional musical intuition?
Or was it because Chopin’s blessing, Mirage Rubato, helped him feel every beat that existed here?
There are many reasons that can be cited. But whatever the reason, it was clear that Rowoon felt that this concerto was not particularly difficult.
And Rowoon wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
‘Is it going more smoothly than I thought?’
Jace thought so and looked at the concertmaster, Melvin. And I realized that Melvin was thinking the same thing.
Usually, if you play concerto with a soloist, there will always be a part where the soloist goes wild at least once. Unlike the orchestra, which feels like playing as the conductor’s instrument, the soloist has a sense of having to play with some independent thoughts and senses.
Occasionally, when Jace made a mistake in conducting and thought that the sound might be out of sync, Rowoon matched his performance to the beat of the orchestra like a ghost. It was not something that could be explained simply by slowing down or speeding up the tempo.
‘There was nothing strange about losing his own pace… Should I say he’s good at improvising, or should he say he has a good sense of rhythm?’
What was certain was that if you look at the practice itself, it goes smoothly and without any problems.
It was a bit of a contrast to Heather. It wasn’t that Heather was inexperienced with concertos, but she made mistakes where mistakes were inevitable, as most soloists do.
No, actually, it’s not right to say that she made a mistake. It was a process of finding out where each other didn’t fit in, so it could be seen that it was rather a necessary process for them to go astray.
“······what do you think about it. Melvin?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve ever matched like this.”
So, Jace couldn’t decide what to say to Rowoon. It’s good to have no problems, but is it really okay to not have problems when it’s normal to have problems?
Instead of giving an answer, Jace chose to seek his opinion on the answer directly from Rowoon. Rowoon thought for a moment before replying.
“One thing is for sure, I don’t think I played unbecoming myself in the process of matching with the orchestra.”
“······absolutely? There is a tempo you want, and there will not be a tempo the orchestra used to go.”
“I don’t think the two of them went so far apart. Of course, I’m not 100% satisfied, but I feel like it’ll work just fine as it is… What’s weird about it?”
“No, no. It’s just that there aren’t that many cases like this. Originally, there will be more dissonance.”
“Hmm… I should have made some mistakes on purpose.”
“hahahaha, I’ll decline that.”
Anyway, it was a pretty good atmosphere. I had a hunch that if things went on like this, I would be able to show off a pretty good ensemble at a music festival.
When practice was over, the orchestra members and soloists all gathered in the cafeteria. Then, each of them ordered food and began to gather together. And that was when Rowoon and Heather came to the table. Jace let out a strange laugh as he watched them.
“Hmm… Ron’s cheeseburger, Heather’s fruit yogurt…? Heather is what you think, but Rowoon is unexpected?”
“yes?”
“Oh sorry. this is my habit Getting to know people’s characters.”
“Can you figure that out by eating?”
Heather’s eyes widened in wonder. Jace nodded.
“It’s great to know something small like that. First of all, from the situation now. After practicing for a long time, I am tired and not hungry. You probably want to eat pizza or something, but didn’t you eat yogurt to take care of your body?”
“······Uh, well, the yogurt looked delicious…?”
“I thought Ron, on the other hand, would eat a chicken breast salad or, at best, a sandwich… but I didn’t expect to eat a burger. Her body seems to be quite strong, so she knew how to work hard to manage her eating.”
“I don’t want to be stressed about food. I also exercise to eat as much as I want.”
“work out? wait?”
“No, swimming.”
“Oh, it’s a pretty healthy hobby, isn’t it?”
“But then, did Heather and I look like we could take good care of ourselves?”
Heather’s eyes twinkled at Rowoon’s implicit question and turned to Jace. ‘good. I’ve opened my ears, so hurry up and praise me!’ It was a look. Jace nodded casually.
“Think of your performance. I don’t think people who play that much can’t even manage themselves.”
“…but Jace, you’re actually eating donuts when you say that.”
“Whoops, it’s hard to solve a musician’s agony only in good health. In that sense, what is contained here is that it is not simply fat.”
Jace said that and grabbed my stomach. Heather looked down at her stomach for a moment, while the members listening nearby looked a little flustered. And he said, coughing for nothing.
“But what are you doing to figure out the character?”
“well. As a conductor, I started because I thought I should know what kind of person I am conducting, but it was more helpful than I thought. It became like my own jinx.”
“Hmm, but that makes sense. It seems that the context is similar to what Rowoon said to me in the past.”
“okay? What did you say?”
“To play Chopin, you must first know what kind of person Chopin was. That’s why I was looking for Chopin’s documentary or pre-war story for no reason, at that time.”
“Oh… that’s pretty good advice, isn’t it?”
Jace looked back at Rowoon, his eyes twinkling. Rowoon shrugged.
“This is the advice you need.”
From noble mtl dot com
“Hmm, then what about Rachmaninoff? What kind of person do you think he is?”
“Rachmaninoffra…”
Rowoon thought for a moment. Suddenly, when Heather asked about Chopin, it reminded me of how she described him as ‘an emotional nerd who pretends to be tough.’ What about Rachmaninoff? He didn’t pretend to be tough. It was sentimental, but if you ask me if that’s why I feel sloppy, that’s not the case again.
“A partner for compassion?”
“… is that Rachmaninoff?”
Jace put on a strange expression. Of course, I knew that Rachmaninoff’s life was not so smooth, but it was quite unfamiliar to me to feel sympathy for a great musician like Rachmaninoff from the point of view of a musician.
“As a musician, what a divine being. But after all, Rachmaninoff was a human before he was a musician. I want to get that aspect right.”
“······hmm.”
“Why, is it a bit unusual?”
“No, I just thought so.”
Jace grinned.
“Whoever Rachmaninoff you think is, I think our performance this time will be really fun.”
#
“Loona!”
Rami smiled broadly and waved her hand. And as Rowoon approached, he opened his arms.
“Come on. Noona, let’s give Rowoon a hug.”
“······Nuna, I know you’re up, but do you keep your body in shape?”
“It’s a week anyway, so where’s there to protect your body?”
“I think you are treating me like a child for an older sister. I am a man too. man.”
“Oh, are you pretending to be a man in front of me…?”