But over the past week, after Heather has adjusted somewhat, the situation has reversed. When Heather was proud of her unique playing color, there was a sense that Rowoon’s performance was somehow passable.
“Aren’t you giving too much?”
“I didn’t think I would even give up on my playing to match it.”
“You may think so, but in reality it may not. In a concerto, the soloist must not rely solely on the conductor’s direction. In your head, you should have a separate baton just for you. And, the way you wield that baton must be exactly the way you want it.”
I understood what you meant. It was also something that Jace had pointed out once before. Aren’t you playing with the orchestra too conscious? Of course, at that time, the performance itself was neat, so I didn’t make it a big problem.
Perhaps, as Heather said, it might have been an advantage in auditioning to match the sound to the orchestra using the blessings of the musical eye, etc.
‘Rachmaninoff. What do you think?’
Rachmaninoff’s recent performance of the Piano Concerto scored 67 points. Even if he raised his score a little more, it would be possible to ask him more direct questions through private tutoring, but for now, I had no choice but to record it while playing concerto and seek his feedback.
Fortunately, however, Rachmaninoff knew what Rowoon needed right now.
[The cadenza of the second movement, in this solo part, your performance gives off a completely different atmosphere than before. In other words, it means that the direction of the orchestra and the four directions do not completely match. ]
[ A soloist who is not conscious of the orchestra is incompetent. But even so, if you are overly conscious of the orchestra, it also invites incompetence. ]
It was like that. However, not all of his advice gave Rowoon an answer. Some of his advice even made Rowoon fall into trouble.
[ This part, the timpani tends to sound too fast. And I have a feeling that you are swung by the beat of that timpani. You should point out that part. ]
[The part where the sound of the oboe and viola comes in in the 3rd movement, their presence is too light. If you try to harmonize with them, your voice will inevitably diminish. And this small difference eventually changes the overall flow itself. ]
A note on other orchestral instruments.
If Rowoon had been a conductor, this would have been something he could point out without any problem, but he was a soloist. There was a feeling that it was difficult for him to ignore Jace’s right to make decisions and speak carelessly.
But even so, there was a problem with ignoring this part and just continuing like this. And Rowoon, who suffered for a long time about it, had no choice but to tell Heather about it again. And Heather gave a much clearer answer than I thought.
“Do I need to worry? You can do it if you don’t.”
“······uh?”
“If you want the timpani to sound fast, ignore it and play slowly. If the oboes and violas sound too soft, you just play them loud instead of matching them. Then, wouldn’t they turn up the volume even more because they don’t want to be drowned out?”
“That’s true, but…”
“That’s right, what are you worried about?”
Heather clenched her fist.
“go. go fight hahahahahoho Do you think good music will be born just by laughing? Even a lump of iron needs to be struck to become a knife.”
“······okay. What were you thinking about?”
Rowoon neatly admitted that Heather was right. Maybe from some point on, he was only thinking about failure itself too badly. Practice is ultimately a process of countless failures, so just because you were with many people, did you not want to look ugly in front of them?
Rowoon sat down in front of the piano again. I matched the sound with the members of the orchestra.
No, it was mismatched.
‘huh?’
Jace and Melvin, no, the members of the orchestra couldn’t help but look a little puzzled. The sound of Rowoon, which had always permeated their performances, was a little different from usual.
At first, I thought that Rowoon’s condition was not good. But soon they all realized that this was not the case at that level. Rowoon’s performance started to play subtly separately, but if you look at the performance itself that started playing separately, there was a charm different from before.
Irregular lines that seem to be able to draw any picture, even if they are no longer perfect circles.
‘Aha, are you going to reveal your true colors now?’
Jace immediately smiled. Yes, a concerto by nature wasn’t any more fun if it went without too much dissonance. Jace and the orchestra raised their voices and confronted Rowoon. Even if Rowoon asked for something, he didn’t obey. The sound that Rowoon wants to create may not always be right.
However, as they collided and collided like that, this orchestra began to find an increasingly subtle compromise as if it had become an object. Just as it did with Heather, the clash with Rowoon eventually gnawed away at the parts that didn’t fit together, and…
“…are you feeling better now?”
A few weeks later, when the California Music Festival was really close, Rowoon asked,
“huh.”
Heather replied.
“It sounds a bit like your playing now.”
california music festival,
Until that start, 15 days ahead.
#
“manager! Go slow, go slow! Heo-eok, hee-eok…”
“I’m not going fast, I think you’re too slow?”
Alice smiled and turned around. A man with the body of two tolerable men put together was walking along, sweating profusely.
“I can not help it. I’m not fat because I live without being able to get off work every day!”
“Can’t you just leave work? There is no separation between work and life.”
“Anyway, go a little slower. Why are you so full of energy today?”
“I told you. For our music reporters, the California Music Festival is like a buffet. Everywhere you go, it’s a story.”
“Well, I heard that the team leader also recently excavated one person here. Were you the winner of that LA contest?”
“huh. Rowan Lee.”
Alice smiled and nodded.
“Remember the name properly. This friend is quite a delicacy even in this buffet. To the point where I want to put it on my plate twice.”
＜ California Music Festival (11) ＞ End
＜ California Music Festival (12) ＞
“······The team leader’s pioneering plan was always accurate.”
Jeff nodded wordlessly. Then he looked around and said in admiration.
“By the way, it’s really small for a university. It’s natural since it’s not a comprehensive university, but it’s true that such a small university is in charge of the backbone of western classics…”
From noble mtl dot com
“It’s about quality over quantity. Because only the best people were selected.”
“Well, looking at it, there seem to be a lot of non-students, but they all seem to have come to see the stage. The California Music Festival is still there. Its popularity never fades.”
“It’s one of the biggest classical music festivals in the West.”
Alice shrugged.
“In many ways, it is like the sweet rain that falls during a drought. For fans of the classics.”
They busily toured the California Conservatory, pushing their microphones at countless people. student. tourist. staff. professional players and so on.
How long have you known about the California Music Festival?
“Ever since I was little. My mother used to take me by the hand and bring me. He was a longtime fan of classical music.”
“Recently. It wasn’t long before I became interested in classical music, and I just found out that there was this music festival nearby. But is this place that famous?”
Is there any reason why you came to this music festival?
“Oh, I am a fan of Rami Lee! After accidentally seeing her performance on the Internet, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her in many ways. I flew all the way here from the east because I wanted to see her play.”
“Anyway, the influence of Ann Taylor has to be great! What a monstrous pianist she was when she was young… Of course you know, right?”
“I cannot miss this festival while living in California. Especially if you are a fan of the classics. Some people wonder why we waste time playing students who haven’t grown up yet, but I think differently. If there are performances that grown-up musicians can play, there are also performances that only young students who haven’t grown up can play. Just like a nursery rhyme sung by a young baby has its own charm.”
It was like that.
And, of course, their microphones could not be avoided just because they were professors. After a while, Alice and Jeff were facing an Asian man with a neat impression in a fairly spacious office.
Seokhoon Han. Aiden Hahn.
Now she had someone in front of her that she would never have thought she would meet in a university office just a few years ago. While Jeff with a camera was filming them, Alice smiled and said.
“long time no see. Mr. Han No, should I call you Professor Han now?”
“You can call me Aiden. I’m still not used to being called a professor by people outside the school.”
“It makes sense. Right now, it feels very awkward for me to call Aiden a professor.”
“hahahaha······.”
“But this time, I heard very appetizing news. I heard you’ll see Aiden sit down at the piano again at the California Music Festival?”
“yes. This time, I got to play a piano concerto with my students.”
“Is it okay if I ask what song it is?”
“yes. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.”
“Wow… isn’t that the song the professor played when he won the Beethoven Competition in Vienna?”
“You remember that. It was a long time ago.”
“Pianist Aiden Hahn has been my old idol.”
“I am embarrassed. Can you tell me that?”
Han smiled quietly. Looking at him like that, Alice looked at herself, who instantly became very emotional. The young pianist, who showed the innocent smile of a young man, has become an adult who knows how to smile with a lot of weight before he knows it.
‘The years are definitely nurturing you. Aiden. No, Seokhun.’
Alice broke into a smile. If you feel like it, you could be here for hours and show your fan spirit, but now she is here as a reporter, not a fan.
“When Aiden announced his retirement as a pianist and entered the California Conservatory, many fans felt sorry for him. And at some point, I started to wonder. Why is it that a young and popular pianist like Aiden is already interested in teaching?”
“…”
“The rumor I heard is this. Mr Aiden. If this is incorrect, please correct me immediately. It wasn’t just because of the conservatory that Aiden Hahn stopped touring.”
Alice’s eyes sparkled.
“He’s looking at the blank staff paper.”
It was a story that had a meaning in composing.
Han did not deny him. He just stared blankly at Alice.
“…Where did you hear this?”
“A reporter’s job is to find out somehow, whether it’s during the day or at night. So, isn’t it?”
Instead of answering, Han looked out the window for a moment.