So, it wasn’t too surprising that they were all chosen by the raccoon that coming weekend.
Raccoon’s fingers, of course, didn’t let go of Rowoon either.
It was a story that their performance would decorate the finale of the music festival.
＜ California Music Festival (20) ＞
＜ California Music Festival (21) ＞
“Crazy bastards.”
An Asian male student with short hair spat out a curse and shook his head. His name is Chen. An international student from Singapore, in his sophomore year majoring in oboe. He was a man that he became somewhat close to with Jung-woo and his other friends because they had taken a liberal arts class on world history together.
“How could a freshman eat all the raccoon stages?”
“why. I envy you?”
“Rather than being envious… Yes, damn it. i envy you. Do you know how many people disappear without even going on a raccoon stage until they enter the 4th grade?”
In the 4th year, the music festival stage itself is guaranteed. But that didn’t mean they could get on the raccoon stage. Unless you use the given opportunity properly, no, unless you show an overwhelming presence beyond using it properly, you can’t rise to the raccoon stage.
Heather grinned.
“Well, that’s how well we did.”
“······ Ha, life is real.”
Chen scratched his head and sighed.
Heather and Rowoon had to hear these words everywhere they went these days. Until the story of going on stage at the music festival, people weren’t that shocked. Well, even though cases like that in the first year were rare, it wasn’t without them.
But the raccoon stage was different. The raccoon stage was not the preliminaries, but the finals. It was a story that he was able to stand out even among those who took their seats on the stage of the music festival through filtering and filtering.
And the fact that a freshman went up on such a stage was not simply a matter of working hard or having good skills.
‘It’s just that the class is completely different…’
Chen looked back at Rowoon and Heather with a strange expression. Heather, well, I understand. Even the oboe major knew the story that a friend who had won second place in the Chopin Competition Junior entered the school.
However, Rowoon didn’t have much of a resume, except for his recent win at the LA Concours. I’ve been hearing that name a little sparsely lately, but…
“So Chen. Are you coming to see our stage? Aren’t you coming?”
“······I don’t want to see it because my stomach hurts.”
At least in terms of honestly expressing that feeling, Chen was a friend I didn’t hate so much. He soon grumbled and spoke.
“But I am curious. From the front, they just look like two Korean kids.”
“kid? But you are shorter than me.”
Heather looked down at Chen as she said that. Compared to Heather, who is about 170, Chen’s eye level was about two fingers lower than hers. Chen immediately shouted with a red face.
“Wow, really! Can’t you sue me if I want to sue? uh?”
“okay. Then I’ll see you at the courthouse.”
“You get punished for that! really! Get punished!”
A conversation with Heather was always such a thrill for one person.
‘First graders are rare…’
Rowoon recalled Chen’s words. Pretending to grumble, I knew the truth was to compliment them. However, in many ways, those words had no choice but to rekindle Rowoon’s passion.
Rowoon was not a pianist who only relied on the power of his Walkman. He obviously did his best to make every single thing the old masters wanted to give him his own, and he took the time to really devote himself to music in order to find himself as a musician.
But is that enough?
Rowoon was the one who always answered ‘not enough’ to that question. He was someone who somehow found room to go one step further. In a way, it was good to see him as a person who worked more faithfully than anyone else in the position of ‘student’.
These were the songs Rowoon had to perform on this stage.
Chopin’s Dog Waltz, and Ballade No. 2.
Mazepa of Liszt.
and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
And that performance was all planned to take place on the same day. three days from now. Thursday night. That was Rowoon’s performance day.
‘Something is missing.’
People were impressed by Rowoon. Rowoon felt like he knew what they were thinking and feeling from his performance, even if they didn’t have to tell him.
would have been fresh. It must have felt classical somewhere, as if medieval Europe had been summoned, and at the same time, the young pianist’s idiosyncratic sensibility, shaking, and passion could be felt through the performance, and the heart fluttered.
However, Rowoon knew that he had just put on the first button.
asked Chopin. ‘What’s the next step? What should I look for?’
Chopin replied.
[First of all, get rid of the crescendo part of the puppy waltz properly. And then, practice the decrescendo. ]
It was a story about learning how to press the keys correctly. What do you want so much when you haven’t even got the basics yet?
Hearing that, ‘You seem to have a goal as always.’ and may be able to pass it off as insignificant. But Rowoon didn’t. He went to the practice room. As the music festival is almost over and the winter semester is almost over, there were fewer people in the practice room than usual.
From noble mtl dot com
Even so, Rowoon kept the practice room. The puppy waltz was played again from the beginning. I recorded it on the Walkman and listened to the reviews.
[ You played Chopin’s Waltz Op.64 No.1. ]
[It was a performance that pulled out the skills to the limit! ]
[This is a message from the composer. “What do you mean by limit?” ]
[ The playing score is 74 points. ]
‘······Limit.’
Rowoon focused on the expression of Workman and Chopin. Workman said he had pushed his skills to the limit, and Chopin asked what the limit was. And, the performance score was 74 points. Despite reaching the limit, his performance scores 74 points. What does it mean?
It meant that his limit, that is, his skill level, was only 74 points. Aside from his understanding of the song, it meant that there were 26 negative factors that prevented him from receiving 100 points in his skills.
‘It’s ridiculous to expect Chopin’s approval on a subject like that. okay. yes.’
People like Liszt and Bach were relatively lenient towards Rowoon, and Rachmaninoff spared no praise. However, Rowoon knew that even Rachmaninov would not have felt enough happiness from Rowoon’s playing.
Even if he recorded his performance and listened to it right away, it was the same. When I listen to the albums of other famous pianists, it makes me think, “Ah, we still have a long way to go, and we shouldn’t be satisfied already.”
So, Rowoon found Jungwoo. and asked
“Jungwoo hyung.”
“huh?”
“Is there anything you regret while listening to my performance?”
“Hmm… do you miss anything?”
If it’s normal, ‘Hey, it’s good enough. What are you worried about?’ and would have just passed. However, Jungwoo knew very well that Rowoon was not the type to seek comfort like that. So he seriously thought about it and answered.
“Well, it’s an unavoidable part, but a sense of weight?”
“Feel the weight?”
“You know the feeling you get when you listen to famous pianists play. what should i say Aside from his size as a pianist, ah, the person himself feels so huge. But since you’re just in your early twenties, there’s no choice but to feel that way… isn’t it? Me too right now.”
“Oh, then what else is there besides that? It’s like the characteristics of a pianist who is my age and has better skills than me.”
“Hmm, there aren’t that many people that come to mind right away… isn’t there something like that? If the older masters feel like they have accumulated not only the piano but also their overall abilities, the kids who stand out on the piano from a young age… Because they poured so much into the piano, they don’t really care about things outside of the piano. It’s obvious that I didn’t use “.” For example, starting with the hairstyle, is it too old-fashioned?”
“How is my hair?”
“Well… should I say it’s tacky, or should I say it’s okay?”
Jungwoo asked and smiled. He is only a year younger than him, but Rowoon seemed to be a person who couldn’t help it because he was curious about everything in the world. So there were times when I felt a sense of crisis. I wonder if people who are curious about everything and try to find answers like this are going to go a long way ahead of them in the end.
In any case, there was not much that Rowoon could gain. After all, the answer to a question like this is always ambiguous, and all he could do was practice.
Rowoon practiced. While trying not to be swallowed up by the worlds of Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninov, they transferred each of them into his world.
Jinyoung Kim said. I came to see him play. He was a bad father, an ugly father… Nevertheless, Rowoon had to admit that he was very conscious of him in many ways. Is it because he thinks that his stage has not yet been perfected? Rowoon wasn’t too proud that Kim Jinyoung went to see his stage.
‘I can go further.’
A 74-point performance may still be his limit. But not too long ago, his limits were 50 and 60. Even if he can’t show off a 100-point performance right away, if he can still show a performance that’s even 1 or 2 points higher…
If only I could show that my son, who was raised by his mother alone without you, grew up to be such a great person and a great pianist.
Is it revenge? Do you want to show him that I can live just fine without you? Or do you want to tell him that I am such a good person and a good son, so love me more?
mind was complicated. However, Rowoon decided to accept that complex mind as it is. And I made up my mind to incorporate it into his playing. People won’t be able to understand him. Like most people can’t fathom how sad Chopin was when he wrote the dog’s waltz.
Rowoon was sometimes immersed, and sometimes he played with a sense of excitement. Practiced. His fingers moved sometimes to seek higher places, sometimes just to enjoy the present moment.
My heart was never straight and directed in one direction, and it always swayed like a reed.
But it worked. If it is not possible to be straight like bamboo, the curve of the reed should be included in the performance. Even in the nervous situation and nervous mind, Rowoon accepted it as it was. He thought that was all he could do.
And two days later, Gregor accidentally visited Rowoon’s practice room and couldn’t help but frown.
“…what happened?”
well, well
Rowoon had the most intuitive answer to that question, but he couldn’t bear to tell it.
Even if he told me that his playing level had risen, Gregor wouldn’t understand.
＜ California Music Festival (21) ＞ End
＜ California Music Festival (22) ＞
Playing level 7.
Rowoon didn’t think much about reaching level 7. No, I would be lying if I said I didn’t do it at all. However, his desire to improve was in his skill itself, not much in the level itself.
Nevertheless, the moment he reached level 7, Rowoon couldn’t help but feel emotional in many ways. It may have been a short time to describe it as long, no, long, but it seems that his hard work over the past year or so has been acknowledged to some extent.
‘······It was long.’
But Gregor had no other choice but to return the horse. Rowoon said with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Do you feel any change?”
“I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but… uh, yes. the tone has changed That seems to be the most accurate expression. I had the impression that a person who had only used cheap paints all his life had finally gotten his hands on good paints and painted. Is it too verbose?”
“Is it literary? But uh… yes, it’s paint. That’s a good expression. paint. paint······.”