I guessed the sprouts to grow more and gave up, not wanting to water them. As a teacher, Rowoon was unaware of how much guilt Baum felt right now.
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Maybe that’s why he didn’t hate him all the more.
“are you okay. Because I didn’t trust me right away.”
“… is that so?”
Baum laughed bitterly. Looking at Baum, Rowoon asked himself. Does he believe in Walkman now? Or do you believe in yourself?
I do not know. I don’t have time to worry about that right now.
All he needed to know now was that he could go further and that there were doors to open.
First of all, I have to knock on the door of the California Conservatory.
#
The California Conservatory of Music’s admissions process consists of two major stages. online audition. and face-to-face auditions.
The content of the online audition is simple. Take a video of your performance and submit it. The professors will then review the performance and then let you know whether or not you can participate in the face-to-face audition.
And if he can show superior skills compared to other applicants even in the face-to-face audition he participated in, then he becomes a freshman at the California Conservatory.
What Rowoon had to focus on right now was the online audition. And the options given to Rowoon for the audition were as follows.
1. One of Bach’s Complete Works.
2. One of Mozart’s, Beethoven’s, Haydn’s sonatas, or one of Chopin’s solo piano pieces, one fast and one slow.
To put it simply, Bach is essential, and the rest should be one of Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn’s sonatas.
It was only natural that Rowoon chose Chopin.
The only thing he practiced properly under the guidance of Chopin was the dog waltz. However, even if the puppy waltz is a short two-minute song, no one will be able to say that the difference of two minutes is insignificant.
The reason why Baum immediately recommended the California Conservatory to Rowoon and the students’ eyes toward him changed is all thanks to those two minutes. Given the not long time of three months, he had to judge and choose more efficiently than ever.
And now, if there was anyone Rowoon knew best, it was Chopin.
‘Chopin, I’m curious about you.’
After watching Sand’s breakup with Chopin, Rowoon realized that he didn’t know much about Chopin, even though he said he liked him. If you don’t know Chopin, how can you know that it’s his?
‘I won’t be nervous about something like college admission. Chopin.’
There is a long way to go. I have to run.
＜ California Conservatory? (1) ＞ end
＜ California Conservatory? (2) ＞
“California Conservatory?”
“huh. Apply.”
Rowoon smirked and gave a V. Chris smiled as if he had heard the good news.
“Then will you come in with me?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have both?”
“Hey, don’t worry. After watching this performance, you are finally on the rise. I’ll just have to think I’m dead for the next few months.”
“Huh, why do you think I’m worried about you and not me?”
“Am I too perfect to worry about?”
Chris replied in a somewhat arrogant manner. But he deserved it. Despite being a composition major, she not only has piano playing skills that are comparable to those of piano students, but her composition skills are already receiving love calls from various universities.
Maybe that’s why his brazenness isn’t so distasteful. Rowoon burst out laughing and shook his head.
“Well, anyway, that’s how it happened. So from now on, I will only play Bach and Chopin.”
“What song did you play?”
“Chopin’s Dog Waltz and Prelude No. 4. And… the Goldberg Variations.”
“good. It was about time that the second Glenn Gould (the pianist who introduced Bach’s Goldberg Variations to the public) came out of our school.”
“I don’t know. Will it be the next Glenn Gould or Bach?”
Chris giggled at Rowoon’s joke.
Of course, not everyone laughed at Rowoon’s situation like that.
“really? Isn’t it too strong there? Oh, of course I’m cheering for you, but still… I think it’s dangerous?”
Some wear a mask of worry,
“Ron is going there? With Mr. Baum’s suggestion? Didn’t Mr. Baum give you a good grade just because you played a dog waltz well this time?”
Someone showed the envy in my heart even though I tried hard to hide it,
“…on the subject?”
Someone openly frowned, even though there was no harm done to me.
Of course, the owner of that frown was Luther. Cafeteria, in front of Gregor. Luther grumbled over the mac and cheese that had cooled a long time ago.
“Greg. To be honest, isn’t Mr. Baum a little dumbfounded? Hitting the jackpot once in a while doesn’t make him a professional player.”
“… that’s something I don’t know. Will it be the jackpot, or will it be the price of hard work.”
“Let’s think realistically. If hard work always comes with a price, why would he have been struggling so long? Greg. Efforts that can be rewarded are determined from the beginning.”
“That puppy waltz was good.”
Gregor replied briefly. When Luther looked at him as if he didn’t know that it was him, Gregor sighed and added:
“If you play well once, you can always play well again. I understand why Ms. Baum recommended Ron to the California Conservatory.”
“…then you understand that I told you to pursue somewhere other than the California Conservatory?”
“Luther!”
Gregor shouted out Luther’s name. Luther stared at Gregor’s eyes for a moment, then had no choice but to look away. Gregor, who was always quiet, was looking at him with an uncharacteristically angry look.
“I know you’re mad at me for thinking of me, but conversations like this aren’t very pleasant.”
“······Mi-sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”
“no. are you okay. I’ll stand up first I need to do some preparation before the lesson.”
“Ah, let’s go together.”
“You don’t have to. Just stay, Luther.”
Gregor glanced at Luther’s mac and cheese and said.
“You stayed. food.”
Gregor left without looking back at Luther. And by the time he left the cafeteria and stood in the hallway in front of the practice room, he clenched his fists.
‘······California Conservatory.’
It is a name that any student who does music in California, no, in the United States, would have had at least once in their heart. Gregor was no exception. But to such Gregor, Baum said this.
‘This school is not suitable for you.’
‘Why?’
‘You are a perfect pianist in many ways. His technique, comprehension of the song, and even his stamina are quite good. Any song is played effortlessly and cleanly. Maybe even applying to Juilliard or Berkeley would have quite a chance. But, as you know, the California Conservatory has pretty strict standards.’
‘They look at personality, not skill.’
‘That’s the only shortcoming you have.’
‘There are many schools that will look at your strengths. So there is no need to aim for a school that will point out your flaws. That’s my opinion.’
Baum is probably right. As he said, California was famous for gathering unique musicians, and Gregor had no personality compared to his talent. As soon as you take a lesson, you absorb everything the teacher teaches you, but that may be enough to become a prodigy, but the story was different in the adult world.
After all, it’s not about learning the piano, it’s about playing it.
‘······But Mr. Baum.’
Does Ron have that personality?
Gregor stood still like a rock for a long time while brooding over the question he couldn’t bear to bring up in front of Baum.
And it was a familiar melody that awakened him who had been abandoned in the flow of time.
‘Puppy Waltz…’
I knew it as soon as I heard it. It’s Rowoon’s performance. At least among the students at this school, Rowoon was the only one who could play the puppy waltz to this extent.
Gregor decided to listen to the performance. What was it about this performance that made Rowoon apply for the California Institute of Music and prevent him from doing so? I wanted to get an answer to that question.
And after a while, he couldn’t help biting his lips with a pale face.
‘Is it better than back then…?’
It was a natural story. That day, Rowoon had to go on stage without having time to get Chopin’s journal and digest it properly. However, Rowoon now had plenty of time to incorporate Chopin’s diary into his performance.
It is a performance that contains the life of Chopin.
Every time he draws each note, it is a performance by someone who knows what kind of heart and intention he had.
Now that Chopin’s blessing, ‘Mirage Rubato’ has been given to him, Rowoon’s performance has no choice but to be higher in terms of tempo.
That’s why Gregor couldn’t help but tremble before Rowoon’s performance, not knowing what he was trembling about. There are clearly shortcomings. In terms of technique and accuracy of keystrokes, I didn’t feel anything overwhelming about Gregor.
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But even so, the performance definitely has weight.
Gregor stands still and listens to the performance, then listens to the same performance over and over again.
Thanks to that, even the lesson was late, and Gregor had to face Baum’s stern gaze after a while. But instead of apologizing for being late, Gregor brought up a completely different story.
“You said I shouldn’t apply to the California Conservatory because of my personality.”
“······It did.”
“Can you teach me that personality?”
Instead of answering right away, Baum looked at Gregor. His quiet eyes said a lot, but even after hearing all of it, Gregor was still looking straight at Baum.
said Baum.
“You know that personality is not taught just because it is taught.”
“I still want to learn.”