It was the beginning of a lyrical melody.
The full moon shimmering above the waves seemed to remind everyone of Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
As Kang Hyun’s fingers delicately embroidered the shimmering strings, the audience held their breath, their eyes and ears captured by the stage.
The cheeks of the Russian maestro Alexei twitched incessantly. A solo recital often takes on the nature of an autobiography. This is because it vividly reveals the musician’s journey. But to think that the first chapter of that autobiography would be an unaccompanied piece, and moreover, an original composition.
‘Is this arrogant brat trying to knock out all the inspirations?’
Alexei felt as if he had been blindsided by a powerful blow. Surely other maestros and virtuosos were feeling the same.
Kang Hyun, standing on stage, was as unrestrained as always. There were no greetings, no gestures from the host.
He captivated the entire audience with just one melody. In the blink of an eye, everyone was immersed in Kang Hyun’s world.
Then it happened.
Zing―!
A sharp high note pierced the ceiling of the concert hall, like a ripple on a calm lakeside.
As the echoing melody ended, Hyun’s bow began to move fiercely. A continuous flow of harmonics and trills, as if being played by two violins, continued incessantly.
The thirty-second notes rushed across the staff as if his finger joints might break.
‘Amazing.’
William couldn’t find the words. His friends’ reactions were likely not much different.
William had been striving for the top since the Royal Academy of Music. But he had encountered another wall at the Chapel.
He had always thought Hyun was better than them, but not to this extent.
When he heard from Anna that Hyun had given lectures at the Moscow Conservatory, he thought it was only about theoretical parts. He didn’t think Hyun had been devoted to the violin for the past three years. But, gulp―!
What is this immeasurable gap? Hyun hadn’t let go of his violin for the past three years. The deepened melody said so.
Then Hyun smiled and bowed quickly in one direction. His fingers cut through several notes precisely as if they were running several times faster than others. It was a technique where the melody would go astray if the breath was even slightly off.
William’s hands were already soaked with sweat, clenched tightly.
‘Goro, did you think of Carnegie Hall?’
Hirose could tell just from manager Goro’s eyes. He must have been reminded of his own appearance at Carnegie Hall decades ago by watching Hyun on stage now.
The Stradivarius, bathed in moonlight, gleamed particularly brightly today. The audience must have already felt intense joy from his bowing. Just as the audience at Carnegie Hall did decades ago.
It was hard to believe that such a brilliant aura could come from such a young body. The grand chandelier looked like a firefly in comparison.
‘Antonio Stradivari was right.’
If someone other than the rightful owner touches their strings, they will lose their sight to see the world and their ears to hear the melody, just like the will left by the legendary instrument maker Antonio, who is said to have sold his soul to the devil.
But on the day the rightful owner plays the strings of fantasy,
The world will welcome a great virtuoso.
“Whoo―!”
From the shoulder to the elbow to the fingertips, it felt like a hot blade. It was such a silly thought that if cold water were poured on me, steam might rise.
Still, the Stradivarius ‘Fantasia’ glistened as if it still had something to say. Even after playing three unaccompanied pieces in a row, it seemed unsatisfied.
Indeed, didn’t the black streaks of the red soundboard continue to tempt me?
“Hyun, are you okay?”
Baek Junghoon cautiously asked about my condition.
“I didn’t understand why you structured it to have an intermission after the unaccompanied piece instead of in the middle of the performance, but now I do. The audience is completely dazed. The performance ended, but no one can get up.”
“Really?”
“And look at your state, anyone would think you just had a fight on stage. You’re as well honed as a gladiator. There won’t be any problem with the collaboration, right?”
I nodded with a faint smile.
Baek Junghoon must have been anxious behind the curtain as well. I could tell just by looking at his flushed face.
During the short intermission, I switched and tuned the violin. It was the long-awaited appearance of the Guarneri.
When I reappeared on stage, thunderous applause erupted. It was a tribute to the unaccompanied piece I had played earlier and the newly appearing Baek Junghoon.
“Huh?”
A puzzled voice came from the audience. It was because there was no page turner next to the pianist.
The more complex and numerous the notes, the more likely there is to be a page turner to turn the pages of the sheet music. They are closest to the performer but seem invisible, often calling themselves the ghosts of the stage.
Occasionally, there are performances without a page turner, but that is only possible with a repertoire that has been played for a long time.
Moreover, isn’t it a collaboration that requires harmony? A momentary mistake could easily become a butterfly effect and cause a collapse.
‘Hyung, are you ready?’
I understood the audience’s puzzled looks. On the other hand, the maestros and virtuosos were looking at us with interest.
At that moment, Baek Junghoon’s long fingers glided smoothly over the black and white ice rink.
The depth of the keys and Baek Junghoon’s breath pierced the ears, regardless of the countless gazes from the audience.
As the awaited hammer of the piano struck the strings, the bow was lifted.
Thump thump thump.
A forlorn flower that had grown in the pouring rain was resonating with the piano’s sound. The concerto had a completely different feeling from the sharply refined unaccompanied piece.
Baek Junghoon’s fingers curved less, and the flesh at the tips of his fingers pressed the keys very slowly. It was a simple finger relaxation, but it gave a grand resonance more than any flashy technique.
It was a continuous ensemble, as if pulling strings against each other.
Hadn’t I practiced this piece until my fingertips split and the gaps were torn?
Baek Junghoon was following my movements very well. At that moment, my fingers moved frantically over the strings, resembling a spider. It was a bowing method that seemed like the strings might tear apart.
As the cool breeze fluttered the curtains, as if wiping the thick sweat from Baek Junghoon’s chin.
Zing.
As if releasing a held breath, Fiore began to bloom.
“Did everyone see that just now?”
The Chinese maestro Deng Lun kept rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. Even though it was already the second intermission, it was hard to find anyone in the audience standing up. The deep afterglow had captivated everyone.
“The final collaboration was truly divine. To think I would see someone handle the violin like that in person. Violinist Hyun has grown tremendously in the past three years. My heart still hasn’t stopped pounding. Just like when I first saw him.”
The professors of the Shanghai International Music Academy swallowed their saliva.
The decision to come to Korea was made thanks to the enthusiastic push from the department head, Deng Lun.
Initially, they weren’t very interested in a solo recital by a rising violinist. Moreover, wasn’t he not even from their own country? But.
It was arrogance and misjudgment.
They never imagined such a grand concert hall existed in Korea, nor that the people in the audience were all renowned musicians from around the world.
At first, they thought they were dreaming. After all, due to the somewhat closed nature of the Shanghai International Music Academy, they had little interest in Kang Hyun, who had stirred the classical music scene three years ago.
At that moment, Deng Lun glanced at the professor sitting next to him. It was the next department head with the impressive thick eyebrows.
“Professor Wang, what did you think of the collaboration between violinist Hyun and pianist Baek Junghoon?”
“Unbelievable as it may be, it felt like pianist Baek Junghoon was following along. Violinist Hyun was leading the way. General audiences might not notice, but most musicians have probably already realized it. There’s a skill gap between the two. That’s why I was surprised. Until now, I would have unhesitatingly named Baek Junghoon as the next great master representing Korea.”
Professor Wang’s face was filled with astonishment. Like the other professors, he hadn’t expected much.
Even though Kang Hyun had stirred the classical music scene three years ago, he hadn’t heard any news of the violinist during that time.
But from the very first note to the collaboration with the pianist, he couldn’t unclench his tightly gripped hands.
Soon, the murmuring audience quieted down in an instant. This was because violinist Hyun was stepping onto the stage.
Everyone held their breath at Hyun’s composed gaze, and the audience’s eyes filled with deep joy and excitement.
What kind of performance would he show this time? At that moment, the Chinese maestro Deng Lun had a premonition.
“It seems like Korea will take the lead in Asia’s classical music scene.”
None of the professors from the Shanghai National Music Academy could disagree with that statement.
“Bravo―!”
The cheers and applause following the end of the repertoire were natural. Sometimes, there are audiences who think it’s a virtue to remain calm until the end of the repertoire, but it’s better to cheer and whistle fervently. Musicians are never stingy with such applause.
At the end of the deep afterglow, the sound of over 2,500 audience members clapping simultaneously echoed throughout the hall as if an earthquake had occurred.
An exclamation filled with emotion stopped the steps of the violinist walking behind the curtain. As the boy turned around with a helpless smile, the female audience members screamed with high-pitched voices.
The blonde Sharon couldn’t help but exclaim. While pianist Baek Junghoon, who had accompanied the performance, seemed bewildered by such massive applause and cheers, Kang Hyun naturally accepted the situation. As if he was born for it.
At that moment.
“As much as the audience wants me, I will respond with an encore.”
Seeing Kang Hyun skillfully interact with the audience,
“Where did he learn such perfect stage manners?”
Sharon was dumbfounded. Anyone would think he was a seasoned veteran who had gone through countless performances.
Back in the day, the legendary Jascha Heifetz also said this. The bow does not come down until the end of the applause.
As Kang Hyun moved, his whole body began to feel excited, like meeting a first love. What kind of piece would he play this time?
How much time had passed?
“I hope I’m not too late.”
It was a fantastic encore performance. This solo recital would undoubtedly lead to numerous columns and articles. The classical music world would be abuzz, as expected.
Sharon felt deeply regretful. It was such a shame that this solo recital was a one-time event.
“I must get an interview somehow. I can’t let it happen again like last time when he didn’t remember me and called me a noisy woman.”
She never imagined that Hyun wouldn’t remember her. With her model-like stature, distinct features, and flowing blonde hair, wasn’t she quite memorable?
Anyway, that’s not important now. This was the perfect opportunity after the solo recital. Once today passed, the foreign media’s evaluation of Hyun would undoubtedly change.
“Violinist Hyun.”
She carefully opened the door to the waiting room. The outside was noisy as the solo recital had just ended, but that wasn’t a problem. There would be time before the autograph session. However, as soon as Sharon opened the door and entered, she was petrified like a stone.
‘What on earth.’
She felt like closing the door again. Even Sharon, who had a strong personality, had never faced so many great masters in one place.
Starting with the eternal maestro Gustav, there were Hirose and Spencer, and Yuri. Not to mention, Alexei from Russia and Deng Lun from China were sitting together.
Behind them were not only the rising violinists but also pianist Baek Junghoon, who had accompanied the performance, standing nervously like a new employee.
