“Are you referring to Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique?”
Concertmaster Samuel unconsciously raised his voice.
“Maestro, no matter how exceptional Hyun is, he’s still just sixteen. While his abilities as a violinist have been confirmed, conducting is a different matter. Even the eternal maestro Gustav didn’t wield the baton at that age. The resistance from the orchestra members won’t be trivial either.”
“Samuel, do you really think so?”
“Pardon?”
At that moment, Samuel recalled when Kang Hyun conducted the second movement of the Pathétique for the members.
It was a brief tuning session to recall the melody of the Moscow Philharmonic, but he was so adept at it. It was as if he had experienced such situations countless times, like a veteran.
“The first time I held a baton was in Heschwald, Saxony. As a guest conductor, not only was I not renowned, but even the members hardly knew my name. A guest conductor is essentially a stranger. When the rehearsal time ended, the members would promptly close their scores and put their instruments in their cases. Of course, if it was just that, it wouldn’t have mattered. Although it was disappointing, the allotted time was set for them.”
“Maestro.”
“When you conduct, there are times when you miss the tempo or create dissonance you’re unaware of. In my younger days, my skills as a conductor were not that high. However, in such times, those with sharp ears among the members would immediately notice and start packing up to leave.”
The pride of orchestra members is immense. Especially towards guest conductors, they were even harsher. From their perspective, it was a way of drawing boundaries.
If a conductor showed any lack of skill or even a slight gap, they would quickly fall out of favor with the members. It’s no wonder conductors are described as eternal uninvited guests until they have their own orchestra.
“If my younger self were to meet the current Berlin Philharmonic, what do you think would happen? I might freeze up, unable to raise the baton, struggling to follow Berlin Philharmonic’s interpretation and flow, making a fool of myself.”
This was not self-deprecation. It was just an honest statement. Although he is now called the lion of the Berlin Philharmonic, it wasn’t the case several decades ago.
“Look at Hyun now. I’m not talking about his rapport with the members. Erase his age and youthful appearance, and look at his inner skills. That kid definitely has the talent to be a conductor. The question is how big his potential is. I want to find out on this stage.”
If you hadn’t met the violinist Hyun in person, it would be hard to believe. Who would entrust the conducting of the Berlin Philharmonic to a young boy? Especially for Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique.
Yuri, the lion of the Berlin Philharmonic, added with a peculiar smile.
“There is a superstition among conductors. They end up joining the orchestra where they had their debut performance.”
If Spencer from London had heard this, he would have likely glared with wide eyes.
Is this how monks contemplating leaving the world feel? Even though it’s not menopause, my heart is restless.
When I came to Berlin and London, I tried to avoid exposure as much as possible. I intended to absorb the know-how of the maestros and disappear like a thief. The reason was simple.
‘Tsk.’
What happened to the prodigies who received excessive media attention in their childhood?
Though my case was different, I disliked the excessive media attention. Hadn’t I felt it deeply in my past life?
At first, one gets addicted to people’s attention, but soon realizes it’s like junk food without any nutritional value. This is especially true if you’re not entering politics.
In my case, I was more inclined towards personal satisfaction than fame as a musician.
“Hyun, we’ve arrived.”
Krissy’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Outside the car window was a small shop that looked like an antique store, with a German sign that read “Deer’s Fate,” indicating we were at the right place.
Where is this? Maestro Gustav once whispered to me about this sheet music store in Berlin.
He had told me to definitely visit this place when in Germany.
“Krissy, please wait in the car for a moment.”
“Hyun, don’t disappear suddenly like last time. You won’t move to another place without telling me, right? Promise me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll only be here. How could a sparrow pass by a mill?”
Krissy kept her eyes wide open, not looking away. It seemed she didn’t understand the Korean joke.
Ding.
The small bell on the doorknob announced the arrival of a customer. However, the old man with white hair didn’t even get up.
Well, whether he responded or not didn’t really matter.
“Ooh—!”
Even if I saw a Patek Philippe watch, my eyes wouldn’t widen like this. The batons made of walnut, ash, and olive wood caught my eye.
Is there no such place in Korea? The prices are low, and there is little demand, so there are few sellers. In the declining classical music scene of the 90s in Jongno, it was hard to find a high-quality baton.
“Yes, this grip.”
Conductors are picky. They go to great lengths to find a baton that suits them.
If you know how important the weight balance and grip of a baton are when conducting, you’ll understand how valuable this small wooden stick is.
Some sensitive conductors even cut branches themselves and sand them.
“Hmm.”
It feels like being surrounded by luxury watches, but none of them are quite right. Or perhaps it’s like Harry Potter choosing a magic wand. There’s no baton that fits perfectly. Then, it happened.
Zing—!
A high-pitched sound, like a bow scraping the strings, caught my ear. The source of the sound was none other than the old man with white hair.
He was holding a violin, struggling as if in a fierce battle. It looked more like he was fighting with the violin than tuning it.
I couldn’t stand it any longer and moved closer.
“Sir, may I take a look?”
“You?”
“Yes, I know a bit about violins.”
Though my German was clumsy, communication wasn’t a problem.
The old man handed over the violin, his wrinkled eyes filled with doubt and suspicion.
It was understandable. How could a young man like me, who looked much younger than someone who had spent a lifetime in a sheet music store, know more about violins? However, after a few adjustments…
Zing.
A soft and rich melody emerged. The old man looked at me in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. It was possible because of my sharper senses and ears compared to others.
I could detect the very slight twist in the fingerboard and soundboard beneath the strings. To exaggerate, the difference between the old man’s eyesight and mine was like that between a magnifying glass and a microscope.
“Excuse me, could you look at these as well?”
The old man, who had been in a daze, suddenly stood up and hurriedly brought several old violin cases.
I wondered why so many old violins were stored in a sheet music store.
“Phew—!”
It felt like I had become a master doctor. Just as I was about to get up after tuning the last patient, I mean, violin.
“Young man, take this.”
“Yes?”
“I noticed you were looking at batons earlier. Unfortunately, those over there don’t suit you. While the ash wood has a good grip, the weight balance is probably off, and the olive wood is the opposite.”
Did he have eyes on the side of his head? He seemed to know everything I had done.
I received a small wooden box from the old man. When I carefully opened the lid, an old baton lay inside.
“Try holding it.”
The grip fit perfectly, and the weight balance was excellent. But the most important thing was that my heart started pounding uncontrollably as soon as I held the old baton.
Seeing my face flush red, the old man continued.
“It contains the essence of Berlin.”
Cicada sounds buzzed—!
The heat of August was in full swing. Under the scorching sun, as hot as the mirage rising from the asphalt, the piano keys never stopped.
Baek Junghoon’s long fingers danced tirelessly over the keys. It was like watching a long-legged spider move.
‘Here, marcato—!’
His fingertips bounced off the keys like springs. The melody was heavy and grand, but his fingertips were sharp.
From his shoulders to his elbows to his fingertips, he carefully pressed the black and white keys like a well-honed gladiator’s sword.
Only after the last note was played did he finally exhale.
“Haa—!”
Baek Junghoon exhaled the breath he had been holding and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
The more he played the sheet music, the more he realized how amazing Kang Hyun was. As he danced his fingers over the keys to interpret the composer’s notes, he felt like he was walking through a maze.
Did it seem complicated and difficult? No, it was a sweet maze he never wanted to leave.
Even though practicing all night wasn’t enough, Baek Junghoon was also eager to hear what Kang Hyun would think of his performance.
“Junghoon, did you stay up all night again?”
At that moment, Im Hyera, the director, entered Kang Hyun’s studio. Currently, only two people had access to Hyun’s studio when he wasn’t there.
“Take a break while you’re at it. I’m worried you’ll collapse.”
“I want to, but if I don’t master this sheet music, my little master will scold me.”
“Master?”
Baek Junghoon added with a fresh smile.
“Director, what time is Hyun arriving tomorrow?”
“Oh, Junghoon, you haven’t heard the news yet.”
“Pardon?”
Im Hyera shook her head.
“Hyun decided to stay in Berlin for another week.”
Should he be happy or not, a subtle emotion flickered in Baek Junghoon’s eyes.
“The essence of Berlin?”
First violin sub-principal Alberto couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Hyun, how much did you pay for it?”
Upon hearing the price, he said, “You got scammed.” When I looked at the members with a puzzled expression, Alberto stopped laughing and explained further.
“Deer’s Fate is an old place, but young musicians don’t visit it often. It’s dusty, and the sheet music condition isn’t great. Moreover, the owner is known for his grumpy personality.”
“Really?”
“Yes. What kind of wood did he say it was made from?”
Come to think of it, I didn’t hear what kind of wood was used. I grabbed it because of the perfect grip and weight balance. On a normal day, I would have been meticulous, but that day I acted as if I was possessed.
“Well, it’s fortunate.”
“Alberto?”
“I always thought you were too perfect for your age, which was somewhat scary. You were like a mini maestro. It’s good to see some flaws; it makes you more human.”
I appreciated his roundabout way of saying I was clumsy.
Normally, I would have left Berlin by now, but I decided to stay a bit longer.
Although I intended to stay quietly, the opportunity to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, the world’s best orchestra, doesn’t come often.
Then it happened.
“Hyun, if the conducting goes wrong, we’ll stop midway.”
Concertmaster Samuel spoke sharply.
The other members were the same. I thought we were getting closer, but as soon as they heard I was conducting, they turned cold.
That’s how it should be. In music, you must be cold and have a firm world of your own.
Even though it was a rehearsal, it felt more real than a real performance.
“Hyun, if you want, you can come back to the violin section.”
“I’ll pass, Alberto.”
It wasn’t that I disliked the violin. The problem was different. The old baton in my hand made my heart pound too intensely.
To exaggerate, even amidst the tuning of numerous instruments, my heartbeat was clearly audible.
At that moment, the tip of the old baton gleamed fiercely.
