Following the instructions of the concertmaster, the oboe blows a long ‘A’ note.
Once the tuning is completed, the conductor steps onto the stage.
The conductor, dressed in a tailcoat, has an embroidered handkerchief tucked into his chest pocket instead of a pocket square.
With his confident stride and lack of any visible tension, the concertmaster swallowed dryly.
“Karas…?”
Suddenly, the empress of Austria, Karas, came to mind. Karas was truly a maestro representing the 20th century.
Sharon was reminded of Carnegie Hall in 1983 by looking at Kang Hyun. Even though it was a memory from decades ago, it felt as vivid as if it happened yesterday, as if Karas would appear at any moment.
Of course, Sharon’s feelings were not just because of Kang Hyun’s confident demeanor.
His deep gaze, which seemed to survey the audience and resonate with the concert hall, was so contemplative that it wasn’t unreasonable for Sharon to see Karas in Kang Hyun.
Moreover, the fact that he was conducting the same symphony that resonated in Carnegie Hall in 1983 made it even more exciting.
At that moment, Kang Hyun lightly bowed to the audience. The numerous audience members were holding their breath, staring at the stage. Even a simple gesture seemed to captivate them like magic.
A clear voice flowed from his beautifully angelic lips.
“Dedicated to the late Johannes Brahms.”
While it was not uncommon for there to be no short greeting, Kang Hyun was different.
“May his praise reach everyone.”
Kang Hyun’s voice echoed to the ceiling of the concert hall like a reverberation.
Could anyone call Brahms’ symphony, which looks into the inner anguish and the darkness of the deep abyss, a praise?
At that moment, Kang Hyun’s tailcoat fluttered as if swayed by the wind.
Swish.
The baton sliced through the air as if it were slicing the atmosphere.
The low tones of the cello and horn resonated slowly, as if enjoying the quiet autumn of life.
If Baek Junghoon’s conducting style was iron-blooded, Kang Hyun’s was flexible. It was like walking on the ground covered with autumn leaves.
Even from the prelude, the audience was already wiping their dry lips.
The tone that followed the pizzicato of the strings and continued with the clarinet was enough to make the listener feel a sacred and lyrical color.
Every time Kang Hyun’s shoulders moved, waves of melody surged. In the rising joy, the members’ faces were filled with elation.
It felt as if the elderly Brahms himself had stepped onto the stage.
Just then.
The tip of the baton, flowing along his shoulder, became sharper, and as the tails of his tailcoat fluttered, the stage began to change as if a harsh wind had blown.
“Hoo-ah!”
Like someone who had just run a marathon, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
When the performance ended, and he stood the members up to thank the audience, he almost collapsed.
It felt as if he had poured all his energy into it.
His heart was still pounding fiercely. His shoulders and elbows down to his fingertips trembled as if he had exercised intensely, but the overwhelming emotions did not seem to subside easily.
He felt like he wanted to get back on stage right away and conduct again with the Seoul Philharmonic.
He washed away his excited feelings with cold water. When his bangs were wet, a white towel was placed over his head.
“You did well, Hyun.”
He wiped the water off his head with the towel. Baek Junghoon, who he faced when he looked up, was looking at him with a brighter expression than ever.
“I never imagined you would use the trombone like that in the introduction of the fourth movement. I had always kept in mind only the form of the chaconne as Brahms had done. Like the mesmerized audience, I, too, stood up in the waiting room.”
Baek Junghoon was indeed a conductor who perfectly embodied the word musician.
What about his attitude toward learning? Unlike many rigid and oppressive musicians, Baek Junghoon never brought out any petty pride when it came to learning.
Moreover, his curiosity was immense, always approaching with an inquisitive attitude.
“When did you start preparing the vocal color of the second movement? Although it was composed in the Phrygian mode, I never imagined it would be expressed so sacredly. If I hadn’t been co-conducting, I would have watched your rehearsal from start to finish.”
To avoid influencing each other, they had not attended each other’s rehearsals for a while.
Baek Junghoon, as if he had been waiting for today, began to unravel his stories. Seeing him like this, he seemed completely different from the ‘Iron-blooded Maestro’ who exuded immense charisma on stage.
“How was it for you, hyung?”
“Me?”
“I mean your conducting.”
Baek Junghoon was active as a guest conductor in Russia. He had come to Korea after being blocked by an invisible wall. He remembered looking for him with wet eyes, drenched in rain.
But the current Baek Junghoon was completely different.
“For the first time, I was satisfied.”
“In what way?”
“My teacher always said my conducting seemed to lack something. By stepping onto the stage today, it feels like that missing part has been filled. I can’t express it in exact words, but now I feel like I’ve found the direction of my conducting.”
Baek Junghoon’s conducting was truly that of an iron-blooded maestro. It was like a maestro from past memories had been revived on stage.
Before long, Baek Junghoon was sure to become the representative conductor of Korea.
“By the way, did you know that Maestro Gilbert and Maestro Charles were in the audience today?”
“The principal conductors of the Chicago Symphony and the LA Philharmonic?”
“Yes, they are all eager to meet you, Hyun.”
Of course, as soon as the performance ended, he had greeted the audience and members before heading straight to the waiting room.
He already knew that many musicians were in the audience. The news that conductors from not only America but also various countries in Europe had come to Korea had been reported in the news repeatedly, so it was impossible not to know. Just then.
Knock, knock.
With the sound of knocking, Im Hyera, the chairwoman, entered the waiting room.
“Hyun, Junghoon, there’s someone who wants to meet you both. I think you should meet them.”
Who could it be that Chairwoman Im Hyera would come in person? Could it be the conductor of the LA Philharmonic or the principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony?
But as the elderly woman appeared, not only I but also Baek Junghoon’s eyes widened in shock. The reason for such surprise was simple.
The empress of Austria, Karas.
A legend we had only heard in stories had appeared before us.
“Maestro, how was it?”
It was an unplanned visit to Asia. Moving in extreme secrecy, no one knew about Karas’s visit to Korea except for her secretary and bodyguards, who were like family.
The reason the legendary maestro personally came to Korea was none other than the two young conductors.
“Maya, do you remember Carnegie Hall in 1983?”
How could one forget? It was her last stage and the performance that marked the finale. The grandeur was immense, with renowned musicians from around the world attending and even the Vice President of the United States present.
“It felt like experiencing that day all over again. Not only did they conduct the same symphony, but the two young conductors made the audience’s hearts race. I only intended to quietly watch the performance, but I felt I had to meet them.”
The reason for the excitement in Karas’s eyes was simple.
It wasn’t just a monotonous shout of conducting. The intense joy born from his fingertips was incomparable to anything else.
Just as someone saw Karas in Kang Hyun, Karas saw her younger self in Kang Hyun.
“Now I understand why Maestro Gustav praised him so highly. Now I believe it. The fact that London and Berlin competed so fiercely over this young man. I wish Maya could have seen the performance too.”
“Seeing you smile so brightly, Maestro, is enough to satisfy me.”
Of course, Maya, who had served Karas for decades, felt it had been a long time since she had seen her smile so brightly.
After all, she had given up conducting and abandoned all attachments after losing her beloved child years ago.
But now, she had returned to a state of curiosity like a young girl.
“Baek Junghoon is an amazing conductor, but Kang Hyun was remarkable in a different sense. I never dreamed he would reinterpret Brahms’s masterpiece so uniquely. If Johannes Brahms were alive, he would surely praise Hyun.”
“Was it that impressive?”
“The faces of the audience were filled with joy, and the members who performed with Hyun were blessed. It was that incredible.”
Maya had never seen the maestro praise someone so much. Understandably, Karas had become a world-renowned conductor before she even turned thirty.
Karas’s eyes, looking out the car window, were filled with an unfamiliar liveliness.
“Maya, shall we invite Hyun to Austria?”
It was no exaggeration to say the classical music world was in an uproar. The news of the empress of Austria, Karas, visiting Korea was shocking.
Understandably, after her last conduct at Carnegie Hall in 1983, Karas had thoroughly hidden herself from the world.
“This is so embarrassing.”
I ran my hands over my face.
Not only in newspapers but also on the news, stories about me were headlining every day.
Especially after the documentary had already raised national interest, it felt like everything about me, from whether I had a girlfriend to my life story, was being exaggerated like a bag of chips filled with air.
To the extent that my mother even received a call from a TV program about teaching children, there’s no need to say more.
“Son, but I like this headline. ‘Sons of Korea Shake the World.’ Your and Junghoon’s faces are right there on the front.”
“The article is too exaggerated. It’s not that much.”
In other words, it could be called national pride. There were even rumors in private weekly magazines that the legendary maestro Karas had come to Korea to take me as her disciple.
And it didn’t stop there. There were already rumors that I was the hidden son-in-law of the Jeil Group in some private weekly magazines.
“Honey, are the reporters still outside?”
“The policemen came and cleared them out earlier, but they seem to be back.”
My father shook his head in frustration.
Of course, I had reporters following me like paparazzi follow famous Hollywood stars. I could fully understand how Hollywood stars who are chased by paparazzi feel.
It seemed best not to show myself for a while. Just then.
Along with the sound of the doorbell, the housekeeper came to me with a surprised look.
“Hyun, there are guests outside the mansion, but I don’t speak English.”
“What?”
“There are foreigners here.”
Foreigners?
Could it be Spencer from London?
Crossing the garden and stepping outside the mansion, I saw an unexpected figure.
Standing there with a gentle, grandmotherly smile was the empress, Karas. Next to her was a middle-aged woman who seemed to be her secretary.
This was the second time. Having never met the legendary maestro in my past life, here she was before my eyes.
“Maestro, how did you come all the way here?”
I thought she had boarded a flight to Austria.
“Oppa—!”
At that moment, another figure appeared from behind the maestro. It was none other than Son Yooha, who was still in Korea, visiting the mansion in Ichon-dong.
As I stood in shock at the appearance of the two women, I suddenly remembered the reporters scattered everywhere.
They were surely capturing this scene from hidden spots. I could already predict tomorrow’s headlines without seeing them.
