“This is unbelievable.”
Producer Maria’s face was full of disbelief.
It was about finding the mistakes in a grand symphony that could be called an epic. No matter how skilled someone was in music, how could they instantly find the flaws created by an orchestra?
Given the number of orchestra members and the corresponding number of orchestral and percussion instruments, it was nearly impossible.
In fact, when the Russian violinist Anna found two mistakes, everyone was already in awe. It seemed impossible for human hearing.
But Maestro Eden Simeon’s expression remained unchanged. As if he was certain that Kang Hyun would find everything correctly.
“No way.”
Maria’s gaze slowly turned to Kang Hyun. He was still maintaining a relaxed demeanor, looking down at the stage from one of the seats.
Not only Maria but also the eyes of the Queen Elisabeth Competition applicants were filled with curiosity and doubt. They had heard so much about Kang Hyun’s reputation.
Some of the stories were unbelievable, like how Kang Hyun played a broken harp flawlessly or revived the long-dormant beautiful melody of the Stradivarius ‘Fiore’.
But most thought these stories were exaggerated, made up by people who liked to inflate rumors.
Amidst the curious and doubtful gazes, Kang Hyun slowly began to speak.
“In the introduction of the first movement, the drumstick of the member playing the bass drum shook. The member’s fingertips holding the stick slightly relaxed. It’s hard to see it as a simple mistake; it seemed to be an intentional direction from the maestro.”
What?
“Also, when the horn was played gestopft, the player’s hand didn’t completely cover the valve. Because of that, a soft tone instead of a sharp metallic one came out for a moment. It looked like they intentionally left about a third of it open when hand-stopping.”
From Kang Hyun’s mouth, the mistakes flowed out effortlessly.
The disbelief in the eyes of Producer Maria and the young violinists grew even stronger.
How could this be possible? But it didn’t end there.
“Anna already found the mistakes in the second and third movements. Finally, in the highlight section that decorates the end of the fourth movement, the maestro’s conducting direction was wrong. However, the members weren’t shaken and played correctly. As if they had promised in advance.”
As Kang Hyun continued to speak, the commotion in the room grew louder. Some looked at him with disbelief, while others glanced at the broadcasting staff as if they were being pranked.
But Maria was just as confused. It was understandable; anyone who didn’t know might think Kang Hyun was just making things up.
However, everyone held their breath at Maestro Eden Simeon’s next words.
“Indeed, he’s correct.”
Producer Maria’s eyes were filled with astonishment. The same was true for the young violinists and the newly joined members of the Belgian Symphony Orchestra. No one expected that someone could solve all of the maestro’s puzzles.
At that moment, Producer Maria couldn’t suppress her curiosity and raised her hand.
“Maestro, may I ask a question if it’s not too impolite?”
“Of course.”
“You just said it was correct. Do you mean that Mr. Hyun found all the mistakes in the symphony?”
Eden Simeon responded with a faint smile. Everyone was stunned into silence.
“Hyun, if it’s okay, could you find and correct the mistakes in the score? The other violinists seem curious about your method.”
At Eden Simeon’s request, Kang Hyun finally stood up. There was no sign of arrogance or pride on his face as he walked toward the stage. Instead, he seemed to dislike the excessive attention.
The young violinists watched Kang Hyun’s back with eyes full of reverence as he ascended the stage. As always, the camera director zoomed in to capture the scene.
“Is this even real?”
In the mansion known as the dawn of melody, Chappelle, young violinists were gathered.
Though there wasn’t much time left until the final stage, they stopped practicing for the day to talk.
The twin brothers Bill and Max from America raised their voices as if witnessing a miracle.
“I thought all the rumors about violinist Hyun were exaggerated lies.”
“Me too. Although he’s famous enough to dominate the Billboard charts in America, I thought there might be some lobbying behind it. Moreover, I heard that European maestros were vying to take Hyun as their disciple. Now I fully understand their intentions. If I had witnessed such a scene firsthand, I wouldn’t have resisted the temptation either.”
The twin brothers, who usually looked down on Asian classical music, had become ardent fans of Kang Hyun. Ethan from Northern Europe also nodded, agreeing with the brothers.
“My brother participated in the Queen Elisabeth Competition seven years ago. He said he stayed at Chappelle with violinist Hyun at that time. My brother has a very prideful personality, but he acknowledged violinist Hyun. He said there wasn’t a single violinist at Chappelle seven years ago who could surpass him. Thinking about what happened today at Bozar Hall, I understand why my prideful brother accepted it so easily.”
Anna, who was listening to the conversation, couldn’t hide her surprise at the unexpected information. She never thought that the thin and reserved Ethan was Eric’s younger brother from seven years ago.
Eric from Northern Europe was so large that he seemed like a descendant of the Vikings. She still vividly remembered him delicately playing the violin with his huge hands.
“I was really surprised when Mr. Hyun corrected the mistakes in the score with a red pen. At first, I thought it was all a hidden camera prank to surprise us, but when Maestro Simeon played the symphony again with the members and the mistakes were exactly as pointed out, I got goosebumps.”
The main topic of conversation was Kang Hyun.
The applicants were all recognized as promising talents in their own countries, but the talent Kang Hyun displayed was close to a miracle.
They all felt a tremendous barrier from his extraordinary talent, even though they were all called prodigies.
At that moment, Hotaru from Japan, with her reddened cheeks and eyes full of admiration, spoke up.
“Isn’t Mr. Hyun the god of music mentioned in the legend of Chappelle?”
The legend passed down among violinists, Chappelle, is said to be the home of the god of music with endless melodies.
At first, they thought it was nonsense, but as soon as they arrived at Chappelle, they all felt a mysterious aura.
It really seemed like the god of music existed in the sanctuary called Chappelle. No one could refute Hotaru’s words. That’s how shocking Kang Hyun’s display had been.
Producer Maria couldn’t contain her racing heart. Was it because she drank coffee filled with caffeine? She had been sitting in the editing room for hours, but her eyes were more sparkling than ever.
“Wow!”
Maria couldn’t help but exclaim. She had lost count of how many times she had replayed the scene.
The part where Kang Hyun easily solved the unprecedented puzzle set by Maestro Eden Simeon at Bozar Hall.
In her career as a producer, she had never seen such a scene. Even the veteran camera director was so surprised that the footage slightly trembled when Kang Hyun solved all the puzzles.
“The ratings are going to be phenomenal.”
This year’s Queen Elisabeth Competition was showing a stature beyond a national event in many ways.
The documentary covering the Queen Elisabeth schedule was sold not only in Belgium but also in Europe and Asia.
Moreover, the ratings were quite high from the first broadcast. It was hard not to know because the head of the current affairs and education department was screaming and cheering since morning.
If this scene were broadcasted, the whole world would surely be buzzing.
“The next interview video will be a hit too.”
It was after the miraculous scene at Bozar Hall was filmed. Maria, riding the momentum, attempted an interview with Kang Hyun. She thought it would make for good footage.
Her prediction was spot on. She heard an unexpected answer from Kang Hyun.
-If you ask how I managed to solve all of Maestro Eden Simeon’s puzzles, I can’t give you a specific method. I don’t usually train for this, and who could ask the proud members of an orchestra to intentionally play wrong? I can only say I have a good intuition.
In the video, Kang Hyun’s face showed no arrogance or pride. It truly meant that he naturally realized it as soon as he heard the symphony.
Maria finally understood why so many European maestros wanted Kang Hyun. The rumor that he was the reincarnation of Mozart suddenly felt very real.
Of course, the interview didn’t end there.
-The true stage of Queen Elisabeth is just around the corner. As a judge, it’s very difficult to predict the winner. Seeing how the applicants discussed their performances with Maestro Eden Simeon today, they all seem to understand their abilities well. I’m sure there will be excellent performances. If you ask how I would rank if I were a participant, I will refrain from commenting on that.
Most of the Queen Elisabeth Competition applicants were older than Kang Hyun.
The public had already been speculating about what would happen if Kang Hyun participated as an applicant instead of a judge. Maria dared to predict that the result would not be different from seven years ago.
-A future dream…
Kang Hyun was already building his reputation and achievements as a violinist and conductor. It was publicly known that the London Symphony Orchestra was giving him enthusiastic love calls.
Everyone was curious about his future, what his ideal vision was. Would he become a legendary maestro who leaves a mark in classical history? Or a virtuoso loved by the god of music?
Various answers were expected, but the reply was surprising.
-To live a happy life.
A happy life?
-I’ve already regretted it once. I won’t make the same mistake this time.
What did he mean? But Kang Hyun’s face, after finishing his answer, looked more at ease than ever. Producer Maria added.
Hyun, do you mean you want to start a family?
