“Piccoli-ssi, how about this song ‘Rendezvous’?”
The rich aroma of Saint-Emilion lingered in my mouth.
“Many fans have been eagerly waiting for your new album. Could you say a few words for them?”
The reporter’s voice was anxious. It was understandable, as the interview with Michel Piccoli was allowed for only a brief time.
Wasn’t she a singer-songwriter receiving immense popularity all over France? There were even opinions that she would become a new star following rock star Johnny Hallyday.
To prove this, Piccoli’s albums were selling like hotcakes as soon as they were released.
“I’m sorry, but this song is not for the fans.”
“Excuse me?”
“If it were for the fans, I would have used a more lively and glamorous melody. But this song is entirely different. In a word, it’s a dedication.”
“Then who is the ‘Rendezvous’ dedicated to?”
Only the title of the new album had been announced, and no other details were known. Not even the fact that Michel Piccoli’s ‘Rendezvous’ was considered as the theme song for Jean-Pierre’s film.
Michel Piccoli placed the wine glass down and spoke.
“It is a song for those who suffered and were persecuted. You can still find traces of them around the world. In Germany’s Dachau, Poland’s Auschwitz, and France’s Natzweiler. ‘Rendezvous’ is a promise of freedom and a melody of their cries.”
The reporter, taken aback, quickly pulled out his notebook.
“Oh, and I will not be singing ‘Rendezvous’ this time.”
For a moment, the reporter’s pen stopped moving. He couldn’t understand.
There had been countless singers who sought out Michel Piccoli. She was not only talented as a singer but also as a composer.
However, Michel Piccoli had never given any of her songs to anyone. As the ink marks became clearer in his notebook, the reporter looked up. “Then who…?”
The reporter’s eyes were searching for the lucky recipient.
“Hello, I’m Kang Hyun.”
Wasn’t this the Michel Piccoli I had dreamed of meeting? I felt my heart racing uncontrollably.
I had always enjoyed classical music, but I also loved pop songs. In fact, I had collected all of Michel Piccoli’s famous albums without missing a single one.
Among them, ‘Rendezvous’ was the best. I had even spent a considerable amount of money to get the first edition of ‘Rendezvous’ with her autograph.
It was my only hobby in an otherwise dull life.
“Nice to meet you, you can call me Michel.”
Michel greeted me with a French-style kiss on the cheek. In Korean terms, it was a simple cheek kiss.
I didn’t think much of it, but it was clear that my mother was taken aback by the greeting.
The person Jean-Pierre had mentioned was none other than Michel Piccoli! I never dreamed that I would meet Michel Piccoli so soon.
I could feel the eyes of the people around us. After all, Michel was the hottest singer in France right now.
“Michel, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Hyun. I have been eagerly waiting for this day.”
“Can I ask why you chose me? I heard that you don’t easily give your songs to others.”
It was the same in my past life. Michel Piccoli, who reached the pinnacle as a French singer-songwriter, never gave her self-composed songs to anyone.
“Hyun, that’s a misunderstanding. It’s not about giving or not giving; it’s about finding someone who can truly capture the meaning of my songs. ‘Rendezvous’ was the same. I initially thought it was a song that only I could perform, so I prepared the album myself. However, after seeing your performance video, I was curious if it was just the power of editing, so I ended up visiting Korea.”
What?
“I never imagined I would see Paganini’s performance right in front of my eyes.”
Who would have thought that Michel came to the Seoul Arts Center?
“That day, I thought ‘Rendezvous’ should be performed by your hands, not mine.”
Mother and Jean-Pierre were quietly listening to my conversation with Michel. Of course, my mother wouldn’t understand, but she seemed to grasp the general atmosphere.
For a moment, Michel took a sip of water and scanned the restaurant.
“Hyun, this restaurant used to be a salon. More precisely, a music salon. Every night, the sound of musicians’ instruments filled the air, and it was a place of eternal praise and laughter. Now, only that grand piano continues its legacy. If it’s not too much trouble, may I make a request this time?”
What could it be?
“Could you play the piece I just performed on the violin? This place has violins as well as pianos, as befits a music salon.”
It was an unexpected proposal. Even Jean-Pierre seemed visibly startled.
Of course, playing the violin was not difficult. The reason for my surprise was simple. The piano piece Michel had just performed was an unpublished original composition.
Could I rearrange and perform the piano piece I had heard only once on the spot for the violin?
‘Things are taking a strange turn.’
I swallowed my inner thoughts and stood up.
The restaurant owner handed me a violin, as if he had been waiting for this moment, and it was clear at a glance that it was a well-crafted violin. The condition of the strings and bow indicated that it had been well-maintained.
The people in the restaurant stopped talking and looked at me again. If it was true that this place was once a music salon, the patrons seemed quite familiar with this atmosphere.
After finishing a quick tuning,
As I lifted the bow without hesitation, I noticed Michel’s eyes widening. It seemed she expected me to hesitate.
Zing!
The bow cut across the strings forcefully, as if to slice them.
The piece began with sharpness that seemed to touch the ceiling and was a constantly rushing harmony.
The left-hand technique was almost acrobatic, making it incredibly difficult to follow.
People in the restaurant could not take their eyes off the young boy’s performance.
It was as if multiple tones were resonating simultaneously from a single instrument. The feat of producing four-part harmony from a single-stringed instrument was reminiscent of Schubert’s ‘Erlkönig.’
Later, Michel Piccoli would say that this piece was inspired by Schubert’s ‘Erlkönig,’ so it wasn’t entirely unrelated.
It was then that the bow, which had been catching its breath, began to move quickly again.
Zing―!
Every note of the piano piece Michel had just performed was etched in my mind.
The notes on the staff were perfectly rearranged and raced across the strings.
My fingers moved so independently that it seemed as if they had a will of their own, from the fourth finger catching a note to the first finger trilling on the G string.
How was this possible? Michel’s original composition ‘Judgment,’ which she had just performed, was a masterpiece I had listened to countless times in my past life.
Many musicians had remade it, and even master violinists had not hesitated to arrange it.
Perhaps thanks to advanced software, the score that had passed in a flash was vividly clear in my mind. My fingers felt like they might tear apart, but I didn’t want to stop the performance.
I woke up early in the hotel. Though I hadn’t drunk any wine last night, my body felt sore, probably because I had played the violin so passionately.
In contrast, my diligent mother was already folding the blankets.
In accordance with French child labor laws, I always had to travel with my mother when working, but it felt more like a trip, which made me happy.
My mother and I got into the vehicle prepared by the filming crew and moved to the suburbs.
The filming location was Natzweiler, a former Nazi concentration camp, making it even more meaningful. It was infamous for something called “downpour.”
They had fired so many bullets at fleeing Jews that it sounded like a downpour.
Bullet marks were clearly visible on the walls.
My mother tightly held my hand, worried that I might be scared. It was then.
“Hyun, say hello. This is Isaac Bolton, who plays the role of Moses. By the way, Hyun and Isaac are the same age.”
Jean-Pierre introduced me to the child actor playing Moses. He was slightly taller than me but had a fairly youthful face. The boy’s dark hair contrasted with his blue eyes, making him stand out.
I already knew him well. He had been acting since he was young and would eventually win an Oscar.
The cast and director of ‘La Vie en Rose’ would later be considered a dream team.
“Hi, I’m Isaac Bolton.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Hyun.”
Isaac seemed quite shy, and it felt like it would take a long time to get close to him. However, the moment the filming camera turned on, his eyes changed instantly, proving that he was a born actor.
Jean-Pierre, who had been watching the filming camera, looked at me. “Hyun, do you know why Moses couldn’t leave the concentration camp?”
Of course, I knew. I had watched this masterpiece numerous times.
“Moses was born in the camp. The camp was his entire world. The people he met were also limited. Growing up receiving the love of all the inmates, Moses played music for them. His melody naturally sought freedom, as it echoed the cries he had heard even before he was born. But ultimately, Moses couldn’t leave the camp because he loved this place, which felt like his mother’s womb. How could he leave his mother behind?”
Jean-Pierre bit his lip.
“As expected, Hyun has a precise perspective on ‘La Vie en Rose.’ In fact, many sound recordists don’t understand why they need to visit the filming site. They think it’s enough to do post-dubbing. But how can you express the protagonist’s voice without knowing the vividness of the scene? Now I understand why Michel is so eager to record the theme song as soon as possible.”
Jean-Pierre, who always treated me with respect, had a face flushed with excitement from joy.
“Director.”
It was a scene where the protagonist Moses played a worn-out violin. Isaac was skillfully preparing his posture, but something about it bothered me.
“Isn’t the scene before this one where Moses gets beaten by a guard? He even injures his finger.”
Jean-Pierre looked surprised.
“Hyun, how did you know? Did you memorize the entire script?”
It was natural for Jean-Pierre to raise his voice. I was only called to the filming site on the days when they were shooting violin scenes.
Moreover, since film shooting doesn’t necessarily follow sequence, you wouldn’t know what the previous scene was unless you knew the entire flow of the movie.
I reluctantly nodded briefly. That wasn’t the important issue right now.
“Wait, can I adjust Moses’ posture?”
When Jean-Pierre nodded, I walked over without hesitation. Isaac seemed startled as I approached but soon swallowed and looked at me. ‘Darn, he’s good-looking.’
He would become one of Hollywood’s representative handsome actors in the future, so he was exceptional even as a sprout.
I corrected Isaac’s posture. I made him bend his pinky more and place his index finger more inaccurately on the string than usual.
