Chapter 55

055. Beinoff Symphony (2)

Mark Willen, the Steinway Concert & Artist Manager, arrived in Russia.

He was carrying an appointment letter in his briefcase.

It was the official appointment letter for Steinway Artists, representing the world's best piano brand.

This letter belonged to Han Seoho, who had won the piano category at the Tchaikovsky Competition.

A child who played both piano and violin.

At first, he thought it was absurd and even mocked the Tchaikovsky Competition.

The prestige of the competition, once known as one of the three major competitions, was fading!

But after watching the live stream on the internet, his thoughts changed.

The violin performance was excellent, and the piano was perfect.

If either had been lacking, he might have thought it was greed to focus on both, but no such thought crossed his mind.

Both performances were special, making it feel like watching two different performers.

He wanted to see the growth of both.

And he wasn't the only one. The rarely artist-picking Steinway moved, and as a result, he came to Russia.

A special child who won both first and second place at an international competition.

Admiration and interest in the performance soon shifted to the performer.

What kind of boy was Han Seoho, who possessed a rare talent, even in the history of classical music?

Finally, Mark sat in the living room of the hotel suite.

He looked at the boy with interest.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mark Willen, responsible for concerts and artists at Steinway."

"Hello, I'm Han Seoho."

"First, congratulations on your first and second place wins."

"Thank you."

The boy smiled, slightly embarrassed, but not overly so, which made him seem confident rather than nervous.

Mark, even more intrigued, continued.

"It's a bit of a shame. You could have set a historical record by winning both categories. Of course, your current achievement is already unique."

"I'm satisfied. I gained a lot from the competition. Skills, inspiration... and perhaps, an answer to a dear one's wish."

Han Seoho trailed off, and Mark smiled faintly, asking,

"The articles mentioned this was your first participation?"

"Yes, it was my first time."

"Yet, you were very skilled. You seemed mature. I would have believed you had participated in dozens of competitions."

Han Seoho laughed, saying he often heard that.

Mark found the boy increasingly interesting.

He forgot why he was there and what was in his briefcase, and they chatted about various topics, from the competition to the piano itself.

He was surprised again.

"Do you have a piano tuner in your family? Like a grandfather...?"

"No."

"Yet, you know a lot about pianos. Of course, some of your knowledge is a bit different from current methods, which is why I asked about your grandfather."

"I'm just very interested. The books I read were a bit old, I guess."

Mark nodded in understanding, thinking it made sense if it was from books.

Suddenly, he looked at the clock on the wall and snapped back to reality.

"Haha, it's already this late. I was interviewing you like a journalist."

"It's fine. I enjoyed it."

"Me too. I'm not a psychologist, but Seoho, you have a talent for making people feel at ease. Especially when talking about music. I found myself getting absorbed in the conversation."

"Thank you."

Mark smiled and picked up the bag he had thrown aside.

"Alright, let's get to the main point now."

He pulled out a box lined with luxurious velvet. Opening the lid, an appointment letter was revealed.

Han Seoho said, watching Mark carefully take it out,

"It feels like a knighthood."

"Haha, something like that."

Nodding lightly, Mark handed over the appointment letter with a serious expression.

"Congratulations on becoming a Steinway Artist."

Taking the letter, Han Seoho continued,

"As a Steinway Artist, you'll receive the new model we're producing. We'll also support and promote you for your future concerts. We'll provide our pianos for you to play wherever and whenever you need. We'll invite you to our events and seek your advice on piano sound, striving to maintain a good partnership."

After hearing everything, Han Seoho asked,

"Advice on sound?"

"Since we produce only about 100 pianos a year, we prioritize making pianos that suit our artists. We often request demonstrations and advice. This is especially true if a piano is named after an artist."

"Then... is it possible to achieve the sound I want?"

"Is there something you don't like about our piano's sound?"

At Mark's question, Han Seoho quickly shook his head.

"No, it's not that... but there's a sound I miss."

A 16-year-old boy talking about a sound he misses.

It didn't seem funny. His expression was too serious and deep.

In the end, Mark gave a positive answer.

"I can't promise right away, but it's certainly possible."

It wasn't just empty words. If his fame continues, the company might even make a piano with his name on it.

Of course, it's impossible now, but...

The boy smiled and replied,

"Really, that would be great."

#

After the Steinway employee left the hotel room.

I looked at the appointment letter on the table and thought.

If I could make the piano sound the way I want...

With the violin, I managed to achieve the desired sound through Guarneri, even though it wasn't mine.

Of course, the Steinway piano has a wonderful sound.

Just pressing one key can inspire countless ideas.

It's popular, beautiful, and resonant.

It's undoubtedly a great instrument, but what I miss is the sound of a piano made by Thomas Broadwood. It's as popular as Steinway but has its own unique tone.

Back then, I only watched others play...

In this life, can I play it myself?

Excitement welled up, and I drank a glass of water.

Then, I pulled my laptop onto my lap.

It had been a while since I visited SoundCloud.

I hadn't been able to work while in Russia, but the views had increased significantly.

"Maybe I'll work on some tracks here and there?"

I looked around the hotel room. The suite arranged by Yang Jaho, the representative of SJ Cultural Foundation, had soundproofing as good as a recording studio. It seemed possible...

As I was thinking, my laptop dinged.

It was a different sound from a message, and I looked at the screen curiously. A small badge appeared in the upper right corner.

Huh?

...A message.

From someone who had listened to a track I uploaded on SoundCloud.

#

A few days later.

Bard College in New York, USA.

"Hello!"

The students greeted Professor Celine Palmer, who entered the classroom, as if they hadn't seen her in a long time.

Indeed, she had been away from school for two weeks.

She had been selected as a judge for the Tchaikovsky Competition.

This year's competition was particularly noteworthy, and the students' faces were filled with curiosity.

"Professor, Han Seoho. How was his performance?"

"Those who actually saw it said it was different from the videos. Especially the violin's tone was insane. How was it compared to your Guarneri?"

"Compared to Leo Dubochet's performance, which did you prefer?"

The questions poured out as if they had been waiting.

The American master, Professor Celine, smiled.

"Seems like this year's competition was interesting for you all too."

It was understandable. Especially for violin students, it was hard to believe but couldn't help being interested.

Celine smiled again and said,

"First, most people focus on the fact that he played both piano and violin, but personally, his violin performance alone was already astonishing. Although he placed second, it was only because a tie for first was not allowed, not because his performance was inferior. Especially in terms of tone... I wanted to learn from him."

The students were shocked by her candid words.

Celine was one of the leading violinists in the United States. She was saying she wanted to learn from a boy 40 years younger than her.

"Anyway."

Seeing the genuinely surprised students, Celine said casually,

"Shall we check your assignments now?"

The students' faces fell.

Celine crossed her arms and watched the students perform one by one.

The assignment was simple but required a lot of time.

She had given it before leaving for the competition.

It also fit the Bard College motto of "free performance."

"Find a piece that suits you and perform it."

It might seem cliché, but Celine added a condition.

"However, it can't be a famous piece. It should be something no one here knows."

The reason was the preconceived notions attached to famous pieces.

There are rules about how a piece should be played, and naturally, performers fit themselves into those frames.

In the end, they end up diminishing their strengths.

She asked them to practice unknown pieces for this reason.

They would have to search through modern pieces.

She checked each student's performance, which was a headache.

Some students had prepared diligently...

"Did I ask you to choose a piece no one here knows? Sibelius's Violin Concerto in D minor. Is there anyone here who doesn't know this?"

Others hadn't.

"I'm sorry."

"Try again. Focus not on who composed it or how famous it is, but on what you can do well."

"Yes."

The student bowed and left.

The next student came up.

Celine leaned back and waited for the performance.

Zing.

The unique, melancholic sound of the violin filled the room.

Soon, Celine was delighted.

"Oh, I've never heard this piece before."

Even after seven or eight bars, she couldn't identify the piece.

Moreover, it matched the student's style well.

This was the achievement she had hoped for when giving the assignment.

...Finally, the performance ended, and Celine clapped lightly. It was the first applause in today's class.

"First, let's see if it fits the 'unknown piece' criteria. Did anyone know this piece?"

"..."

Silent classroom.

Celine smiled and continued,

"Success."

Looking at the smiling student, she added,

"Your choice was excellent. The piece itself... it's very performer-friendly. The composer seems to have focused on conveying their intent with not too difficult techniques. Yet, the melody is beautiful and concise... who composed it?"

"Um, well..."

The student fumbled through the sheet music and hesitated.

"I only know the nickname."

"Nickname?"

"Actually, I found it on SoundCloud."

His hesitant answer made the students burst into laughter.

Only Celine didn't understand why they were laughing.

"SoundCloud? What's that?"