Chapter 77

077. The Me I Convey (2)

"It's been a week."

I said, looking at the familiar faces of the students sitting in the front row. Of course, there were also students and teachers who were not familiar.

"There are many students I haven't seen before, and in the back, there seem to be people who should have been in their usual seats."

As I pointed to the podium, a loud voice came from the back.

"I came out of curiosity!"

It was a robust teacher with a beard and a hairy face. The students turned around and laughed, and the teachers on either side did the same. He really had a unique presence.

"From your voice alone, I can tell which department you're from. You must be from the vocal department, right?"

"Haha! That's right! I'm really looking forward to the movie 'Soprano'!"

I'm also really looking forward to it.

The hearty laughter made me feel good.

The audio-visual room, which had been slightly tense due to my appearance, melted into a warm atmosphere with just a few words.

I turned on the monitor to start the lecture. This time, instead of a PowerPoint, I displayed a single image.

A photo of a medieval city that would make anyone think of Europe.

When everyone's eyes were drawn to it, I began to speak.

"Do you like games?"

Yes!

The response was loud, and inevitably, a "Wow" sound came from the teachers in the back.

I smiled and continued.

"Let's imagine playing a role-playing game."

I introduced it casually, having adjusted my voice.

"Actually, I am a noble from Europe."

Then, a fresh laugh burst out like the weather outside.

#

...The 50 minutes passed in a flash.

And as with any classroom, as soon as the break began, the students gathered in small groups.

However, today's topic was a bit different from usual.

"How about it? Do you understand why we said it was so interesting?"

In response to the student's question, which he had heard since the last mentoring, a student who was attending Han Seoho's mentoring for the first time today laughed awkwardly.

"Man, it's... even more interesting than I thought."

"Right? See, I told you."

The student, proud as if it were his own achievement.

Behind him, another group was reflecting on the lecture content.

"Mozart is depicted as very hysterical in the movie, but he had a more diverse range of relationships than I thought."

"Exactly. To put friendship into a piece for a student."

Then, he glanced back.

Even though the lecture was over, the teachers were still in deep conversation and hadn't left their seats.

"Hmm... Friendship is indeed tough."

As the student shuddered, the friends beside him nodded in agreement.

"Most of the stories are based on facts, and it's interesting. I used to fall asleep during the history of classical music, but it seems who says it is important."

"First of all, it's visually pleasing."

"That's true, too."

"These face-obsessed people."

"Important is not just a good-looking face."

Since it wasn't a wrong statement, the male student, who was in a bad mood, just rolled his eyes and left.

At that moment, a student who was newly impressed by Mozart added.

"By the way, if the noble created by the mentor really existed, he must have been amazing."

"What about him?"

"He was a close friend of Haydn and Mozart, and he exchanged letters and scores with those masters. He must have been an extraordinary person."

"Hey, stop over-imagining—"

In the meantime, a female student, who was busy summarizing what she had learned today, put down her pen and said.

"But it sounds more plausible when the mentor says it, doesn't it?"

"Even you, Ji-a..."

Eun-ji-a smiled and looked down at her notebook. The content of today's lecture, or the observations of a noble from Europe on Haydn and Mozart, was filled with interesting notes.

"The kids are excited."

- Kim Gihoon said, turning his head and closing his mouth. The teachers were the same.

Of course, unlike the students, they approached it from an educational perspective.

"It could have been a childish story, but it's interesting because the historical accuracy is solid."

"Right. I didn't know he could explain the concerto for two pianos in such a way."

"I remember reading in a book that Mozart, as a pianist somewhat distant from the orchestra, felt lonely and started composing pieces for two pianos... but I had forgotten about it."

"When playing a concerto or duet, you focus all your attention on matching with the other performer, not on the background."

"The difference between being aware of this and not being aware of it could be significant."

"There's a clear difference between presenting it in a bright and cheerful way and understanding the deeper meaning."

"I heard that this piece is recommended by doctors in psychiatry. It actually gives emotional stability to depressed patients. Perhaps this effect is due to the fact that it's a piece to alleviate loneliness."

Mozart created the piece to alleviate his own loneliness, and the performers began to play together because of it, while the listeners wash away the dust of depression that has accumulated in their hearts.

It was a simple outline, but it was a story that provoked a lot of thought.

After that, the teachers continued to discuss the background of the piece's creation and its relationship with performance as they went down to the staff room.

The words Han Seoho said at the end of the lecture were still echoing in their minds.

The piece, the performance.

It doesn't start with the pen, the fingertips, or the score.

It all starts with a 'story'.

#

The study session proceeded as planned, with only the students from the previous class remaining.

It was a bit disappointing for me, who wanted to meet more performers, but it was necessary for a proper study session.

To do everything together, I would need to have two bodies, not just a soul.

...Thus, the practice room I arrived at had two pianos set up.

One was an upright piano that looked a bit old, and the other was a medium-sized grand piano.

It wasn't a dramatic setup like a piano battle in a music movie, but two talented students sat facing each other.

They were the two who had raised their hands during the lecture, saying they would play the 'Sonata for Two Pianos'.

Both were familiar to me.

Eun-ji-a sat at the upright piano, and the other was a third-year female student who had honestly said that it was uncomfortable to be taught practice pieces in the previous class.

"Let's start when you're ready."

The performance began shortly after.

All the students, including me, watched the two perform.

I listened to the performance while alternating between the scores I had prepared in advance. However, I didn't mark any specific issues, even if I noticed them.

There wasn't enough time to go through each issue in detail, and doing so might disrupt the overall flow of the performance.

Since we were only listening to the first movement, the two performances ended quickly.

Both performers, having taken their hands off the keys, looked very tense.

After all, it was now time for group discussion.

What was the problem, and what was good.

With over 30 people each saying a word, many stories were exchanged in a short time.

It might seem a bit cruel.

Indeed, the third-year female student's face was flushed.

But it would be even more cruel for a performer not to hear the audience's thoughts.

They are overly afraid of evaluation due to excessive competition.

So, I hope they get used to it.

After all, only one class remains after today.

Still.

After the students' opinions poured in and the performers had enough time to think,

I approached the piano.

"..."

Naturally, expectant eyes were cast at me, almost to the point of being burdensome.

"Let me play it once."

"Yes? Ah, yes!"

Eun-ji-a quickly stood up to make room.

When the third-year female student also tried to stand, I asked her to stay seated.

"Help me play. Just like before, play the second piano part."

"..., Yes, yes."

The dazed female student sat back down on the piano bench.

"This time, listen to my performance and compare what's different. Instead of focusing on the details, look at the whole. How the flow of the piece forms a cohesive structure."

Then, I placed my hands on the keys.

It might sound a bit corny, but...

"Let's go back to the role-playing from the lecture. Imagine that one day Wolfgang sent a letter. It included a score."

I glanced sideways at the third-year female student, who was looking for the right timing with a tense face. She looked at me, and I smiled and continued.

"When lonely moments come, he sent this 'Sonata for Two Pianos' to be played. So, let's recall a moment of loneliness."

As if actors were pulling out emotions from a book of their layered experiences.

It didn't take long.

After all, I had recorded 'Familie' just yesterday.

Recalling that moment, similar emotions flooded in.

"Alright. I'm lonely."

I didn't want to make it heavy.

Saying it lightly and playfully, laughter rippled through the students.

Then, I finally gave a signal to the female student sitting next to me.

—!

The unison (a technique where multiple instruments play the same melody simultaneously) started at the same time.

With all four hands playing the same note, the resonance doubled.

——!

——!

As we moved past the introduction, the two pianos began to exchange melodies as if in conversation.

Like a letter being sent and a reply coming back.

And the exposition, pouring out dramatically with cadenzas and arpeggios.

I didn't show it all at once.

Not to show off, not to be dramatic, and certainly not because a sudden desire to perform had ignited.

I wanted to show the 'story' all at once.

If I said, "Put an accent here, and don't let the sound of the keys clump there," they might succeed in that phrase but get stuck in the next one.

But if they grasp the overall flow, the details of the story will naturally come to mind.

"Here comes the development."

At that moment, the atmosphere changed.

The second piano, which I was playing, echoed the melody.

Without any other instruments, the piano, which was already perfect on its own, found comfort in another piano telling the same story.

And in the end, the theme that emerged here was brought back to conclude the promised first movement.

The performance ended in an instant.

I gave a thumbs up to the female student, who seemed to be in a daze, and quietly stood up, saying,

"Let's talk about it again now."

#

After the mentoring ended, on the way back to the studio,

The sun had already set outside.

Last time, it was a three-hour session.

Even though it started a bit late today...

"It was almost five hours."

That's probably why. My throat felt dry. The teachers were worried, too. They said that even they lose their voices after two or three consecutive classes, so how many periods did I do alone?

Still.

"It was fun."

That was what mattered.

Given the chance to come back, I always try to enjoy myself. My old parents and close musicians would hope for that, too.

"Come to think of it, after my father passed away, I often called performers to play that piece... "

I muttered softly as I walked to catch the bus.

"I played it today."

To the prodigy I supported most fervently in the shortest time.

To the 'inspiration of all' and 'immortal master' who sent me scores while worrying about me even in the moment of death.

"Did you hear it?"

I asked casually. Of course, there was no answer.

It was just a monologue, but it felt quite embarrassing.

So, I scratched my head.

...And I kept walking.

∥

I will send the score of the piece I gifted to a past student.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by loneliness, call two excellent pianists to play this piece.

The piano is already a perfect instrument on its own,

but the experience of two pianos is different.

Loneliness is not overcome by busyness. Just as tears that have already flowed do not dry into laughter.

But when you reach a state of peace, you forget the reason to cry.

Loneliness becomes loneliness the moment you try to overcome it.

So, my patron,

Even if I cannot rise from my sickbed,

and cannot play it for you directly,

Always, find peace in this piece.