Pianist's Village

Though it's not a national orchestra, this is Warsaw, Poland, where world-class musicians gather.

When the orchestra members, whose skills were better than most national orchestras, began to play, Chairman Park Ki-joon bowed his head.

'Is the performance different?' 'An orchestra playing the same score cannot perform it differently. The only difference lies in whether it's Piano Concerto No. 1 or No. 2, depending on the participant's choice.'

However, Chairman Park Ki-joon heard the orchestra's sound, which was quite different from what he had heard before.

'The British participant before Soo-hyun also played Piano Concerto No. 1. However, there's a difference between his performance then and now. This performance is more impactful! The orchestra members' mindset has changed!'

The first movement, Allegro maestoso, is the most splendid and magnificent of all the movements of Piano Concerto No. 1. The orchestral ensemble in the first part is like a high wave that swells so high it overwhelms the audience.

It feels as if a wave starts on the stage and spreads out to the audience. The spectators also seem to feel something, though they can't pinpoint it exactly, and each sits up straight.

Chairman Park Ki-joon's eyes caught Soo-hyun's gaze as he sat on the piano stool.

'That child is also different from the other participants.'

Piano Concerto No. 1 begins with an orchestra-only performance for about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, other participants watched the orchestra members and the conductor.

Some children looked at the conductor with serious eyes, while others just watched distractedly. The child who performed best was the one who placed his hands on the keyboard and moved his wrists to the rhythm of his entrance.

But Soo-hyun didn't move at all and had his eyes closed.

'A beautiful expression? There's no such thing. His eyes aren't just closed; they're tightly shut.' 'It's an expression that seems to be thinking about something in his head, or a painful memory or someone he misses.'

Park Ki-joon, who was sitting and examining Soo-hyun, leaned back again and sank into the sofa.

'Professor Lee Chan-ho and the conductor both mentioned Liszt's name. This time, we'll get to see the work in person.'

Soo-hyun's turn was approaching. Normally, at this point, the conductor would look at the pianist. It was a signal to get ready.

But the conductor never looked at Soo-hyun. Instead, he focused even more on the orchestra's performance.

And then, Soo-hyun's hand slowly rose to the piano.

Chairman Park Ki-joon widened his eyes at the sight.

'What, what's happening?' 'It's rumored that Soo-hyun plays perfectly with a straight back and his hands placed on the keyboard in a rounded posture.' 'But the current appearance is completely different from what I had heard.'

President Joseph and Tateushi also quickly rose from their chairs when they saw Soo-hyun's appearance, which was different from before.

Two hands raised to the sky.

The distance between the keyboard and his hands must have been at least 80 centimeters.

'He looks like a desperate pianist about to explode with all his body's strength, striking the piano hard to make noise.'

And at the same time as Janusz's baton pointed towards Soo-hyun, the hand that was floating in the air came down forcefully and struck the keyboard.

Perfect first touch!

The piano sound, following the exact rhythm, perfectly infiltrated the orchestra as if it had been one with it from the start. What was even more chilling was that the volume of the entire orchestra increased in tempo with the strong resonance of Soo-hyun's piano sound.

'That's perfect breathing.'

Chairman Park Ki-joon almost jumped, but barely managed to restrain himself. Chairman Park Ki-joon looked at Soo-hyun and the orchestra with trembling eyes.

He could see Soo-hyun's hands going up and down even when he looked at the piano from the front, not the side.

'Soo-hyun, who kept playing perfectly while striking from such a high position, didn't seem human.'

President Joseph, who stood next to Park Ki-joon, was leaning forward with his waist bent and his eyes glued to him. President Tateushi also kept his eyes wide open and looked only at Soo-hyun, as if he didn't want to miss a single moment.

The expressions of the jury professors were even more serious.

Professor Lech was so surprised he clutched the armrest of the sofa with all his might, and the other professors couldn't even think about discussing it among themselves and just looked at Soo-hyun with trembling eyes.

No matter what expressions people made or how surprised they were, at that moment, Soo-hyun was thinking about the tender compassion for Uncle Frederick's painful love for him.

'Like a poem.'

Soo-hyun's poetry, which began with a splendid performance style and perfect interpretation, gradually conveyed itself to people's hearts.

'Hello, madam?' 'Are you looking at me now?' 'I am a very attractive man.' 'Are you short? Are you short?' 'That's not what makes a man attractive.' 'I am a person with a strong mind. Look at me now.' 'Don't look away. Look at me. I am a wonderful person.'

'It's hard to believe Chopin's music is so feminine.'

The performance, delivered with great force and elevation, reminded them of Chopin's hidden masculine side.

'It's almost like a fantasy of a cute boy showing off and shrugging in front of the woman he likes.' 'The reason why mature adults find it difficult to fall in love is because the impulsive drive of childhood has diminished.' 'As a child, the courage to sacrifice one's body for love without hesitation.' 'Soo-hyun's performance is like that of beasts.' 'It sounds like a man's whisper, impetuous like a charging bull, like the rough noise of sailors speeding forward in the midst of a storm.'

Gradually, the audience began to get excited. The men were excited by the memory of their former selves, and the women seemed to conjure up the image of a rough and aggressive opposite sex rushing towards them.

Just as the audience was about to burst into excited cheers and feel shivers all over their bodies, the volume dropped as if it were a lie.

Like a calm sea after a heavy storm, the lyrical melody became peaceful like a fishing boat sailing on a calm sea after the rain.

The first movement, Allegro maestoso (fast and magnificent, majestic), which truly deserved its title, gradually came to an end.

It was customary not to applaud between movements, because the piece was not yet over. But the reason the concert hall fell silent at that moment was because the audience was so surprised.

Professor Lech, whose entire body had lost all its strength, let out a hollow laugh a few minutes later, his body growing weary.

'A child who always surprises people.'

However, the orchestra and Soo-hyun gave Professor Lech no time to deeply reflect and moved directly to the second movement.

Janusz, so focused that he had to wipe the sweat running down his temples, announced the beginning of the second movement.

Romance - Larghetto.

'It is a beautiful, nocturne-style movement that intoxicates with utmost romantic lyricism and elegant sweetness.'

Soo-hyun recalled Chopin's letter in his mind.

'Instead of trying to show a sense of certain power in this movement,' 'Rather, I tried to portray a quiet and melancholic romance.' 'This romance should be described as a dream on a spring night that brings countless sweet memories.'

The Nocturne is composed as a night song. It is a musical genre that is mainly inspired by the night or possesses nocturnal characteristics.

Thus, it is expressed as a very quiet and peaceful, yet humid night.

Many say that Chopin's second movement is a beautiful piece that shows Chopin's sensitive sensibility, as it depicts his feelings of having to leave his homeland, his longing for a woman he will never see again, and his cherished memories.

But at this moment, Soo-hyun seemed to be conveying the pain of the love he couldn't express through this song.

'I've been sick for a long time.' 'I realized a little late that I loved you.' 'I didn't know.' 'The moment I realized love' 'That it could be such a painful day.' 'Just before reaching the beautiful island in front of you.' 'The feeling of being alone in the wind and rain, in the midst of a typhoon.' 'I can't help it, I can't escape.' 'A love that collided with the naked body.' 'Giving up breeds obsession.' 'Giving up brings suffering.' 'That moon brings loneliness.'

The beautiful melody Soo-hyun played was sadder than it was beautiful. The audience imagined a log cabin by a lake, with no one there.

He remembered the heartbreaking face of a man in his small fishing boat, looking at a beautiful woman taking a night stroll.

Most people have memories of unrequited love.

One by one, the emotional memories of unrequited love hidden in each of our hearts began to emerge.

'Even though I knew it was a love that wouldn't come to me' 'I think of you constantly, alone.' 'You who have starlight in your eyes now' 'If you are thinking of me,' 'It wouldn't be so disheartening, would it?' 'A time that never came from the beginning.' 'On this dark, dark lakeside' 'Open the door to the light that doesn't shine only for me' 'I only watch you leave' 'Just a few words often used in vain.' 'I'm humming to myself.' 'I love you.'

We all feel the pain of lonely love in our hearts.

Love is a miraculously beautiful journey and a brave adventure. But there are people everywhere who never take on challenges in their lives because they never have the courage to embark on a journey or an adventure.

In the same way, no matter how much we try to gather strength and courage, we all have memories of not having been able to say a single proper word to the person we loved.

Soo-hyun's performance was stirring people's sympathy.

The second movement, Romance - Larghetto, was over again. The quiet stage was quite different from the atmosphere at the end of the first movement.

If the first movement was overwhelmingly grand and magnificent, the second movement was permeated with memories bubbling up from within us. Instead of heart-piercing pain, people's hearts were steeped in vaguely painful but beautiful memories of first love.

Chairman Park Ki-joon was just like them.

'Among the countless women who passed by, only one place.'

Memories of first love, whether good or bad, remain with a person for the rest of their life. Chairman Park Ki-joon also unconsciously remembered the woman he loved as a child. Then, at some point, he regained his composure.

Chairman Park Ki-joon slightly shook his head and looked at Soo-hyun, who was waiting for his turn with his eyes closed.

'How insane! This performance was done by a mere thirteen-year-old child! Did he make me remember the past just by playing it?'

And the third movement that followed was Rondo - Vivace.

'If the first movement appeals to men's charm and the second movement describes a painful unrequited love, what kind of ending should the third movement have?' 'A tragic ending to a heartbreaking, unrequited love?' 'With what movement did Chopin end his love?'

Soo-hyun, with his eyes closed, raised his hands to the piano. However, he didn't raise them as high as in the first movement.

The C# minor key began to play with wit, humor, and a bright world, with Soo-hyun's hands moving smoothly over the keyboard, his arms slightly extended to the sides rather than upwards, and his whole body trembling with the rhythm.

Melancholy was absent, and the sadness felt when listening to the first two movements seemed to completely disappear, in a performance full of vivacity.

Chopin's heart, which chose joy instead of the scent of painful love, was also conveyed to Soo-hyun, who performed the piece.

Soo-hyun closed his eyes and smiled brightly as he recited his poem.

'I'd rather stay here.' 'The world's greatest musicians,' 'The best operas are here.' 'The ultimate in luxury and the best decoration is here.' 'On Christmas Eve, sitting alone in a gown' 'I drew you while biting the ring on my finger,' 'Still, I won't return.' 'Thanks to the time I spent with you, I learned to feel correctly.' 'So I'm going my own way.' 'So you be happy too.' 'I sincerely hope and pray that you and your future will be blessed.'

The performance, in which a heartfelt letter was sent to the beloved woman and a blessing was begged with a carefree heart, gradually stopped.

The third movement, which could be filled with the heart of Chopin, who only desired the happiness of his beloved and forgot about himself who had passed away, marked the end.

Soo-hyun lifted his head and smiled brightly when he saw the two men on the light-filled ceiling.

'I still don't know what love is. But I think the day will come when I can love like you, sir. When that day comes, I will tell you my poems and my stories.'

And, even before the performance ended, the spectators were ready to raise both hands and applaud, and as soon as the concerto finished, everyone stood up and applauded so loudly that it made the concert hall rumble and the hearts of those watching and listening sink.

Perhaps even enough to reach the two gentlemen on the Zelkova piano stage.