Chapter 128
Mission accomplishment day.
The Johann Strauss Hall, one of the many performance halls at the Vienna University of Music, was a chamber music hall.
Most of the first-year students who received chamber music missions were given various missions ranging from duets to quintets.
In Junwoo's case, he was assigned a mission of a trio with piano, violin, and cello and played Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49, and Jaehee was assigned a string quartet team consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello and played Schumann's String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41-1, receiving applause.
But the problem was the quintet. Four of the six quintets played Schubert's Die Forelle.
No matter how good a song was, if the same song kept coming out with only different members, it became boring.
Fortunately, one group played Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 to relieve the boredom.
At the mission presentation of the first-year students, only the first-year students participating in the same presentation were crowded, and there was no general audience. We saw Dean Boris sitting in the auditorium, where there were only professors and no students.
It was unusual for the Dean to come to see a simple first-year student's performance, so said Dean Boris, who was desperately holding back yawns and had tears in his eyes as he sat next to Professor Gruber, as he pushed him with his shoulder.
"Is Team H still far from the turn?"
Although it was a mission only for first-year students, the number of participants was in the hundreds. Although it was grouped into two, three, four, or five, the length of the mission was very long, as it included all the students.
Professor Gruber said with a wink.
"He'll be out soon. He's next."
A wind instrument trio consisting of a flute, an oboe, and a bassoon was being performed on stage.
Dean Boris, who had been patient for a long time, finally applauded the students who had finished playing. Now that it was finally Team H's turn to perform, the students clapped with anticipation, but their eyes widened when they realized that the team that had just finished playing had performed a performance that had drawn applause from Dean Boris.
Professor Gruber forced Dean Boris to sit down in his seat.
"The students will misunderstand."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Hehe."
As the students on the stage waved their hands and left, the surroundings became chaotic. Dean Boris heard the students whispering in his ears.
"Team H is the team with the silver-haired devil, right?"
"That's right, there are also German twin sisters."
"There are also those quiet Japanese people, and Abna from Ghana, right?"
"Yes, it comes out that way."
A wheeled stage carrying a piano was pushed out, and Ryo was seen carrying a large cello next to the piano, followed by Abna, Ella, and Mia carrying a viola and a violin.
And finally, the commotion grew louder when the figure of Soo-hyun, alone and empty-handed, was revealed.
"Wow! Was the silver-haired devil originally that tall?"
"No, he's grown a lot since I got here."
"Even if you said he wasn't Asian, but Dutch or German, I'd believe you. He doesn't even look Asian to begin with, and his height makes it even worse."
As Team H, who had been lining up to greet the students and professors, took their seats, Dean Boris adjusted his posture and expressed his anticipation.
'I'm really looking forward to what kind of piece you'll be performing. The fact that you studied Hungarian dances shows that it's not Schubert's Die Forelle.'
Gruber nodded in agreement.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
Four chairs were lined up in front of a slightly behind piano. The students with string instruments sat in the front and turned their heads to the side to look at the piano. This was because Ella was the team leader, but Soo-hyun was the one who was leading the performance.
As all the students on the stage focused on Soo-hyun, the attention of the entire audience was drawn to Soo-hyun. Soo-hyun, with a smile on his face, played the keyboard leisurely.
The gentle performance of Soo-hyun was reminiscent of an autumn sky full of longing. Dean Boris, whose first priority was to find out what kind of music it was, pricked up his ears.
'It's familiar and at the same time unfamiliar, right?'
Dean Boris saw Professor Gruber. But now Professor Gruber was leaning forward, away from his comfortable and bored expression.
"Huh? Why are you like that?"
"Don't you know?"
"You mean that song?"
"Yes, Brahms."
"Brahms?"
Dean Boris turned his head back to the stage. Two violins were playing with mutes on, following the piano's notes. The viola followed with a counter-melody in B major. The performance of Team H began with the cello forming a chromatic scale and playing heavy low notes, with the piano taking the overall lead.
"Isn't this Brahms's Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115? Isn't it supposed to be a clarinet quintet?" Dean Boris only realized after more than twenty bars had passed.
Professor Gruber nodded.
"I had heard of a quintet with violin and clarinet. But this is the first time I've seen a piano in this piece. And the piano is the leader of the performance."
"Haha, very interesting. What an interesting attempt. That boy gave a different interpretation of the 'Emperor' Symphony when he won the Beethoven Competition, and this time he's trying something new too."
1st movement, Allegro. The first movement was a sonata-form piece that began with an allegro in 6/8 time. It was in B minor, but it sounded like D major.
2nd movement, Adagio. This movement began with Adagio in B major, 3/4 time. In the most impressive part of the entire movement, the piano, which had been emphasizing harmony until now, rose with a dragon's trim. This song was a fantastic example of the free movement of the clarinet.
"Wow...."
The number of students who let out exclamations without realizing it was increasing.
And the third movement, Andantino, began. The movement, which began with the Andantino in D major, was in 4/4 time, but the introduction sounded as if it were in 3/4 time. Smiles appeared on the faces of other professors.
"Haha, it has the charm of a German folk dance, a Hungarian dance, and a noble minuet all in one. Amazing! How much did you have to practice?"
4th movement, Con moto. This movement, which began with con moto in 2/4 time in B minor, was in variation form with five variations, but it felt like a rondo. When the rondo, in which the theme was repeated with interjections, appeared, the piano led the other instruments and played the same theme as if in a conversation.
Let's sing.
I can't control my excitement and desire.
After that summer that melted into the earth passed,
The ecstatic joy of childbirth and birth.
Breaking the rigid ideology,
As the seeds sprout from the turned-over earth,
Bring me a plow to dig this field.
Come and do your best work.
In the oil of the earth that has been carefully tended and cultivated,
Hands and feet covered in dirt all year round.
Let's wash ourselves, dance, and sing.
The final movement ended with a poignant transformation from D major to a darker B minor, but with a sweet melody that evoked a reminiscent mood.
The first-year students, who had been moving their bodies since the third movement and were about to dance at any moment, stood up and applauded as soon as the performance was over.
"Wow! You guys are the best!"
"That was really cool, we'd never thought of a variation like that, you guys are really cool!"
"Phew!!!"
A scene where students shouted and applauded. But Dean Boris remained seated there, seemingly rooted to the spot, with his eyes wide open as he stared at the stage. Dean Boris swallowed hard and muttered.
"In our school, where only geniuses gather..."
As he was muttering to himself, he saw Professor Gruber slowly get up from the seat next to him. He slowly raised his hands to clap, smiling brightly for the first time in a long time. Dean Boris, seeing the unfamiliar appearance of his close friend, continued to mutter what he was saying as he laughed in vain.
"…a real genius has arrived. That's why Lech said the silver-haired devil was coming. Hehe."
Dean Boris saw the side profile of his friend who was giving a loud round of applause with considerable effort.
'I can't help but laugh at the sight of him so happy. Gruber. Maybe you've found the son you've been hoping for. Your last disciple after Lech, who won't accept a direct disciple.'
Dean Boris clapped quietly as he looked at the side profile of his friend, who was looking at the stage with old eyes as he applauded.