Volume 6 / Chapter 211
TL: LightNovelCafe
Editor: adkji
Laura’s professor concentrated on the music with headphones on and could not speak for a while. She had already received the score while Laura was participating in the gala concert. This will become the ultimate coloratura if Laura’s voice is added to this beautiful melody, even if there is no accompaniment.
And, her expectation had not been wrong. The 5 songs she listened to just now, shows the zenith of coloratura.
“He said your pronunciation is shaky?”
“Yes. That note is where he wrote each place where it’s shaky.”
“I can’t even make out half of this with my ears.”
Laura looked at her professor’s blank stare and could only laugh.
“There’s nothing to do about it. Fix what you can make out for me.”
“No matter how good his ear is, even notes that are hard for people who spent their lives with music can’t discern?”
“We can only trust Jun’s directing.”
“You said you’re meeting him again in 3 days? Then, let’s adjust the parts that I can do.”
Laura looked at the score and began bringing out a simple yet beautiful sound.
“Laura, wait. What you just did is worse than your recording. Don’t just pay attention to the pronunciation. If Jun were only asking for precise pronunciation, wouldn’t he just use a machine? Save the zest that brings change to the sounds.”
While Laura spent each day in basic vocal hard training, Danny was finishing up the gala concert in Brussels and returning to New York.
He knows that rehearsals start in a month, but he is coming back to practice in order to work toward a perfect performance. He already discussed the direction of the performance in a meeting with Maestro Carras.
“Danny, just stay at my apartment. There’s no reason to stay at a hotel when there are so many empty rooms.”
“No. I can’t be such a nuisance. It’s okay.”
As soon as Jun Hyuk met up with Danny, he told him to come out of the hotel.
“Then what about practicing? You’ll get kicked out of the hotel if you practice there every night because you’re being noisy.”
“I’m going to get a studio to practice in.”
“Then practice at my apartment. It’s made up like a studio, so you can even record. And work on producing music with me.”
“Producing music? What is it? You wrote a new song?”
“Yeah. Soprano aria.”
“Aria? Laura Goldberg?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“You kept praising Laura. You don’t just pass by people like that.”
If there is someone who gave him musical inspiration, he always write a song that fits them. Danny regrets that Jun Hyuk has not yet written a song for him. This means that his playing is still ordinary to Jun Hyuk.
“Did I do that? Anyway, I’m going to try testing out that song. Oh right. What’s the violin you’re using right now?”
“Guarneri del Gesu.”
“What? Guarneri?”
Guarneri del Gesu refers to Italian instrument manufacturer, Guarneri family’s 3rd manufacturer, Bartholomew Giuseppe Guarneri. ‘del Gesu’ is his nickname because he carved crosses on the backs of the instruments he made. It is one of the top 3 violins in the world, along with Stradivarius and Amati.
If the Stradivarius is delicately carved and polished to be exemplary and like a woman’s voice, the Guarneri has the rough look of wood and a masculine tone. It is also famous for the distinctive sounds it makes by instrument.
However, there are also aspects they have in common; they are instruments of high value.
Danny waved his hand when he saw Jun Hyuk’s surprised face,
“Oh, it’s not mine. I received sponsorship because I won the Queen Elisabeth Competition and was a finalist in the Chaikovsky Competition.”
“Sponsorship?”
“Yeah. Canadian government lent it to me for free for 1 year. I’m using it well right now because there’s insurance on it too.”
“You’re going to go back and forth between the hotel and studio with that expensive instrument? You know that New York’s streets are no joke. It’s fine, so come into the apartment. Let me see it. I want to see what brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Danny was so grateful for Jun Hyuk’s concern that he could cry. He does not yet have the income to stay in a first class hotel without worrying about the costs. It is not an easy ordeal to go back and forth between the studio and hotel either.
“Thanks, Jun. Then, I’ll impose on you a bit.”
“Impose nothing. I’m not just saying it. There really is something I’m working on. I need the sound of a Guarneri too.”
Jun Hyuk seemed to be full of anticipation for the sound of the luxury violin.
***
“Mr. Yoon. I hope I’m not being a bother.”
“Nonsense. I’m just camping out for a bit too. Don’t mind me.”
Yoon Kwang Hun is meeting a friend of Jun Hyuk’s for the first time. Even though it has only been a few hours since they met, he is fascinated by the fact that the 2 boys are friends.
Bright and cheerful Danny kept chatting, and brought happiness to his surroundings. As for Jun Hyuk, who does not like noise, must have let Danny stay with him because he is really fond of him.
They may like each other because they have completely opposite natures.
“Sir. This is the Guarneri del Gesu violin that goes for over 1.5 million.”
“What? Guarneri? What? Is he from a rich family?”
“Oh. No, Mr. Yoon. It’s sponsored by the Canadian government. A 1 year lease.”
“Oh, I see. So the Canadian government invested in a rising star?”
“I guess you can say it like that? Ha ha.”
Danny laughed humorously.
“Then, shall we hear it? Let’s see what kind of sound comes from something worth 1.5 million.”
Jun Hyuk gave him the score for Laura’s aria.
“Danny, try playing this. It’s a song without accompaniment, so it’ll go well with a violin solo too.”
Danny looked over the score for a moment and held up his violin. After playing the 5 songs consecutively, Danny stuck out his tongue and put the violin down.
“Jun, this is the song a soprano needs to sing? The singer’s going to die of short breath trying to sing this.”
“It is good as a solo song. Playing skills are important because there are a lot of changes… Danny, you truly are good enough to win a competition. Your technique is academic but rough. It’s amazing.”
Danny flushed at Yoon Kwang Hun’s praises. The person with the privilege to be the first to see Jun Hyuk’s scores. He heard that this man has a sharper ear than most critics.
It felt like his praise was instead of Jun Hyuk’s praise.
“Jun, you said this song doesn’t have an accompaniment?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, it can be played on any instrument as long as the register is matched up?”
Danny was already enwrapped in the melody’s beauty.
“It is, but didn’t you just say that she’ll run out of breath?”
“Yeah.”
“It needs to be done by a performer who can express that feeling of running out of breath.”
Danny’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Jun Hyuk. He was curious as to whether or not he was included among those performers.
“Of course, Danny, you expressed that well.”
“Then are you going to give this song to me?”
Jun Hyuk laughed at Danny’s delight.
“There’s nothing to give. I’m going to release the score as soon as Laura’s done recording. Anyone will be able to play it.”
“Oh, really? What a pity.”
The person who plays this first could become the song’s owner. If Danny performs or releases an album with these 5 songs, any violinist who plays it, is only a second owner unless they give a particularly splendid performance.
Danny is regretful because, once Jun Hyuk releases the score, the world’s top violinists will fight to release albums. Jun Hyuk yelled at Danny because these concerns came first,
“You prepare for the concert! Don’t think about other things. How many days has it been since you said that you would change your career with the New York performance?”