For The Musical Genius (Novel) - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

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“Mr. Piccoli, what do you think about this piece, ‘Rendezvous’?”

The rich aroma of Saint-Émilion wine lingered in the mouth.

“Many fans have been waiting for Mr. Piccoli’s new album. Could you say something for the fans?”

The journalist’s voice was filled with urgency. Understandably so, as interviews with Michel Piccoli were only permitted for very brief periods. After all, she was a singer-songwriter currently enjoying immense popularity throughout France. There were widespread opinions that she would become the new star following rock star Johnny Hallyday.

Proving this, Piccoli’s albums were selling like hotcakes as soon as they were released.

“I’m sorry, but this piece isn’t for the fans.”

“Pardon?”

“If it were for the fans, I would have used more energetic and flashy melodies. But this piece is nothing like that. Simply put, it’s a dedication.”

“Then who is ‘Rendezvous’ dedicated to?”

Only the new album’s title had been announced, with no other details revealed. Not even the fact that Michel Piccoli’s Rendezvous was being considered as the theme song for Jean-Pierre’s film. Michel Piccoli put down her wine glass and said:

“It’s a piece for those who suffered and were persecuted. Their traces can still be found throughout the world. Dachau in Germany, Auschwitz in Poland, and Natzweiler in France. Rendezvous is their promise of freedom and melody of their cries.”

The journalist quickly pulled out a notebook at this unexpected revelation.

“Also, I won’t be singing this Rendezvous.”

The journalist’s fountain pen suddenly stopped moving. It didn’t make sense. Countless singers had sent love calls to singer-songwriter Michel Piccoli. While she was talented as a singer, her talent as a composer was equally remarkable. However, Michel Piccoli had never given her songs to anyone. As the ink stain became clear in the notebook, the journalist looked up.

“Then who…?”

The journalist’s eyes were searching for the lucky recipient.

*

“Hello, I’m Hyun.”

It was none other than Michel Piccoli of my dreams. I felt my heart beating uncontrollably. In my past life, I enjoyed not only classical music but also pop songs. I had collected every single one of Michel Piccoli’s masterpieces. Among them, Rendezvous was undoubtedly the best. I even spent a fortune to acquire a first edition with her autograph. It was my only hobby in that stuffy past life.

“Nice to meet you, just call me Michel.”

Michel greeted me with the French bisou, a simple kiss on the cheeks. While I took it casually, my mother seemed visibly flustered by the greeting with Michel. To think this was the Michel Piccoli that Jean-Pierre had mentioned! I never dreamed I’d meet Michel Piccoli so soon. I could feel occasional glances from people around us. After all, Michel was currently the hottest singer in France.

“Michel, may I ask you something?”

“Of course, Hyun. I’ve been counting the days for this moment.”

“Why did you choose me? I heard you don’t easily give your songs to others.”

It was the same in my past life. Michel Piccoli, who marked the pinnacle of French singer-songwriters, never gave her self-composed songs to anyone.

“Hyun, that’s a misunderstanding. It’s not about giving or not giving – it’s just that I couldn’t find anyone who could truly capture the meaning of my songs. Rendezvous was the same. At first, I thought only I could handle this song and was preparing the album. But then I saw your performance video, and wondering if it might be editing tricks, I ended up visiting Korea.”

What?

“I never imagined I’d see a Paganini performance live before my eyes.”

To think Michel had come to the Seoul Arts Center.

“That day, I realized Rendezvous should be played by your hands, not mine.”

Mother and Jean-Pierre silently listened to our conversation. Though mother probably couldn’t understand, she seemed to grasp the nature of the conversation from the atmosphere. Suddenly, Michel took a sip of water, scanning the restaurant. “Hyun, this restaurant used to be a salon – specifically, a music salon. Every night, musicians’ instruments would play endlessly, with praise and laughter eternal. Now only that grand piano carries on the tradition. If you don’t mind, may I make a request?”

What could it be.

“Could you play the piece I just performed on violin? This place, true to its music salon heritage, also has violins available.”

It was an unexpected proposal. Even Jean-Pierre seemed surprised. Of course, playing the violin wasn’t difficult. The reason for the surprise was simple. The piano piece Michel had just played was an unreleased original composition. Could I arrange and perform a piano piece I’d heard only once for violin right there?

‘How curious things are turning out.’

I swallowed my thoughts and stood up. The restaurant owner handed me a violin as if he’d been waiting – it was clearly a well-crafted instrument. It was well-maintained too, with the strings and bow in excellent condition. The restaurant patrons had stopped their conversations again to watch me. They seemed quite accustomed to this atmosphere, befitting a former music salon. After a quick tuning.

When I raised the bow without hesitation, I could see Michel’s eyes widening. She must have expected me to hesitate.

Zing!

The bow cut across the strings with such force it seemed it might slice through them. Starting with the sharpness that touched the ceiling, it was a piece with relentless harmonies. The left-hand technique was so acrobatic it would be hard to follow. The restaurant patrons couldn’t take their eyes off the young boy’s performance.

Wasn’t it like multiple timbres resonating simultaneously from a single instrument? Playing four-part harmony on a monophonic instrument was very similar to Schubert’s Erlkönig. It wasn’t entirely unrelated, as Michel Piccoli would later say this piece was inspired by Schubert’s Erlkönig. That’s when it happened. The bow that had been catching its breath began to move quickly again.

Zing―!

Every note of Michel’s piano piece was firmly placed in my mind. The notes on the staff were arranged without missing any, racing across the strings. My fingers seemed to move independently, with the fourth finger holding one note while the first finger performed trills on the G string.

How is this possible, you ask? Because “Condemnation,” the original piece Michel had just played, was a masterpiece I had listened to countless times in my past life. Many musicians had remade it, and even violin virtuosos hadn’t hesitated to arrange it. Perhaps thanks to advanced software, the score that passed by in an instant was clear in my mind. Though the spaces between my fingers felt like they were being torn apart, I didn’t want to stop playing.

* * *

I woke up early at the hotel. Though I hadn’t drunk wine last night, my body felt stiff – probably from performing too passionately. In contrast, my diligent mother had already folded the blankets. According to French child labor protection laws, I always had to be accompanied by my mother when working, but it felt like we were on a trip, which made me happy. Mother and I took the vehicle prepared by the filming team and moved to the suburbs.

The filming location was particularly meaningful as it was Natzweiler, an actual Nazi concentration camp, known for its notorious “heavy rain.” They had shot at the fleeing Jews so much that the sound was said to be like heavy rain falling. Bullet marks were clearly visible on the walls. Mother held my hand tightly, worried I might be scared. That’s when it happened.

“Hyun, say hello. This is Isaac Bolton, who plays the role of Moses. By the way, Hyun and Isaac are the same age.”

Jean-Pierre introduced me to the child actor playing Moses. He was slightly taller than me but had quite a young face. A boy with striking blue eyes contrasting with his dark hair. I already knew him well. Starting acting from a young age, he would later become an Oscar-winning actor. Wouldn’t the cast and director of La Vie en Rose be evaluated as a dream team in the future?

“Hi, I’m Isaac Bolton.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hyun.”

Isaac was quite shy, and it seemed it would take a long time to become friends. However, the moment the camera light came on, his eyes immediately transformed – truly a born actor. Suddenly, Jean-Pierre, who had been watching the camera, looked at me.

“Hyun, do you know why Moses couldn’t leave the camp?”

Of course I do, how many times have I watched this masterpiece?

“Because Moses was born in the camp. The camp was his entire world. The people he met were also limited. Moses, who grew up receiving love from all the inmates in the camp, played for them. It was natural that his melody sought freedom. After all, the melody yearning for freedom was the cry he had heard since he was in his mother’s womb. But in the end, Moses couldn’t leave the camp because he loved this place that felt like his mother’s womb. How could he leave his mother behind?”

Jean-Pierre bit his lip tightly.

“Indeed, Hyun has been looking at La Vie en Rose with the right perspective. Actually, many simultaneous recording artists don’t understand why they need to visit the filming location. They think they can simply do post-recording. But how can you express the protagonist’s voice without knowing that vivid feeling from the scene? Now I understand why Michel is so passionate and eagerly waiting for the day to record the theme song.”

Jean-Pierre, who always spoke formally to me. His face, always gentlemanly, was flushed red with excitement from joy.

“Director.”

It was a scene where the protagonist Moses plays with an old violin. As Isaac skillfully prepared to take his position, something bothered my eye.

“The scene before this one is where Moses gets beaten by the guard, right? He falls and hurts his fingers too.” Jean-Pierre showed a surprised expression.

“Hyun, how did you know? Did you memorize all the storyboards?”

Jean-Pierre’s raised voice was understandable. According to the plan, I was only supposed to be called to the filming location on days when violin playing scenes were being shot. Moreover, film shooting doesn’t necessarily follow the sequence, so unless you know the entire flow of the movie, you wouldn’t know what the previous scene was. I had no choice but to nod briefly. That wasn’t the important thing right now.

“Wait, may I check Moses’s posture?”

When Jean-Pierre nodded, I moved without hesitation. Though Isaac was startled when I suddenly approached, he soon swallowed hard and looked at me.

‘Boy, he is handsome.’

He would become one of Hollywood’s representative handsome actors in the future, so he was different from the start. I corrected Isaac’s posture. Made him bend his pinky more and made his index finger press the strings more imprecisely than usual.

“Isaac, if I were Moses, I would use my wrist more when bowing. It’s the best way to compensate for injured fingers. You probably learned to keep your wrist relaxed normally, but I think it would be better to be conscious of it while playing right now.”