Chapter 195 (1/2)
Volume 5 / Chapter 195
TL: LightNovelCafe
While Jun Hyuk was making the explosive statement in BOZAR theater, Danny and Han Ye Ji were looking over the score and complaining.
There are 2 volumes to the score they received from Chapelle Conservatory. One is a full score with the entire song and the other has each of their parts.
When Danny and Han Ye Ji saw the thickness, they realized that it is a large song. As soon as they went into the practice room assigned to them, they opened the score without speaking.
“Jun, this crazy kid. Beethoven… And a chorus on top of that!”
“Ugh. This is too much. How are we supposed to do this within 10 days?”
After almost 4 hours, they both closed their scores and grumbled. Fortunately, they could not understand each other because Danny spoke in French and Han Ye Ji spoke in Korean.
They had complained without realizing it, but they just looked at each other and smiled awkwardly.
“Mister…”
“Hang on. Just call me Danny. Aren’t we partners who will have to perform together? I think we need to be frank at least, so let’s not be so formal.”
“Shall we? Then you can just call me Ashley. It’s my English nickname.”
“Okay, Ashley.”
Danny winked and laughed. When Ashley saw Danny’s pleasant personality, she became a bit more at ease. It is a relief that the partner she will have to spend a long amount of time with is not dreary or single-minded.
“But is this song a challenge to Beethoven’s Choral Symphony? Or is it a tribute song?”
“Of course it’s a challenge. If it’s to the point that Jun is revealing it to the world – and through a competition at that – it means that he’s really satisfied with it… If it were just a simple tribute song, he’s not one to reveal it in a competition.”
There is another reason why Danny is so sure that it is a challenge.
“If it had been a tribute song, he wouldn’t have made it so easy to compare. I’m pretty sure he would’ve made it so there are just traces of Beethoven. But this song has the same performance time by part and the same number of measures. Even with Schiller’s Ode to Joy. It is an explicit challenge.”
“Did you know that in each part, the number of measures for the piano and violin are the same?”
“Yeah. It’s proof that he was targeting the Queen Elisabeth Competition. He’s taken the fact that the winners in both parts need to perform the winning song into consideration. Jun is so good it’s beyond expression.”
“He really is impressive. How could he make a song like this?”
“I’m surprised but it’s not novel. From the surprising things I saw when we were at school together, I knew he would do something great like this someday. Though I am surprised that his first try is Beethoven.”
They cannot just sit in admiration. They need to perform this perfectly within 10 days. There is not enough time.
“Let’s eat first and then start. I’m so hungry I don’t even have the strength to hold up my violin bow.”
They both thought that they would have to reduce the amount of time they spend sleeping from now on, and headed to the cafeteria.
***
There is a statement that has been most talked about in pop history.
It is in an interview with John Lennon from March 1966 that a female reporter conducted while investigating for an article titled ‘Beatles Mania Phenomenon’.
During this interview, John Lennon said that ‘The Beatles are more popular than Jesus’ and shocked the world.
The statement, “We’re more popular than Jesus now. We don’t know which is going to disappear first, rock and roll or Christianity.” was distorted while discussing the decline of Christianity in England after World War I.
However, the media hid John Lennon’s exact words and released articles. Articles with headlines of ‘The Beatles are Greater than Jesus’ hit America.
Radio stations declared that they would not turn on the Beatles’ music, and several concerts were canceled. There was a protest against the Beatles in Mexico, and Africa and Spain banned their music from radio broadcasts.
The Vatican also got involved and criticized John Lennon’s words. John Lennon’s official apology could not quell the controversy either.
Jun Hyuk’s statement was limited to Beethoven’s symphony and is from someone falling behind who is saying that he is catching up to Beethoven and not that he is better, but the media cited John Lennon’s statement to release the news. They used the same sentence, putting in Jun instead of the Beatles and Beethoven in place of Jesus. The headline that he is better than Beethoven covered the internet.
The competition committee quickly suspended the chaotic press conference and opened up an emergency meeting. In case of the worst situation, they need to make sure that the theater is not empty on the day of the competition.
“Couldn’t it be that we’re taking it too seriously? How could we think that it’s so absurd for a young musician to want to surpass Beethoven? Isn’t that everyone’s dream?”