Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Anton Tilberg And The Academy 2
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As expected, it was Franz Liszt's Etude No. 4, "Mazeppa."
There are few piano solo pieces in history that demand a higher level of technique than this, I believe.
Of course, one could argue that the fifth piece in the same set, "Un Sospiro," is more difficult in terms of pure difficulty, and I agree with that assertion.
But to be honest, that piece is so difficult that I don't even have it in my head.
Reproducing it from a blank slate would be impossible.
It's a miracle I was able to replicate Mazeppa.
I'm glad the memory remained.
It was a piece I loved dearly in my previous life, and I had watched Yunchan Lim's performance of the complete Etudes at the Van Cliburn Competition, rewinding the Mazeppa section alone hundreds of times.
It begins with a cheerful prelude in a major seventh chord.
Soon after, a cadenza appears—a section to flaunt the performer's skill with flashy, virtuosic playing.
The melody begins to swell slowly, as if something is boiling up from within the chest.
Afterward, the theme of Mazeppa appears, and you immediately understand why it's called "transcendental technique."
Torrential octave passages and vicious arpeggios in thirds and fourths.
It demands speed, accuracy, and on top of that, dramatic expressiveness.
It truly deserves to be called the final boss of piano etudes.
But you can't just simply play it.
Of course not.
It might sound a bit funny, but when handling a piece like Mazeppa, the performer must imagine themselves as a knight galloping across the wild on horseback.
To keep from falling off the horse, you must relax your tension and surrender your body to it.
The piano is the horse.
In short, to perfectly reproduce this piece, you must completely immerse yourself in the piano.
As you charge through the storm without hesitation...
The music, which poured down like lightning, gradually subsides, and a soft, warm atmosphere of a gentle monophonic melody begins.
Every novel has a beginning, development, turn, and conclusion.
Just as every majestic battle has a moment of peace.
And finally.
The music, which started in a minor key, slowly transitions to a major key, delivering a dramatic conclusion at the end of the score.
Picardy third.
Liszt dedicated this piece to the French writer Victor Hugo.
He originally drew inspiration from a poem of the same name written by Hugo when composing Mazeppa.
Therefore, a short verse by Hugo appears at the end of the score.
'He is dead at last!... and rises again as king!'
I think it's the most fitting sentence to end such a grand epic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The audience, who had been quietly listening to Anton's performance, widened their eyes.
They didn't want to miss a single moment.
"That... is not a human..."
Each note resonated intensely, as if it were gouging into one's soul, and before long, sighs burst out from various parts of the audience.
Something that transcends humanity.
The song of a god.
The sentiments floating in their minds were all different, but one thing was certain.
Just as Anton had become one with the piano, they too were being sucked into the music without realizing it.
"Aah..."
One young freshman, unable to hold back hot tears, slumped down in her seat and tilted her head back.
"I must have lived for this moment..."
The words of her family elders, who had scolded her for sending an application to the Capital Art Academy instead of the North.
She could forget them completely right now.
If she said she wouldn't follow Anton after hearing this performance, she would no longer have the right to live as a human.
It was to that extent.
The moment he lightly tapped the final key.
A heat as if a flame had been transplanted directly swept through the theater, threatening to burst it apart.
"Waaaaah!"
"Damn it! Anton!"
"Hey! Watch your mouth! Don't you dare speak that person's name so casually!"
"Waaaaah! Has a human finally appeared to challenge the realm of the gods?!"
It was madness.
That day, thirty seats in the theater were destroyed.
The stained glass on the ceiling was said to have cracked as if struck by lightning.
They had to spend twenty gold coins on repair costs.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The entrance ceremony held at the theater was brought to a successful close.
There were a few problems, but for now, let's just let them slide.
"How did that ceiling break...?"
Edward answered with a smile to my question.
"I think we'll have to ask Mr. Hugo to redesign it properly."
"I'll leave it to you."
I decided to think of it as a sacrifice for the first performance.
Anyway.
Lectures are scheduled to begin starting tomorrow.
First, I needed to guide the new students to the dormitory building.
Pre-hired staff were going to handle this part.
Since there were many buildings, we needed personnel to manage them in our absence.
"Young Master, are you heading straight to the mansion?"
Edward asked.
"That would be better. If I wander around the academy now, something is bound to happen."
"I'll take care of the cleanup."
I went outside immediately and returned to the mansion.
And.
It wasn't intentional, but I ended up accompanying two people.
Erdi and Victor.
If you think of it as a kind of staff dinner before the school opening, it's not bad.
We also needed to do a final check on how to conduct the classes in the future.
I headed to the dining room with them.
Our family's dinners had been modest for a while.
But!
Thanks to accumulating funds from our business ventures, we could procure many excellent ingredients from various places.
First, the roasted wild boar.
This is one of my favorite foods in this world.
Nobles occasionally sell wild boars they've hunted, and their texture is much chewier and tougher than regular pork.
On top of that, the rich, savory meat flavor and slight oily taste are irresistible.
Next, the stew with vegetables and spices.
It's simmered for a very long time, so its extremely rich and soft flavor is superb.
Finally, the tart for dessert.
Diana is an expert at this.
She said she learned the recipe from the village she used to live in.
Its characteristic is that it uses fruits easily found in the wild.
I sat at the dining table waiting, and food began to be served by the servants, led by Aria.
...Why are you there?
Anyway.
"You've all worked hard, so eat to your heart's content today."
I started the meal with the two of them.
"By the way, Professor Erdi."
"Yes?"
Victor called out to Erdi.
"Your skill was outstanding. Would you be able to help with my research later?"
"Of course. That would be great."
"I'm currently researching the relationship between physical characteristics and playing styles by comparing the techniques of various performers on the same piece... I'll explain the details later. I'm sure you'll be able to give me some great advice, Professor Erdi."
"Haha."
Then.
A sound came from the direction of the dining room door, so I turned my head, and there was Diana, hiding behind the wall and staring intently at us.
...What are you doing there now?
She seems to have a lot of questions.
Before I knew it, the meal was over.
Victor said he would head back first and left the mansion.
"See you at the academy."
Erdi and I returned to the dining room and finished our dessert.
"Diana, Aria."
"Yes!"
The moment I called their names, they popped out as if they had been waiting.
"Have you been well?"
"Very much so! By the way, Young Master! How was the entrance ceremony?"
That seemed to be what she was curious about.
"It was a complete mess. Those chairs... how many were broken again?"
"Thirty."
"How on earth did that happen? What did you do?"
"Indeed."
Diana, who had been listening to our conversation, stuck her head out, looking fascinated.
Then, all of a sudden.
"Um, will I be able to go to the academy someday too?"
I knew she would ask that eventually.
For someone who is more interested in the piano than anyone else, how welcoming would an academy that teaches art be?
But she can't enroll because of her social status, so it must feel like a pie in the sky.
However.
"Is there a need to enroll?"
"...Huh?"
I've had a thought lately.
Diana is in a position to receive one-on-one lessons from me, Anton Tilberg, the professor and founder of the academy.
And it's at the mansion.
On my piano.
This is a privilege among privileges that no student could ever experience.
"Now that you mention it, it does seem so."
So, Diana doesn't need to enroll in the academy.
If she wanted to throw away these great conditions herself, there would be nothing to say, but she doesn't seem like the type.
"I only created the academy because I can't teach so many people individually."
"Then, I..."
"You're already receiving private lessons from me."
"Ooh! That's right!"
I don't need to explain that one-on-one private lessons are much higher quality and more expensive than group lectures.
"Thank you so much again, Young Master!"
"Go on inside."
"Yes!"
After that, I chatted with Erdi about various things and sent him back.
Then I went up to the archive room and picked up a few scores.
'My real professor life starts tomorrow.'