‘The Art of 7 and 3’ contains the lives of artists who left beautiful music and outstanding paintings. 7 and 3 are the 7th gradation of Doremi Fasolashi, and the ‘three primary colors of light’ of red, green, and blue. All works that move and move people’s hearts are born from these seven tones and three primary colors. It is art to think regarding how to combine them, and to unfold the results.
Season 1, which was previously serialized, introduced the lives and philosophies of artists, season 2, under the subtitle ‘Cinematic Art’, tells stories of various arts such as classical music, art, and dance in the film.
Chopin’s ‘Black Key’ performed by pianist Lucas Genucious. /Hankyung arteTV channel
An art high school male students play a battle over two pianos. One is transfer student Sang-ryun (Joo Geol-ryun), and the other is Sang-ryun’s senior who plays the piano best at the school. Although the two are still in high school, they show off their outstanding performance skills.
Most of the songs in the performance battle are the works of Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849), a Polish musician who is called the ‘Poet of the Piano’. The two perform Chopin’s Etude (composed for performance training practice) No. 5 ‘Black Key’ and Waltz No. 7 in succession. Sang-ryun, who has a natural talent for the piano, overwhelms his seniors with his brilliant playing skills. The other students who were watching were also greatly admired.
This is the most famous scene in the movie ‘Secrets I can’t tell’ (2008), directed and acted by Taiwanese actress Zhu Geolun. The movie tells the story of a piano genius Sang-ryun and a secret girl, Xiao-yu (Gye-ryun-mi), who transcends time and space and falls in love. At the time of their release, many audiences shed tears at their fresh yet heartbreaking love.
It was popular not only because of the story, but also because of the piano playing scenes in the work. In particular, the piano battle scene was well received enough to be parodied countless times. After watching the movie, there were many people who looked up and listened to the music in this scene.
The life of Chopin, the protagonist of the music, was the piano itself. In his short life of only 39 years, he left regarding 200 works. Most of them are piano pieces.
However, there were many cases where the audience was quite surprised to hear Chopin’s music during the piano battle scene in the movie. I thought Chopin’s music was only lyrical, because I felt it was very glamorous. Perhaps the title of ‘Poet of the Piano’ has a big influence.
However, the actual Chopin music is more drastic and dramatic than you might think. Listening to ‘Black Gun’ and ‘Impromptu Fantasia’ will make you fall in love with the splendor. The 19 waltzes also incorporate various techniques.
Chopin’s ‘Waltz No. 7’ performed by pianist Yuja Wang/The Best of Classical Music Channel
Unlike music, his personality was very introverted. He was quiet and shy. There is a woman whom Chopin passionately loved. French novelist Georges Sand. The love story between the two is well known.
Sand was a divorcee with two children, six years older than Chopin. She was also free-spirited enough to cause many scandals with other artists. She, however, was an imposing and independent woman anytime, anywhere.
The two first met in 1836 at the salon of the Countess Marie Dagu, the lover of the pianist Franz Liszt. The best artists of the time, including Liszt, Delacroix and Berlioz, gathered at this salon. Chopin did attend these gatherings, but he was mostly quiet.
Sand discovered and fell in love with Chopin, the opposite of himself, at the salon. On the other hand, Chopin didn’t get a very good impression at first because of Sand’s strong personality. However, the two soon fell in love and became lovers for 10 years.
‘Raindrop Prelude’ is full of their love. One day, when Sand was out in town, it was raining heavily. After many twists and turns, Sand walked back home for over 6 hours. Chopin, anxious and restless, wrote a prelude to Raindrops. When Sand arrived, Chopin cried and said he was playing this piece. And he said: “I thought I was dead. I thought I was dead…”
However, the passionate love between the two people ended in the end. Sand suddenly gave him a breakup, which left Chopin tormented for a long time. And two years later, Chopin, missing Sande, died of tuberculosis.
Chopin’s ‘Raindrop Prelude’ performed by pianist Lang Lang. / Steinway Channel
The film also tells a love story between the two. Xiaoyu shows her Shang Lun a portrait of Sand and says, “You’re Chopin’s favorite woman. The two have been together for 10 years.” Then Sang-ryun replies, “We broke up in the end.”
However, Xiaoyu looks at Shang Lun with a gentle gaze and says: “But ten years is a long enough time.” It is a scene that compares the love between Shang Lun and Xiao Yu, which is difficult to achieve, and yet it is also meaningful enough.
A love that seems to last forever. But that love is bound to end someday, one way or another. But, wouldn’t it be possible to be afraid to love and stop? No, it’s probably close to impossible.
Sand’s poem <상처>A phrase like this appears. “I endure the wounds of my soul to win love like a thorn to pick a flower. I don’t love to be hurt, but because I’m hurt to love. Love. That’s the only good thing in life.”
By Kim Hee-kyung, staff reporter hkkim@hankyung.com
