episode_0009

The notorious Liszt’s Etude of Extreme Artistry.

Mazeppa.

One of Liszt’s pieces embodying his ambition to encapsulate an orchestra within a single instrument, the piano.

A composition that demands superhuman capabilities to perform, boasting a truly hellish level of difficulty.

I aimed to become the best Mazeppa player in Korea.

At the mere age of twelve, just before graduating elementary school, I adopted the nickname K-Mazeppa.

Upon entering high school, I contemplated shedding my past fervor, but decided to embrace my uniqueness online.

Difficult to pinpoint, and during my days at the academy, I hadn’t given up on that dream yet.

Interestingly, since enrolling in the arts university, I had reached a ‘decent’ level of playing Mazeppa.

Though not meeting the professor’s satisfaction, it was enough to satisfy myself.

Finally achieving a childhood dream filled me with overwhelming hope and emotion.

… Unfortunately, that was my limit.

Image training began at five years old.

I never missed a lesson with my professor since I was seven.

Every bath, I’d close my eyes and draw piano keys in the air.

Imagining a virtuoso before me.

They led, and I followed.

Chasing after senior musicians, striving to understand them and interpret their thoughts.

Perhaps the fruit of relentless effort.

Unwavering rhythm, precise dynamics reflecting the composer’s intentions, hitting the mark with accuracy.

My piano skills were more than proficient.

My professor, who had guided me for over a decade, would often say during group lessons, “If you want to master the basics of a piece, sit Jungsu down and keep playing.”

However…

I wasn’t perfect.

If I were, I would have conquered global competitions by now.

“So, when will you infuse your colors?”

“Colors…?”

“Yes. I’ve listened to your performances for over ten years. It’s the same as before. Always blindly following the sheet music like a playback program.”

“Is that so…?”

“That’s how it seems to me. Since you mastered the basics five years ago, you haven’t changed.”

When alone, my professor always brought up Song Seonghyuk as my antithesis.

Not to compare, but because he was such a celebrated pianist.

He started piano a few years after me, yet possessed what I lacked.

“Seonghyuk freely molds the music.”

Level one of performance: mastering flawless scores, articulation, phrasing, and technique tailored to the performer’s physical condition.

Level two: interpreting the composer’s intentions, applying nuances and embellishments to make it sound perfect.

Up to this point, with time and effort, anyone could excel.

But the final level three, transcending all these aspects.

Meticulously adjusting everything to maintain coherence while infusing one’s unique color—a realm of mastery where not everyone could enter.

“And you. You’re being swayed by the music unlike him.”

Every student in the piano department at the arts university.

Even newcomers who joined long after me.

Thought they could dabble in this realm of mastery.

Believed they could shape their own forms through music.

Expected the judges to resonate with their crafted melodies.

But not me.

“You can copy every musician in the world in an instant. Your ability is unparalleled. It’s no wonder you’ve been honing that skill.”

“Perhaps if the performances of individuals like Chopin or Liszt had been preserved through audio or video recordings, they might have achieved great success. They could have even been praised as geniuses reborn in modern times.”

“But that’s not it, is it? What you need now is reinterpretation. Your own 1%.”

I never managed to enter the realm of domination.

I must have been unable to break free from copying someone I referenced, probably the professor’s style.

Even as I continued to play, the wandering notes, unable to find their own color, simply free-fell to the end of the staff.

I always thought of myself as a stepping stone at Hanyeda Piano Academy.

A perpetual underachiever unable to move on to the next level.

So, as if possessed, I began to follow Aclert’s lead.

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[ Newtube ]

[ 残響漫歌 | Yokai Kimetsutai – The movie OST ]

👍20K | 👎

[ Aklerts ] 1.01M subscribers

Views 990K | 1 year ago

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It might be a ludicrous motive, I think.

However, her performance held a uniqueness that I lacked.

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[ Comments ]

@aksenaktdlTekd – 1 year ago *Aklerts pinned

Incredible. A piano solo? No. It was a perfect band in itself.

Translated from Korean

👍997 | 👎

∨ 97 replies

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Due to a fellow enthusiastic peer accidentally playing her performance on a Bluetooth speaker, I initially didn’t think much of her playing.

But the moment I separately searched for the original piece out of curiosity—.

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[ Comments ]

@zhfldksakwpvk – Today

From today onwards, I support Aclert.

👍 | 👎

∨ 1 reply

— @whssktlqejr

Hey, are you friends with A?

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I immediately became her fan.

Despite being an arrangement without expert help.

Her performance almost perfectly captured the original piece’s tone.

Maybe because I’m not well-versed in anime songs.

So, I wondered if it sounded perfect.

No matter how many songs I listened to.

A’s arrangements always aimed for the same thing.

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[ Comments ]

@zhfldksakwpvk – Today

I’m not familiar with anime, but it’s exactly the same as the original.

I’ve listened to many other covers, but I haven’t seen a more perfect arrangement than Aclert’s.

👍2 | 👎

∨ 1 reply

— @whssktlqejr

Ugh, the insiders are invading the fandom again.

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One. Encompass the entirety of the original song, including vocals, main, bass, and rhythm.

Two. There is no instrument that the piano cannot express.

Three. Add 1% of the arranger’s essence to the original to complete the music.

Achieving these three principles in all genres of music, that was truly Aclert.

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[ Comments ]

@zhfldksakwpvk – Today

After comparing the original and E-nim’s songs more than two hundred times, it is undeniable that this is a truly perfect reproduction.

I am always in awe of E-nim’s 1%. I envy their firm grasp of their domain.

👍11 | 👎

∨ 4 replies

— @whssktlqejr

Are you Bill Gates or what? Wow

— @rothflckeks

Just nonsense lol

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And she hadn’t completely departed from classical music.

Maintaining an almost perfect rhythm throughout her performance was one thing.

Occasionally, forms resembling famous classical arpeggios (playing chords spread out) would emerge in her playing.

So, I wondered if she hadn’t learned classical music when she was young.

I used to speculate about that.

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[ K-Mazepa ]

Have you ever thought about playing classical pieces? I listen to them regularly and am always amazed by your outstanding expressiveness and individuality.

I would like to personally request a few pieces that I love.

Feel free to ignore if it’s too much trouble.

Thank you always. You’re the best.

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Believing that she, rooted in classical music yet free-spirited, could work a small miracle for me, I sent similar sponsorship messages each time to bother her for this reason.

I sought my own 1%, a clue leading me into the realm of mastery, despite consulting seniors from Hanyang University, professors, pianists, and even renowned performers, but failed to find it.

Another senior who had constructed her own world first.

That was what I wanted to ask E about.

But to think that the elusive Aclerct was Min Chaewon.

Right beside me all along, yet unrecognized.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Now, obtaining clues from Aclerct is impossible.

It’s me, unable to reach the realm of mastery, who has taken over Chaewon’s body, possibly knowing the answer.