- But I wanted to go to Vienna – I said finally
- But it's also a very beautiful place… and this course is perfect for you!
My brother Christian had been trying to convince me to accept the scholarship for the violinists. I know what's your most probable reaction: What's wrong with you, woman? Why does he even have to ask you to go? Let me explain and you will understand. The course is right, but the place is wrong. What place is your first association when you think of a musical scholarship? For me it's Vienna. And where was I offered to go? Switzerland, Lugano, exactly. What does that place have to do with music?
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gerda, I'm 21 and I study violin at Prague Art Institute. Violin is the instrument which I love the most. I also play the piano but nothing's gonna compare to my violin love. Christian also studies at PAI, but he's a dancer.
I always dreamed of going to Vienna and learning how to become a violin master and finally join the orchestra. I also wanted to learn about violin masters like Strauss, Mozart. I had been learning German for a long time hoping I would get a chance to visit the capital of classical music. Unfortunately, I was picked to Lugano instead.
-Why don't you at least give it a chance? – Christian still didn't give up. He's always like that. A stubborn asshole.
- I don't even speak Italian – I used one of my last arguments.
- We both know it's not such a big problem for you… You're good at foreign languages… Just give it a chance – Christian started to beg me
- Don't you just want to get rid of me? After all it's a whole year…
- Listen to me, my little sister… - he started
-Do I have to remind you we are twins?
- I'm going to miss you more than Mum's apple cake – I couldn't help giggling – but I think it's a good chance for you. Sometimes what you think is bad turns out to be good for you.
I can't believe he convinced me to go. A week later I left Prague and here I am. Switzerland. What's the first association when you think of this country? Cheese, chocolate, watches… But music? Well, maybe I exaggerate a little… but a course for violinists? Wouldn't Vienna be a better place? Or any other city, it could be even somewhere else in Switzerland... But Lugano?
There's one more problem. Italian. All my friends from the university told me it's one of the easiest languages to learn but it's not. It's not simple at all, it's mission impossible to learn it. When I hear the people talking, when I watch TV, listen to the radio… I don't understand anything at all. Fucking Italian. Why couldn't it be a German-speaking canton?
I came back home and decided to spend the rest of the evening playing the violin. But unfortunately when I unpacked my instrument I saw that the strings were out of tune. Italian, I mean Swiss airports. Furious, I left to the nearest music store to have my violin repaired. Cool, now I'm going to spend another evening watching TV in a language I don't understand. Brilliant.
The shop assistant told me it would take 2 days for him to repair the strings. Luckily it was Friday evening and I had my first lecture on Monday. I watched some violins on the shop window and was about to leave when I heard someone asking
-Fiddle player? – I turned around and saw a guy smiling. Fuck, he's handsome! I can't talk to handsome guys! Frankly, I have a problem with talking to anybody
,,Well, yes… The student actually. What about you? Also a musician? – I asked him
,,Well… kinda'' he smiled ,,Lawyer by profession, musician by passion… And my name's Sebastiano, but call me Seb'' he introduced himself. ,,I'm Gerda'' I said
,,Like the one from the Snow Queen? Are you from Denmark?' Why did he have to react like the others? I actually started to like him…
,,Yes, I'm Danish… and I hate my name'' I laughed. ,,Why? I think it's very nice'' he said
,,Would you like to be named after a fairytale character?''I asked ironically
,,If I were as beautiful as fairytale character I wouldn't complain'' I smiled… He seemed to be really nice… But then I remembered ,,I'm here to study not to flirt with guys'' I thought. I realized it was time I left. ,,Sorry, but I need to go…'' I said and walked towards the door
,,Hey, did I say something wrong? '' he looked at me worried
,,No, it's just… I need to practice before my lecture and…''
,,But how do you want to practice without your violin?'' Well, now I had a problem. I didn't want to say anything so he thought I didn't like him… I mean, fuck, no. What now?
,,Hey, I got an idea… I play in a band and we're having a rehearsal tonight… Would you like to listen to us? I got 2 violins at home and you could play with us'' I really liked the idea… but no, I can't.
,,It's a really nice offer, but unfortunately I can't, now when I'm here on scholarship, I have to focus on music only'' I finally said. FUCK, it didn't make any sense.
,,I don't get it'' he said. Who would actually? ,,I just invited you to play some music with me and my band… Why would that be a problem?''
-,, How could you say no?!'' Gina, my roommate was shocked and furious at me when she found out I refused his invitation.
,,What kind of problem did you invent? He's so cute!'' She seemed to be really pissed off with me. Or maybe I should say – she was really pissed off with me.
,,Exactly! Cute guys scare me!'' Gina's WTF face didn't surprise me actually, but that was a true reason. I'm afraid of people and especially of talking to them. And although Seb was really nice, it still couldn't help my fear.
,,But he's not only handsome, he's also a great person and a really wonderful musician!'' Gina still didn't give up
,,I shouldn't spend too much time with guys now'' Although I wasn't in the right place, I decided not to waste time and focus on music only while I'm here
,,Gerda, you can't focus only on learning… You need some fun too! You should meet some friends, go out with them somewhere…. Studying can't be your whole life!'' Not the first time I heard that. My parents, Christian, other students in Prague… Everybody. Maybe they're right but I always had a problem with that. With fun I mean. School was always the place where I went to get some knowledge. I never thought of making friends with anybody there and integrating with my class. But that wasn't everything Gina wanted to say.
,,You keep saying how fed up with Switzerland you are… While this is actually the land of many great musicians''
,,Give me an example'' I was tired already… Not having my violin next to me makes me feel depressed… talking about a cheese and watches country definitely wouldn't help me
,,Seb for example'' I smiled ,,Goodnight Gina''
Sometimes what you think is bad turns out to be actually good for you. Could Christian be right actually? I don't know that yet, but after my first lecture at Lugano Music University I changed my mind about this city a little. But let's start from the beginning.
And then it was. Monday morning. Time for my first lecture, first classes. I wasn't really excited as I didn't expect anything special, just ordinary lectures which must had been just like the ones in Prague. Anyway, I took my violin which was luckily repaired in time and left with Gina, who also studies music, but she's a cello player. We arrived to the university with her car, as cello was a less portable instrument and walking with it through the whole city wouldn't be too comfortable.
We entered the university and… Wow. I had to admit the building is very impressive. But still it's not Vienna. Gina showed me where the violin classes were and went on her lecture. I sat down in the class and took the scat and violin from my bag. There was also the group of other students preparing for a lesson. Suddenly the professor appeared. I was very surprised about the level of the classes. I didn't think it would vary from Prague but it was completely different. In a good way. The professor turned out to be a brilliant fiddle player and of course a brilliant teacher. The other students played also incredibly well. I might have underestimated this country. Alright fine, I did underestimate this country.
When the classes ended I felt quite confused. I was just about to leave when suddenly I saw a guy waiting at the entrance and smiling to me. It was Seb. He wore smart clothes and glasses, so I guess he was just coming back from work. ,,What are you doing here?'' I asked.
,,I didn't make it on Friday so I decided to take a chance today and invite you for lunch''
,,So you thought that if I didn't have time on Friday, I would definitely have time on Monday afternoon?'' I asked confused ,,I can always try'' was his response
,,I'm sorry but…''
,,No, now that's gonna be rude if you say no today… I'm gonna think you don't like me'' he looked at me like a begging puppy and I couldn't help laughing ,,Alright. Let's go eat something'' I couldn't refuse this time.
-Gina was actually right. Seb did really turn out to be a very nice guy with a great sense of humour. We were sitting near the city hall and eating burritos. We talked a lot about music. Seb wasn't as keen on classical and movie music as me but it doesn't mean you can't talk to him about some great composers. He himself played pop-folk music with his band which he insisted on me to listen to. This time I had to accept his invitation. He took me to his house… and it's clear he is a lawyer, because only a lawyer could afford to have such a big house. Then I saw some guys in the living room. So that was the famous band. Famous, as our lunch break was enough for Seb to tell me everything about them. The guy with the guitar had to be…
,,Seb, where have you been? We've been waiting for…'' the guitarist said. He looked angry but then confused when he saw me. ,,Who is that?'' he asked… And the tone of his voice suggested I wasn't welcome here
,,This is Gerda, she's a violinist…. Gerda, this is Matt, my friend, who I know could be a lot nicer'' Seb said and gave Matt a look ,,And this is Rocco, banjo player'' Seb continued
,,Hi, Gerda'' Rocco said and played some chords ,,And Marco, he plays the drums'' Seb pointed at the guy sitting next to the drums. Marco also demonstrated his music skills.
,,Why did you bring her?'' Matt asked. All the guys looked at him like they wanted to say ,,Matt, please''. What's wrong with that guy? ,,She really wanted to hear us play and see how amazing band we are'' Seb said after a while and smiled to me. You wish, I thought… But he was too adorable so I didn't say anything…. Actually I haven't said anything yet. They're gonna think I'm mute.
,,Seb, is it that girl who didn't want to go out with you? Looks like you got some luck now…'' Rocco joked and the guys laughed ,,Thanks, Rocco'' Seb looked to be amused
,,Fiddle player? Are you as obsessed with violin as Seb is?'' Marco turned to me.
,,She's in love with classical music'' Seb said as he was going upstairs. Rocco lost the interest in banjo and looked at me excited. As it turned it out he was the big fan of classical music.
,,Yes, I play violin and piano… I would love to play in an orchestra someday'' I finally said. Now at least they know I can speak
,,So violinist playing classical music? Mainstream'' Matt smirked.
,,Matt, don't tease Seb's new friend…'' Rocco nagged Matt ''Classical music is magical, I sometimes wish I could play on the big philharmonic stage, but I'm a banjo player so I'm afraid I won't get a part in orchestra'' he laughed and looked like he was miserable for a while. We all couldn't help laughing. Even Matt seemed to smile a little bit but then he looked like an asshole again.
,,I see you like each other'' Seb said as we were talking about some other instruments. Wait… I'm talking to people… and I'm not nervous or scared… That's a strange, but also a very nice feeling. Seb went downstairs with his violin and discussed with the guys about the new song they were about to practice
,,Hey, how about Gerda played a song with us?'' Marco asked. What? Marco, what are you talking about?
,,Good idea'' Seb smiled and passed me his violin ,,But I don't know the chords or anything…'' I tried to think up something so I omitted playing… I always played classical music only
,,That's not the problem… you get them here… and we will see how good you are…'' Cool. A small test then.
,,Seb...'' Matt wasn't very happy about the intruder on rehearsal ,,Chill out, Matt. Are you on your period or something?'' I met Rocco like 10 minutes ago, but I can already say that he's just awesome! We all burst out laughing ,,Alright'' Seb still looked to be amused ,,Let's begin''. He started to whistle and a small concert began. I took a violin and… Okay. Time to play something different then one of
Mozart's symphony. Actually, it wasn't as horrible as I expected it to be…. I played well, yes! About Seb and the band… they were fantastic. It was visible that they loved what they were doing. Seb was happy about everything… When he sang, when he whistled, when he danced… joyful all the time. And the song was… alright, I can't describe any different than… Brilliant. It was so catchy, the lyrics and everything… Gerda, calm your tits, you're a musician, you shouldn't get so excited! It's just a song. But a very good one… Its name was Hunter of Stars, just so you know
,,Want me to go, want me to go…'' Seb sang along and I looked at the chords… Violin solo! What?! Alright, if you want a violin solo, you've got it… I did it! The guys smiled so I guess it wasn't bad… Rocco even screamed ,,Good one!'' Seb whistled once again and the concert finished.
,,Seb, she's actually not worse than you'' Marco said as we were all sitting on the sofa after the performance. ,,She's actually sitting next to you… You can actually tell her that yourself''
,,I can't believe you let anyone play your violin solo… This is your favourite part'' Matt said. It was the first time he spoke after Rocco ,,offended'' him
,,I can make some exceptions… especially for a really good fiddle player'' Seb said and smiled to me. I didn't know what to say. Anytime I hear something good about myself I just have no clue how to react.
,,It's all thanks to the song… It's brilliant'' Luckily I found the right answer. ,,It's not the only good one'' Marco said. ,,He composed a lot of good songs… but unfortunately Seb doesn't want anyone to hear them except for his band…''
,,Music is my passion. All I want is to have fun while doing it… Not money'' Seb explained. He also said that all these famous people, celebrities, actors, they don't seem to be happy at all. They might be rich but you can't be really happy when you don't have true friends around. It's the people, not the things that make you happy. A meeting with friends brings you more joy than a big house, a guitar or anything. Well, people rather scare me… maybe except for my brother and the people I get to know better. But when I listened to Seb I realized I had a really good time with him and his friends… so maybe he's right... Alright, what am I talking about? Of course he is right.
I had a lot fun with the guys but when I looked at the clock I realized it was time I came back home. Luckily, I hadn't had any homework yet. I said goodbye to Rocco, Marco and Matt but not to Seb, who insisted on draining me to my flat ,,Trust me, that's the only way to appease Gina'' he explained. Well, she could be mad actually, as I told her I would be home… much earlier. Maybe Seb's idea was good then
The way from Seb's house to my flat was long, but I was actually happy about it as it meant a longer conversation. And more time spent with Seb.
,,And? Did I exaggerate when I said we're awesome?'' Seb asked as we were passing another street
,,It's not the professional orchestra level… but you're good'' I tried not to show how much I liked their song… I just didn't want to behave like an excited long-john fan girl
,,Oh come on… Is the classical music the only one you accept?'' he asked.
,,I also like movie themes… Alright, your songs are really good… But I don't understand one thing, why don't you play them anywhere? I know – he was just about to start his speech again – you don't want fame… But didn't you ever think of doing it as your job?''
,,I already have a job, which I like a lot, plus I used to be musician like that'' he said. I looked at him surprised. So he told me about his career as a bass player in band called ,,The Stalkers'' (awesome name, isn't it?) in which he played the covers of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. He played in that band for 2 years and then he joined a folk-rock ,,The Vad Vuc'' where he could finally play on his beloved instrument – the violin. He spent a lot of time in that band, 10 years actually. And then he left. But why? And how? How can you give up doing something which you are brilliant at? Was it easy for him? Surprisingly Seb didn't seem to get fed up with the long-john version of me and explained me the whole story. I expected he wouldn't want to talk about it to a person he met 2 days ago… He said that at first playing at The Vad Vuc was an amazing experience. He met lots of wonderful musicians and learned so much. But the musician's life isn't always perfect… actually, it's hardly ever perfect. Why do I want to be one then? Because for once in my life I decided to follow my heart… that was the only exception, which happens to be one of most important decisions… But music is my life I couldn't do any different. So is for Seb, but unfortunately after some time The Vad Vuc wasn't so successful anymore and the bad time started. The conflicts, the problems with money… That's why he decided to leave. At first he considered a solo career after all he chose an ordinary lifestyle… He doesn't seem to be unhappy about it… But when you see him singing or playing… or doing any kind of performance… He looks like he's the happiest person in the world.