the music man

Today after work I rushed to the cinema and met up with my mother. We watched a made-in-Hong-Kong documentary called "KJ". The Chinese title literally means "Musical Life". "KJ" are the the initials of the protagonist - Ka-Jeng Wong. The filming crew followed him between the ages of 11 and 17.

KJ is a musical prodigy. Started playing piano aged 7 and performed as a soloist with a professional orchestra in the Czech Republic by the time he was 11. However, since then he hasn't gained fame as a piano prodigy like some youngsters in HK have (notably Rachel Cheung, Aristo Sham, and Wai-Yin Wong). It turns out he abandoned the piano for 2 years as a teenager, during which his parents divorced and he couldn't stand the pressure given by his father, who is "all about competition and winning". (Those two years he practiced on his violin instead - KJ is also a very talented violinist; in 2007 he won 2 major categories in a music festival, one as a pianist and the other as a violinist. Watch his performance on Youtube by pressing the links).

Even as a child, KJ questioned about life and its origin. He philosophises and makes the connection between music and life. He is very outspoken with his thoughts; he says what he thinks, which can be very annoying at times. He doesn't get along with many people because of his cockiness. But I gotta say, he's got the courage to say what he thinks. He's not superficial and he doesn't lie about his thoughts. Obviously he has a lot to work on, I think he just needs to meet the right people to guide him.

There's a feeling of sadness and tragedy though. His parents divorced, and he doesn't seem to be close to his brother and sister. He has few close friends who have the patience to put up with his character. Although sometimes I envy such prodigies, who demonstrate extraordinary talent, wishing that I could play an instrument or master a skill like them, I'm glad that I enjoy music the way I want to - I don't play for exams or competitions. It makes me miss playing the piano - I haven't played properly for over a year and I miss how relaxing it can be, when it's just me, the keyboard, the music, and the beautiful melodies.