Wonderful acting, brilliant writing, and great, classical music. One can't help but appreciate classical music that much more after seeing this series. Poetic, sad, dramatic, hilarious, and humane, I loved the high quality involved in this production.
The story involves violinist Doo Roo-mi (Lee Ji-ah)who hires Maestro Kang Gun-woo to lead an orchestra that has recently disbanded due to a former manager running off with all the money. She hires replacements for the orchestra, which consist of mostly amateurs, country bumpkins, and misfits with a dream to perform at a band. Amongst the members is a trumpeter who has the same name as Kang Gun-woo (Jang Geun-seok), who may prove to be a musical genius.
Kim Myung Min's portrayal of the perfectionist and arrogant Maestro Kang Gun-woo is both maddening and hilarious. Maestro Kang's scathing aggressiveness and sharp tongue exudes frank, sometimes admirable, efficiency and cold calculation. Things that come out of his mouth causes people to run off, break down, and cry. Carrying the nickname "Orchestra Killer" (because orchestra members tend not to stick around longer than six months under him), this character has a hard time dealing with regular people as he himself doesn't see himself as regular.
Despite the fact that Maestro Kang treats his orchestra like trash, we find that he is actually a very complex character. Adding to the complexity are the orchestra members' own personal, social, and financial issues, and a love triangle between the two Kang Gun-woo and Doo Roo-mi.
Be sure to check this out on DVD or Hulu.
