Four Hands, Two Sonatas starts strong as it brings our leads together, with Kang Pio in search of approval and Choi Jeongyo simply needing to survive.
Netflix’s new drama Four Hands, Two Sonatas begins with excitement, but dials it back to show us how it all began. The pilot introduces the worlds of its main characters, their different motivations and challenges, and the humble beginnings of greatness.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers. Read with discretion.
World-class
The first episode opens on a competition in Prague in 2017. Piano prodigy Kang Pio (Song Kang) plays with blood on his hands while his fellow pianist Choi Jeongyo (Lee Junyoung) tries to escape a car where he’s trapped with some thugs.
Then we return to six months before. Pio is awarded a certificate for representing Korea Arts High School in another competition, but he later throws it away. Some boys at school resent him for his success and vandalize his sheet music with vicious words accusing him of not being the legitimate son of his mother.
Hong Jaein (Jang Gyuri) stands up for him. She is a viola player who wants Pio to be her accompanist, but he refuses as he’s too focused on his own music.
Professional help in Four Hands, Two Sonatas
Pio, his mom, and Jaein’s mother, who is the director of an agency for classical musicians, attend the performance of a pianist named Do Hyunsoo (Kim Jooheon). Pio’s grandfather, the legendary Kang Seungwoon, approves of Hyunsoo and invites him to their house after his show.
Hyunsoo says he’s heard great things about Pio, but Seungwoon immediately shuts him down, saying he doesn’t claim Pio as his grandson as they don’t know who his real father is.
Later that night, Pio confronts his grandfather and confesses that all he wants is his approval. He promises to play at the Noblesse Classical Concert, professing that if he doesn’t get his grandfather’s approval then, he’ll quit piano.
The next day, Pio tells his mother that he wants Hyunsoo to be his new piano teacher. However, when Hyunsoo watches him play, he simply says he’s better off with his old teacher as he has nothing new to teach him. Pio knows that Hyunsoo is dissatisfied with his playing, but does not know why.
Pio and Jeongyo meet again
In a less privileged part of town, Choi Jeongyo studies in Songmin High School, a local high school. He hangs out with loan sharks to help his alcoholic father and plays piano for fun at a nearby music arcade. Jeongyo watches a classical music competition for a class credit. He sees Pio playing and remembers him from a moment in their childhood, when a young Jeongyo asked Pio for a handkerchief before performing.
Back in the present day, Pio wins the competition but complains about his cadenza being lackluster. Jaein reassures him that it’s better to not overdo it. Pio realizes that he left his vandalized sheet music in the practice room and goes back with Jaein to retrieve it. They find Jeongyo playing the piano to Pio’s sheet music.
Jeongyo asks if Pio remembers him, but Pio, still defensive about his sheet music, declines. Jeongyo then politely asks if Pio intended his cadenza to be a bit dry. Pio is stunned that Jeongyo noticed and dares him to prove himself on stage. At that moment, Jaein enters and excitedly chatters about Jeongyo’s talent. Jeongyo recoils and leaves.
Discovering talent
Still on the hunt for a good accompanist, Jaein seeks out Jeongyo and tells him she’ll pay him a million won to play with her for five sessions.
He agrees as it will help his dad pay off his debts. Jeongyo goes to Korea Arts High School to practice with Jaein, where he is overheard by Hyunsoo and Yoon Seonju, the school’s director and Pi-o’s grandmother.
After asking him to play for them, Seonju offers Jeongyo a scholarship right away. Jeongyo refuses, saying he can’t afford to survive by just being an artist. Seonju later reveals that she saw Jeongyo play at a competition about seven years ago and couldn’t forget his performance. Jeongyo comes home to find his house ransacked and his father gone. The loan sharks come for him and he runs away. Unable to find a room anywhere, he calls Seonju to see if he can stay in the dorms. She convinces him to fully transfer to Korea Arts and become a piano major.
New school in Four Hands, Two Sonatas
Haunted by his grandfather’s and Jeongyo’s words, Pio asks Hyunsoo to tell him what’s wrong with his playing. Hyunsoo tells Pio that he just plays the way other people do and that his incredible technique covers his lack of emotion.
At school, the bullies try to get under Jeongyo’s skin, but Pio says he needs to get his books, inadvertently redirecting their attention. Jeongyo tries to reach out to Pio again, but the latter continues to be cold and blows him off. Later, Pio realizes that Jeongyo is the kid he met seven years ago, the only one who beat him to the grand prize.
Thoughts and What To Expect Next on Four Hands, Two Sonatas
All three leads seem to be in a sweet spot of their career, where they’ve had a lot of relevant acting experience but haven’t yet hit their peak. While the show clearly spotlights the relationship between Pio and Jeongyo, Jang Gyuri’s Jaein proves herself to be a worthy addition to the crew. Specifically, her scenes with Lee Junyoung show off their chemistry and her natural charm as she plays off her slightly more experienced castmates.
In the second episode, the titular “Four Hands” is mentioned, which is a technique where two people play on a single piano. We may see some of the scenes between Pio and Jeongyo from the teasers, and get a closer look into their burgeoning friendship.
What did you think about the pilot of Four Hands, Two Sonatas?
Source: tvN drama
