Beethoven Virus


Beethoven Virus is a 2008 South Korean television series starring Kim Myung-min, Lee Ji-ah, and Jang Keun-suk. The show drew attention for being the first Korean drama to depict the lives of classical musicians, an orchestra and ordinary people who dream of becoming musicians. It aired on MBC from September 10 to November 12, 2008 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes.

Synopsis

Kang Gun-woo is a world-renowned orchestra maestro who is a perfectionist in his work. He is not an easy person to work with and is feared by all his players. By chance, he comes across a woman named Du Ru-mi who plays the violin, and a young police officer also named Kang Gun-woo who is a musical genius without formal training. The three soon get tangled in a love triangle as Kang Mae attempts to salvage a local orchestra.

The unlikely orchestra

Du Ru-mi works as a public civil officer, but she never loses her dream of playing in the orchestra one day. Her chance finally arrived when she submitted, and got approved, on the idea of making Seokran a music city, and with that she has the budget to hire an orchestra.
However, her elation was short lived, as she was scammed for 300 million won by the promoter, and the professional members refuse to play without being paid. As the last resort, she assembled a group of players whom are willing to perform for free, including:
  • Jung Hee-yeon, a housewife playing cello
  • Bae Yong-gi, a cabaret playing trumpet
  • Kim Gab-yong, an oboist with Alzheimer's disease
  • Ha Yi-deun, a high school student playing flute
  • Kang Gun-woo, a traffic police officer playing trumpet
  • and Du Ru-mi herself, playing violin.
With a huge effort from Du Ru-mi, the orchestra is finally formed. However, the world class conductor Kang Gun-woo, whom demands the best performance from the very best players. It is his first time returning to Korea after 10 years, after a refusal to conduct a performance in front of the president and the general public due to believing that his orchestra was not good enough.
It didn't take Maestro Kang long to discover the dismal standards of the members, and he demands to immediately return to Vienna after the first rehearsal. However, as Du Ru-mi and Kang Gun-woo help rescuing Maestro Kang's dog from an overdose, Maestro Kang agrees on conducting the local orchestra. Though the tension is high and multiple times Maestro Kang was deciding to quit, he stayed till the end and led the local orchestra to do a nearly impossible performance. With that, Maestro Kang is offered a director position for the newly created Seokran Orchestra, a lifetime position that he has been dreaming for many years. He decides to accept the position, but fires all the local orchestra members, much to their collective dismay.

The Ninth Symphony

The local members are outraged, but have to concede as Maestro Kang is hiring people for the orchestra, and this time with the true professionals whom standard are unquestionably higher. But they don't give up. They stand in as the temporary members, and privately in secret they practice Beethoven Ninth's Symphony, hoping they will be selected when Maestro Kang selects this symphony to be performed. And their chance finally comes when Maestro Kang bows to public demand.

Cast

Main characters

At the drama's press conference prior to airing, Kim Myung-min, who plays the talented yet difficult maestro Kang, actually conducted Ennio Morricone's Gabriel's Oboe and Johannes Brahms' Hungarian Dances with a full orchestra in front of reporters and fans who came to the venue. Kang is based on real-life conductor Shin-ik Hahm.
Several famous musicians made cameo appearances in the drama, including pianist Dong-Hyek Lim and violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill.

Awards and nominations

International broadcast

The series aired in the Philippines on Q Channel 11 beginning April 12, 2010, on Mondays to Fridays at 2:00 p.m. It aired in Japan on Fuji TV beginning February 1, 2011, on Mondays to Fridays, at 2:07-3:57 p.m.
It aired in Thailand on Channel 3 beginning July 21, 2012, on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30-4:00 a.m.
It aired in Indonesia on B-Channel beginning October 9, 2013, on Wednesday & Thursday at 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.