Beethoven Virus - 貝多芬病毒

Another cool drama to introduce here in my blog. I give a 100% credit to the lead actor Kim Myung Min for his superb acting in the Beethoven Virus.

Beethoven Virus (베토벤 바이러스) is a 2008 MBC TV drama in Korea. It was screened Monday to Friday nights on 8tv. This show drew attention for being the first drama to depict the lives of classical musicians and orchestra in Korea.

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 fear by all his players. By chance, he comes across Du Ru Mi, a violinist, and a young cop who has the same name as his and discovers that even without formal training, the young Kang is a music genius. The three soon get tangled in a love triangle.

Main Characters
Kang Gun-woo / Kang Ma-Eh (Maestro Kang)

Portrayed by Kim Myung Min, Kang Gun-woo is an orchestra conductor who's a single forty year old man that lives with a dog named Thoven. He is very talented and famous for his excellent skills in music. Counductor Kang feels that classical music is for the nobility and to play the noble classics, the talent of players should be brilliant. Because he believes in this, he insults many musicians who do not match his perfection in music.
He is notorious for his aggressiveness and sharp tongue. His nickname is ‘orchestra killer’. His personality is mostly written in his face when he encounters trouble and he smirks to show he isn't weak. He is scared of his emotions and it is explained in the drama when many people come up to him to tell him that he is an upright rude man. His personality depends on his emotions because he's alone and too scared for his emotions and cannot bear to tell the truth. The reason that he has spent most of his time overseas is because he had once refused to perform in front of a large audience, including the president.In a word, he is an elitist.

Du Ru-mi

Portrayed by Lee Ji-ah, Du Ru-mi is the concert mistress of the project orchestra. Despite her delicate appearance, she is actually hot-tempered, up-and-down, and optimistic about everything.Her headache and tinnitus are the symptom of Ménière's disease, which will cause hearing loss. Now, she has a resolute goal to perform on stage.

Kang Gun-woo

Portrayed by Jang Geun-suk, Kang Gun-woo is a traffic officer with a strong sense of justice. To help a pregnant woman get to the hospital, he moves a car by crashing it into another car, which causes him to be suspended from his position.Even though he cannot read music, he has a natural talent for playing the trumpet and for music itself. The project orchestra that he joins through Ru-mi’s recommendation gives him an opportunity to open his eyes and ears to music and conducting.

Cast

Kim Myung-min as Kang Gun-woo/Kang Ma-Eh (Conductor)
Lee Ji-ah as Du Ru-mi (Violin)
Jang Geun-suk as Kang Gun-woo (Trumpet)

Extended Cast
Lee Soon Jae as Kim Gab Yong (Oboe)
Hyun Jyu Ni as Ha Yi Deun (Flute)
Song Ok Sook as Jung Hee Yun (Cello)
Park Chul Min as Bae Yong Gi (Trumpet)
Jung Suk Yong as Park Hyuk Kwon (Double Bass)
Lee Bong Gyu as Park Jin Man
Kim Young Min as Jung Myung Hwan
Jo Se Eun as Kim Joo Yeon
Park Eun Joo as Kim Joo Hee
Lee Han Wie as Kang Chun Bae
Park Kil Soo as Kim Kye Jang
Hwang Young Hee as Hyuk Kwon Cheo
Baek Jae Jin
Kim Ik

Production Credits

Production Company: Kim Jong-Hak Production
Chief Producer: Oh Kyung Hoon
Director: Lee Jae Kyu
Screenwriter: Hong Jin Ah, Hong Ja Ram

Awards

2009 Seoul International Drama Awards: Best Picture – Mini Series Award
2009 36th Korean Broadcasting Association Awards: Best Actor Kim Myung Min
2008 21st Producers Awards of Korea: Best TV Drama
2008 The 45th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best TV Actor Kim Myung Min
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Grand Prize Kim Myung Min
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Drama of the Year Award
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Male Newcomer Award Jang Geun Suk
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Special PD Award Lee Jae Kyu
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Golden Acting Award - Supporting Actor Park Chul Min
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Golden Acting Award - Mid-level Actor Song Ok Sook
2008 MBC Drama Awards: Writer of the Year Award: Hong Jin Ah and Hong Ja Ram
2008 The 2008 Grime Award: Special Award Song In-hyuk and Hong Sung-wook
2008 The National Assembly Society of Popular Culture & Media Award: Most Popular Drama in 2008
2008 The 9th Broadcaster Awards: Best Performance in Broadcasting Kim Myung Min
2008 The 3rd Korea Drama Festival: Grand Prize Kim Myung Min