Song Kang Leads tvN's New Classical Music Drama 'Four Hands' This Weekend

tvN's new weekend drama Four Hands pairs classical music with a coming-of-age story about young pianists. Director Park Hyun-seok and writer Shin E-won have opened up about the show's origins and the casting of Song Kang, Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri.

"Four Hands" premieres Nov. 29 at 9:10 p.m. KST on tvN. The Saturday-Sunday series follows a group of young musicians at an arts high school for the country's top classical talents, tracing their friendships, romances, rivalries and growth.

Park said the script won him over right away. "When I first read the script for 'Four Hands,' I thought classical music and a youth coming-of-age story fit together really well," he said. "What I found especially appealing was that it doesn't just lean on the novelty of classical music or the pianist world. It tells the story through emotions anyone can follow and connect with."

For Shin, the project started with the music itself. "I happened to hear about a pianist winning the top prize at a competition, and I got drawn into classical," she said. "As I followed the paths these musicians took, I realized classical music has the kind of sweeping stories you find in dramas." She added, "I felt there was no subject more dramatic than this. I wanted to weave together the passion and longing for art, and the despair and grueling effort that come with it."

Because the music and the performances carry so much of the show, both the writing and production sides required heavy preparation. "It really did take an enormous amount of prep work," Shin said. "More than anything, the music had to serve as a second lead, so we put special care into song selection. I'm confident the pieces in the drama are beautiful enough that viewers will want to keep coming back to them."

Park said one of the biggest challenges was matching the music to the drama itself. "Deciding where each piece would start and stop, and whether that section fit the dramatic situation and the characters' emotions, was another huge job," he said. He also focused on the show's visual world. "Beyond that, I remember putting real effort into the set for Kang Bi-o's home, so the taste of a classical artist and the family's story would come through naturally in the mise-en-scène alone."

Both filmmakers spoke warmly about their three leads. Song Kang plays Kang Bi-o, Lee Jun-young plays Choi Jeong-yo, and Jang Gyu-ri plays Hong Jae-in.

"The set with these three actors felt like moving between hot and cold pools," Park said. "Once cameras rolled, they each drew on serious preparation and tried to give 100 percent of their performance. Before shooting, the cast and crew all mixed easily and kept the atmosphere warm."

Shin said each casting announcement felt like a gift. "Every time I heard casting news, it was one surprise after another. I even thought, 'Is this what people mean when they talk about a job matching your passion?'" she said. "Song Kang, Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri were all more Kang Bi-o, Choi Jeong-yo and Hong Jae-in than I had imagined."

"Four Hands" premieres Nov. 29 at 9:10 p.m. KST.