On the Bench: A&R conversation with Lara Downes

We chatted with pianist Lara Downes by Skype a few weeks ago in preparation for our upcoming release party in Brooklyn. (Don't miss it! May 22nd.) The conversation was fun and unique -- since she, herself, is a pianist, it was different than the usual newspaper interview. In any case, she has posted the chat on her blog for all to enjoy.

In Lara's words,

Anderson & Roe is not:
1) A law firm
2) A figure skating pair
3) Married (to each other)
4) Your typical piano duo

And they don't wear "matching dresses." (Glad we got that out of the way!)

Enjoy the interview here!

Huge Announcement: "When Words Fade" Release Party on May 22nd in NYC

Where: Galapagos Arts Space -- 16 Main St, Dumbo, Brooklyn, NYC
When: Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
Doors: 7:00 PM
Start: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $20 pre-sale / $35 VIP  
Additional info: 718 222 8500 

May 22nd; Brooklyn, NYC: Be there, be square!! Seriously, if you find yourself nearby (and even if you don't!), check out this momentous Anderson & Roe event; We couldn't be more excited! An inspiring and beautiful space, delicious cocktails, two Steinway grand pianos, intoxicating music, and your's truly = a recipe for an unforgettable evening!

 
Galapagos is proud to present the cutting-edge piano duo Anderson & Roe.

Celebrating the success of their billboard-topping classical album When Words Fade, this one-of-a-kind live concert will include music from across the ages ranging from Vivaldi and Schumann to Stravinsky and Michael Jackson.

Signed to the Steinway & Sons record label, Anderson & Roe have been featured multiple times on NPR including the coveted song of the day for their rendition of Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean" as well as on Performance Today and All Things Considered.

Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe met in 2000 as freshman at the Juilliard School and formed their amazing partnership soon after. They have toured to sold-out houses across the globe and amazed audiences with the musical diversity and intense live performances. Anderson & Roe strongly believe in the communicative potential of music and they aim to make classical piano music a relevant and powerful force in society.

NPR'S Song of the Day!

Exciting news to kick off the spring season: the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo's cover of "Billie Jean" is NPR Music's "Song of the Day"! Listen to it here: A Speechless 'Billie Jean'

Arts & Crafts with Anderson & Roe: piano mutes

We've received numerous emails asking about the following:

How do you mute the piano strings in your arrangement of Vivaldi's "Sento in Seno."

Good question! The score (which you can purchase here!) simply states: "All strings played by piano 2 (A-flat below middle C and higher) should be muted by a system of felts and weights." Not very helpful, right? 

But that's the fun of it! We love the "arts & crafts" aspect of our duo, whether it be making videos or muting piano strings, and we hope to foster this spirit of exploration when people purchase our scores. For example, in our four-hand scores, you'll note that we don't provide any choreography instructions. Figuring it out is half the fun! Besides, in the case of pianistic choreography, body types are different, and what works for us won't necessarily work for you. 

Similarly, in the case of muting piano strings, the insides of pianos are very different, and there is no way we could provide instructions to mute all the varying piano models.

That said, we'll show you what we do for Steinway D pianos, and maybe it will help you along. :-) After at least three dates with Lowe's hardware store, here are our mutes (don't miss the other pics -- click on "Click to read more" below):

Click to read more ...

West Coast Tour Rave Reviews

Cascadia Weekly:

Music depends upon the expressive ability of the performers, and Anderson & Roe are extraordinary partners in an ordinary world, capable of shifting paradigms... Who knew duo piano playing could be so sexy?

Visionaries and dreamers; they are the risk takers who are pushing the boundaries of the traditional world... They are the types of souls who will ultimately save our creative universe.

 
San Francisco Classical Voice:

... the most dynamic duo of this generation ... explosive creativity ... refreshing ... exuberant ...

[Piazzolla's Libertango] was not simply a sensual auditory experience, it was also a visual, precisely choreographed, sizzling dance. The level of passion and heat was stifling.

Their recital gave further proof that the survival of "classical" music depends on remaining relevant in today’s culture.

Albuquerque Journal:

[Anderson & Roe] bring to the concert stage precisely the kind of rampant energy classical music performance needs to keep the works fresh and vital.
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"When Words Fade" hits #2 on the charts!

Happy New Year! 2012 is off to an exciting start: we just reached the #2 spot on the Billboard Traditional Classical charts! To celebrate, we've created a super dramatic trailer, set to our cover of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android."

Help us out by sharing this video with your friends. Thanks so much for your support, everyone!!

Also, check out our Listen Magazine feature here.

Help us spread the word!

We debuted at #6 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Charts last week! Yay!!

But we know we can do even better. :-) Loyal and wonderful fans, help us spread the word about our new album on the Steinway Label, When Words Fade. Write a review on Arkivmusic.com, Amazon.com, or iTunes -- heck, write a review on *all* of the sites. (Seriously, your favorable reviews on these sites do more good than you realize!) Share a link to the album on Facebook, tweet about your favorite song, gift the CD/DVD combo to friends this holiday season, etc.

Thank you in advance for all your help. And most importantly: enjoy the album!

The Top 10 Reasons to Purchase "When Words Fade"

• TEN | It makes the perfect holiday gift for music listeners of all types—from the classical neophytes to the diehard aficionados.
• NINE | Engineered by Grammy Award-winning Steven Epstein and recorded on two beautiful Steinway concert grands, the sound quality on this Steinway Label release will blow you away.
• EIGHT | Where else can you hear two classical pianists jam to pop songs by Michael Jackson and Coldplay? The dance party is on!
• SEVEN | The packaging features superlative photos, 12 glossy pages of utterly fascinating commentary, and two of the roundest discs we've ever seen!!!! (They make terrific frisbees ... we know, we've tried.)
• SIX | To answer the following question: How on earth will Greg & Liz translate Jacques Brel's inimitable style and picturesque lyrics to the (wordless) piano duo medium?
• FIVE | Help us get on the charts!
• FOUR | Bizet's glorious (but lengthy) opera Carmen has been lovingly fashioned into a "Cliffs Notes" version ... we like to call it our Carmen Thriller.
• THREE | We rock out to Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." Our favorite track.
• TWO | The BONUS DVD! Share our cinematic, demonic, sublime, and smoldering music videos with your friends. Music by Vivaldi, Schubert and more come to life!
• ONE | Embark on an awe-inspiring psychological journey through the depths of the night. This genre-busting, boundary-crossing album features 12 wordless arrangements of songs that speak to the irresistible magic of the night. 

Buy the album on ArkivMusic, amazon.com, or iTunes. Go there. Now. :-) Help us make the charts!

Anderson & Roe on Performance Today!

Hey radio listeners! We recently visited the "Performance Today" studios in St. Paul, MN where we chatted with Fred Child and performed several selections from our upcoming album on the Steinway Label, "When Words Fade." Our conversation with Fred waffled from serious to silly to completely awkward, so it should make for some good radio listening. The shows are set to air on Monday and Tuesday, November 14th and 15th. Be sure to tune in!

The erlking has entered the building (the Steinway Factory, in this case)

And now, we finally present our video of DER ERLKÖNIG:

“Der Erlkönig” tells a harrowing tale of pursuit and possession by an ineluctable force (Death). In creating this video, we wanted to pay tribute not only to the overwhelming intensity of Schubert’s song and Goethe’s text, but also to our unique setting: the historic Steinway Factory in NYC.

Click to read more ...