Auld Lang

With New Year's fast approaching (and possibly a new music video!), I thought I'd post my favorite champagne cocktail of all time: the Auld Lang. (I also happen to really love the song.) Make it to ring in the New Year or simply to celebrate an awesome night with friends. I found the recipe in the New York Times a few years back, instantly fell in love with it, and then promptly destroyed my budget. You'll note that I found a way to adapt: I also listed my revised economy version.

ingredients

• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounce St. Germain
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 3/4 ounce rosemary-infused simple syrup (see below)
• 2 ounces dry sparkling wine
• Rosemary sprig for garnish

Shake the Aperol, St. Germain, lime juice, and rosemary-infused simple syrup with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a sprig or rosemary. Awesomeness.

economy version ingredients ;-)

• 3/4 ounce Aperol (required!)
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 1 ounces (add a few drops more if you like things sweet) rosemary-infused Saft Fläder Elderflower Syrup from Ikea (see below)
• 2 ounces dry sparkling wine or club soda
• Rosemary sprig for garnish

Shake the Aperol, lime juice, and rosemary-infused Saft Fläder Elderflower Syrup with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine or club soda and garnish with a sprig or rosemary. The Ikea syrup is an amazing substitute for St. Germain, though it is sweeter and not *quite* as sophisticated.

rosemary infused syrup recipes

To make the rosemary simple syrup: combine 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 10 sprigs of rosemary (chopped) to a small saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool, filter out the rosemary (and toss), and refridgerate the syrup.

To make the rosemary-infused Saft Fläder Elderflower Syrup: combine 1 cup of Saft Fläder Elderflower Syrup and 10 springs of rosemary (chopped) to a small saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool, filter out the rosemary (and toss), and refridgerate the syrup.

Note: Use fresh rosemary. Dried rosemary does not work well for this--it makes a bitter, nasty syrup!

Latest crop of reviews

Here's the latest crop of reviews regarding our latest album "When Words Fade" and our release performance at Galapagos Arts Space in NYC.

Backtrack:

Believe all the hype: Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe—more famously called Anderson and Roe—are electric. At Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, this piano duo did more than celebrate the launch of their new album; they fashioned an entirely new concert experience.

The Glass:

They are already powerful pianists that become super-charged in each other’s presence, and proceed to give very thoughtful and colorful performances with a passion that separates them from populists.

The Big City Blog:

The Rach­mani­noff was spe­cial, not swoon­ing but with a dry strength, and the exquis­ite cadenza brought them deserved “bravos.” Behind their flair, they are at their best in qui­eter music, pieces that reveal the fine qual­ity of their musi­cian­ship. ...an enthralling per­for­mance of Schumann’s “Mond­nacht,” which I wished would never end.

The Juilliard Journal:

Arresting... fierce... glittering.. affecting... electrifying. Listening to the sweet strains of “Mathilde, Marieke, et Madeleine,” based on songs by Jacques Brel and Gérard Jouannest, feels like slipping into a smoky Parisian cabaret. 

Time Out New York:

A decidedly broad-minded young piano duo.

Indy Nightclub Concert Review

Photo: KC Goshert PhotographyOur performance at a Indianapolis' Talbott Street nightclub was a blast. We loved the lighting effects, we were thrilled to collaborate with Indy's "Dance Kaleidescope," and we were inspired by our setting -- our song and dance repertoire took on a whole new meaning when performed on a dance floor!

Click here for a review of the concert in NUVO Newsweekly. 

Photo: John BehringerTheir extraordinarily visual and visceral playing expands the concept of "sit and listen to a standard" repertoire.

Anderson and Roe not only have engaging personalities, they engage the audience with...new arrangements of old works "re-imagined" to be in-the-moment creative collaborations between composer and performer. They practically chewed up the Steinway grands...

Playin' Outdoors

We're excited to celebrate the summer in high style at the Huntington Summer Arts Festival. This Friday evening. FREE admission!

This promises to be a super fun and festive evening, and notably, the concert is outdoors (in Heckscher Park in Huntington, NY). We've never played a live duo concert without the predictable accousitcal space of a concert hall at our disposal, and we're admittedly a little nervous -- and excited -- about the affair. Will the audience talk through the whole event? Will the amplification hold up? Will the birds drown us out? Concerns aside, there's a certain celebratory feel to the whole event that is undeniably alluring. We're doing away with our usual controlled atmosphere and entering a world of spontaneity. We're making music in nature -- a source of so much inspiration and wonder. (And if the weather forcast holds out, we're all in for a beautiful sunset.) Whatever happens, we assure you that the music making will be fresh and alive!

Bring your family and friends! We're hoping for a large, cheering crowd to add to the joviality and unpredictability of the occassion.

And guess what? We'll be playing on two pianos: a traditional Steinway Concert D piano and one of the new white John Lennon Limited Edition Steinway Concert D pianos. What fun! "Imagine," anyone?

Carmen alfresco

Carmen. The very name immediately conjures up the irresistible melodies of Bizet’s beloved opera as well as the dramatic story of its tempestuous heroine. For our latest video, we found the perfect venue: the historic Asolo Theater, a bona fide 18^th century jewel of a theater located in Sarasota’s Ringling Museum. We wanted this video to have a cinematic feel to reflect the epic drama of the opera. So in addition to live performance footage from our two recitals in the Artist Series of Sarasota, we incorporated a variety of scenarios, outfits, and locales into the production.  Besides the elaborate Asolo Theater, we filmed in the breathtaking hills of Lafayette, California. What made this place particularly special was its personal meaning to Greg, as he got married there just two days prior to our shoot. (Speaking of which, the wedding ceremony was an absolutely beautiful, joyous occasion!)

Our alfresco video shoot took place on a picture-perfect, cloudless summer afternoon in early August. We pushed two upright pianos onto the patio of the house, and a handful of our friends and Greg’s parents joined us, just leisurely lounging in the background as Greg and I tore through the piece. The highlight of the shoot was the spectacular sunset at dusk, which we fortunately caught on film.  The sun made its descent into the vast horizon just as we finished playing through the piece -- perfect timing!

As for the Fantasy itself, it is a kaleidoscopic mishmash of our favorite themes from the opera. With this composition, we aimed to push the virtuosic possibilities of two pianos to the hilt. We hope you enjoy our theatrical transcription, performance, and video of Carmen.