Fall review round-up 🍂

...Time for another media round-up! We've scoured the news for highlights of our year so far.

Fake news? Real news? The Arts Saginaw has clearly taken a stand to deliver just the facts. 😉

“Oh my God, people. Flying hands around each other, across each other, next to each other… Flamboyant, humorous, [Anderson & Roe’s] hands pounding the keyboard. The audience cheered like it was at a football game.”

— Arts Saginaw

More quality examples of media you can trust:

Korea Herald:

Partnership does not do justice in describing the electrifying performance by the Anderson & Roe piano duo. [Anderson & Roe] showed the magic that can happen when two musicians perform with one soul. 

The Washington Post:

…Sheer power; two voices speaking as one.

The Rochester City Newspaper:

These classical rock stars are charismatic, fun, sexy and wildly talented. 

RP Online:

The crossover elements in Anderson & Roe’s performance were no publicity stunts, but rather a living and profound exploration of the duo’s musical mission. They reveled in the pleasure of music making and showcased their pianistic skill through their powerful arrangements; these adaptations went beyond merely imitating by provoking altogether new colors, tensions, and thrills.

Good News Liverpool:

SUPERSTAR piano duo [Anderson & Roe] practically blew the roof off the Liverpool Phil’s Music Room… tremendously charismatic and insanely talented… a triumphant Liverpool debut!

Ventura County Star:

These jaw-dropping virtuosos create a sound on two pianos like you’ve never heard before.

The Korea Times:

...Volcanic!

Shenandoah Magazine:

Electrifying!

Monterey Weekly:

Electrifying would be too small a word to describe the duo. [Anderson & Roe play] in a musical environment of severe risk-taking and wide open experimentation.

Peninsula Reviews:

Duo playing of genius... impeccable! I was on my way to heaven well before the end.

Monterey County Weekly:

By now, we...are crushing pretty hard on these two. [Anderson & Roe] don’t have to prove their mastery of classical form or their creative chops; we’re putty in their hands.

WQXR:

A revelation! Pioneers in the...world of the classical music video... [Anderson & Roe were] one of the first signs that classical music was heading in a completely new and exciting direction.

Flying Ink Pot:

If the music got any more erotic, this would be the first classical music concert in Singapore to receive an ‘NC16’-rating!

The Pine Log:

Arguably the most famous piano duo in the world right now!

Will & Grace!!

During our days at The Juilliard School, we were affectionately referred to as Will & Grace 👫 ...now we're living out our destiny—and goofing off!—as we anticipate next week's season premiere. ;-)

Musical Mixology: The Rite of Spring

You must be parched! It’s been unbearably long since my last Musical Mixology post, but the wait is over. To quench your thirst and celebrate the DVD release of "The Rite of Spring: A Musical Odyssey," I’ve finally crafted not one, but two “Rite of Spring” cocktails recipes. With our film production still fresh in mind, and May 29th being the 104-year anniversary of The Rite of Spring’s premiere, now seemed the perfect time to reflect on Stravinsky’s masterwork and allow its lessons of risk and sacrifice inspire equally daring mixology concoctions.

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring will push any listener’s body and spirit to the brink, and as a performer/film producer, the piece is a real kick in the ass. As such, I aimed to craft a cocktail that could embody the visceral, raw power of the music… a drink that could approximate the incendiary rush of creation. Behold:

THE RITE OF SPRING COCKTAIL 1

Ingredients:

• LOTS of VODKA

Instructions:

• Pair with a performance of Stravinsky’ Rite of Spring. 
• Take one shot before music commences.
• Down a second shot immediately before “The Sacrificial Dance.”
• Repeat as necessary.
• 😬

For the more adventurous bartender, we have a more sophisticated, earthy brew inspired by the “Rite’s” climactic centerpiece, “The Dancing Out of the Earth.” The cocktail aspires to represent the explosion of springtime… a swirling dance of delirium, harmony, and ecstasy. Rye is the base, chosen for its dryness and hint of spice that pairs nicely with the woodiness of Birkir snaps, an Icelandic birch liqueur made by Foss Distillery. St-Germain adds spring florals and calls to mind the “Rite’s" Parisian premiere. Most significantly, the cocktail is rounded out with a charred tarragon leaf, imparting an herbal smokiness to the drink… and hinting at the flames to come. 
 

THE RITE OF SPRING COCKTAIL 2

(based on a recipe by Matthew Itkin)

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces rye whiskey
• 1 ounce Birkir snaps
• 1/2 ounce St-Germain liqueur
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 tarragon leaf

Instructions:
Pour first four ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir. Strain into a coup glass. Using tongs, char a tarragon leaf over a flame and float over the cocktail as a fragrant garnish.
 

Watch our DVD "The Rite of Spring: A Musical Odyssey” with one of these cocktails in hand to quench your thirst and delight—or overwhelm!—your senses.

- Greg

A&R: 2017 Cliburn Competition Webcast Hosts

After a busy touring season (75+ performances worldwide, including appearances with the San Francisco Symphony and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic!), we’re shifting gears to host the official live webcast of the upcoming 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Join us online (and at movie theaters—see below!) May 25 – June 10 as we guide viewers through over 110 hours of live performances, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. The webcasts, broadcast by medici.tv, will be available both live and on demand for free to viewers around the world at Cliburn.org and for the first time ever, you can experience the final round performances (hosted by yours truly!) at over 300 movie theaters nationwide on Saturday, June 10. To find a participating theater near you, click here.

(And don't worry; we'll do our best to bring our Tara Lipinski & Johnny Weir charm to the proceedings. 😉 )

Lose Yourself to Dance!

Lights, skates, cameras, action! It's been a while in the making (due to our nonstop touring schedule!) but our latest music video is finally here—our two-piano cover of Daft Punk's "Lose Yourself to Dance," filmed at the Moonlight Rollerway in Los Angeles:

We managed to get two Steinway concert grands into this famed roller rink (featured in a plethora of TV shows, movies, and music videos), the ideal venue for Daft Punk's discotastic track. Joined by our wonderful co-director, producer and cinematographer, Victoria Sendra (with whom we collaborated on our recent "Mambo" and "Shake It Off" music videos), and her assistant Christopher Ruiz, we made the most of our brief shoot on and off the pianos (needless to say, our musical coordination as a duo doesn't translate so seamlessly to roller skating ... we may have taken a few spills during filming!). In the end, we envisioned a video that visually reflects the kaleidoscopic, hypnotic groove of the music, and we hope it inspires you to lose yourself in the best way possible.

Magic in the discolights...