Who would have guessed our combination of cocktails and classical music would land us a cover with Metallica? 😮🤘🍸 Check out our full interview and Musical Mixology recipe on the Chilled Magazine website. Cheers!
Our latest music video features our take on Brahms’ beloved lullaby, “Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4” (from our album “Mother”), inspired by the hypnotic oscillations of a crib mobile. Some of our earliest musical memories were of our mothers singing the tune, and we’ve lovingly crafted this short film in their honor while aiming to capture the shift between wakefulness and dreamland.
We filmed the macro footage of the crystals ourselves, though it was more challenging than expected given the precision required by macro photography. We spent hours keeping the crystals fingerprint-free, spinning consistently without excessive sway, and free of unwanted reflections. We’re adding “crystal wranglers” to our resumes.
We shot most of the macro hand footage at the Tippet Rise Art Center with the fantastic Emily Rund. Like the crystals, there was little room for error. Emily was great at picking up the choreography of our hands and nailing the camera’s focus… which wasn’t easy given that all six of our hands—and a camera!—were situated in one spot. (Only a few mild bruises here and there… 😅)
In the end, we got just the shots we were after and added a few new skills to our video-making repertoire.
Want to play along? Pick up our arrangement of “Lullaby,” on sale now until Mother’s Day.
We’re commemorating the dedication Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in true A&R fashion: with a cocktail (and score)! On March 24, 1721 Bach gave us six concertos that would become benchmarks of Baroque music. On March 24, 2019 we’re returning the favor with a delicious Black Forest twist on a classic Manhattan.
The Brandenburg is a hearty and festive triumvirate of cherry, chocolate, and bourbon inspired by German Black Forest cake and Doppelbock beers, as well as Bach’s penchant for all things “three.”
Velvety, bittersweet crème de cacao and Kirshwasser (a cherry brandy from Germany’s Black Forest region) were selected to add subtle chocolate and cherry undertones to the sweet, oaky bourbon base. These three spirits combine to create a cocktail delightfully reminiscent of a Black Forest cake, without entering into dessert cocktail territory. Like a rich and weighty German Doppelbock, the Brandenburg’s sweetness is perfectly balanced by a touch of bitterness, provided here by the chocolate and cherry liqueurs, resulting in a joyous and robust blend of flavors.
Chocolate bitters were added to entice the nose, hinting at vanilla and cinnamon, and a dash of Cherry Heering for an extra pop of sweet cherry flavor. A brandied cherry garnish was the perfect finishing touch to harken back to the classic Manhattan cocktail and complete another Bachian set of three.
The Brandenburg is a simple, everyday cocktail that (much like the music of Bach) is timeless, sophisticated, and spirit forward.
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients:
2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce crème de cacao
1/2 ounce Kirschwasser
1/4 ounce Cherry Heering
1 dash chocolate bitters
1 brandied cherry garnish
Instructions:
Stir ingredients with ice until well chilled, strain into a small coupe glass, and enjoy while listening to one of the joyous and hearty Brandenburg concertos!
Note: much of the drink’s sweetness comes from the Cherry Heering. Tread cautiously if you happen to be sweet-adverse; you can always add more after testing.
Our latest arrangement, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, is available now!
After learning and recording Max Reger's 1905 arrangement, we were inspired to create a more readable, pianistic four-hand version of the piece. When it came to writing for piano duet, Reger, like a lot of composers, seemed to draw a line down the middle of the keyboard: “Primo, you play everything above this note; secondo, you play everything below.” It’s a nice theory, but in practice it creates some nearly unresolvable difficulties for the pianists. Take, for instance, the following passage in which Reger challenges the primo pianist with some devilishly dense passagework. In our version, we reworked the material to better distribute the material; in some cases we omitted non-essential accompaniments. In our version, the pianists cross hands at times, but this results in something both more playable and more representative of the original instrumentation.
In our new arrangment, we also included the “improvisational” second movement we composed for our recording of Reger’s arrangement.
The Brandenburg Concertos were originally dedicated to a German nobleman in an attempt to land the court composer gig in Brandenburg. In Bach's dedication (dated March 24, 1721) he noted the Margrave’s interest in “the little talents which Heaven has given me for Music.” Despite Bach’s undeniable talent (and adorable modesty) the nobleman never responded. Yes— even brilliant composers like Bach get left on “Read.” 😆 The pieces (eventually sold for about $20) sat on a library shelf for over a century, but have since become one of Bach’s best known works.
Enjoy!
Pro tip: start hitting the gym now to build up your forearms for that last movement. #ouch #feeltheburn 💪
Hot on the heels of Oblivion, we’re back with another new music video. In contrast to the dark and sultry tango, enjoy the sweet simplicity of “What a Wonderful World.”
No tricks or fancy editing in this video. Our intention from the outset was to highlight the natural beauty of the film’s two BIG stars: the “Beartooth Portal” at the Tippet Rise Art Center and our piano/four-hand arrangement of Louis Armstrong’s classic song.
“What a Wonderful World” is sweetly tender and full of wonder, and its opening melody is famously is based on another classic song… you guessed it: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” As a nod to the flowers described in the song's lyrics, our arrangement includes brief allusions to "Lilacs" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
From the charming chirping of the native birds to the striking landscape and impressive skies, we knew instantly that the Tippet Rise mountainside was the perfect location to film a video proclaiming the wonders of the world. We adore the juxtaposition of the man-made elements (Ensamble Studio’s stunning, sky-high sculpture; a sleek Steinway Model D; and Liz’s outrageous gown 😍) against Montana’s rugged, rolling hills. To top it off, the sun arrived on set as if on cue, adding yet another dramatic, natural element.
Lose yourself in the timeless beauty of “What a Wonderful World,” and enjoy a few behind-the-scenes pics below.
Coupon codes: enter 15percent to save 15% on score orders of $30 or more and 25percent to save 25% on orders of $50 or more.
