A Will & Graceful Goodbye

During our days at The Juilliard School we were affectionately referred to as “Will & Grace,” and so we felt compelled to make this short video in honor of the show’s 2017 season premiere. After the series finale last week, it was shocking, utterly delightful, and (to be completely honest) quite poignant to see ourselves featured in the opening credits of the series retrospective, woven into a quilt of loving fan tributes. This show has contributed so much to society and changed countless hearts and minds; we wouldn’t be the people—or duo!—we are today without the trails it blazed. 🔥🔥

Thank you Will, Grace, Jack, and Karen for the laughs and love!! 

P.S. Shout-out to Greg’s parents who fell off their chairs the moment we showed up on their TV screen.
...Thanks for the heads-up! 😅🤯😜

Hallelujah! Our new music video is here ✨

Hallelujah. So much meaning is compounded in this word. From its religious to colloquial uses, it conjures up a litany of emotions: praise, despair, relief, awe. The same could be said for Leonard Cohen’s iconic song by the same name; it is loaded with complexity. “Hallelujah” delves into brokenness, yearning, and atonement, and it questions the point of everything … which is a sentiment we all can relate to during this pandemic.

Cohen, a spiritual seeker throughout his life, once summed up the meaning of his song:

“This world is full of conflicts… of things that cannot be reconciled, but there are moments when we can transcend the dualistic system and reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that's what I mean by ‘Hallelujah.’ …That's the only moment that we live here fully as human beings.”

In surrendering to the turmoil surrounding us, perhaps we might open a pathway to new realms of awakening and revelation. 

Greg and I were inspired by these concepts in creating our composition “Hallelujah Variations.” We began writing the score in the wake of Cohen’s death in November 2016 (incidentally another fraught time in recent history); we inevitably felt the need to channel the range of psychological states in response to loss. Alongside the inspiration of Cohen’s song itself, we also looked to the music of Franz Schubert and Ludwig van Beethoven; their compositional styles were a fitting match for the transcendental message of “Hallelujah.” We found resonance between Schubert’s poetic, intimate piano-duet (and lied) writing and Cohen’s bard-like lyrics and simple melodic lines. As our variations progress toward an exalted climax we incorporate the metaphysical spirit of late Beethoven (the ghost of a certain piano sonata hovers—music lovers, try to spot it).

Our music video explores related themes of spiritual searching and renewal. The shoot took place last September over two days at the epic Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana—one of our favorite performing and filming venues in the world—and we focused on the concept of playing these eight variations amid the full cycle of a day (à la Monet’s legendary Haystacks). We started with a 4:30AM call-time beneath a sky littered with stars, weathered nearly 100-degree heat and shifting winds midday, wrapped post-nightfall, then resumed again the following dawn. Our small but mighty crew—major shout-out to Emily, Adam, Chris, and Brian!—was top-notch and fully immersed in the shoot with us. Greg began editing the film in between our recent tour dates, but as concert cancellations starting rolling in and quarantine restrictions began, the editing process accrued extra degrees of urgency, motivation, and relevancy. The two of us communicated across the country via FaceTime to finalize the edits, and the meaning of the project gained a whole new level of poignancy amid the anxiety and confusion of these times. Working on this film together has given us profound gratitude for the outlet of creativity as well as a revived commitment to share the joy and power of music with others, no matter what shall pass. Full circle, indeed.

So this is our gift to you: a heartfelt meditation on transcending the depths of darkness and suffering. May this music video bring you and yours consolation, hope, and light in the days to come.

-Elizabeth Joy Roe

Bohemian Rhapsody!

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see...

So begins one of the most legendary rock songs of all time: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. This song proved to be an infinitely rich source of inspiration to us as composers, interpreters, and filmmakers. The lyrics powerfully depict the tensions between reality and imagination, as well as the universal desire for escape and revelation—concepts that resonate with us artistically and personally—and the song's brilliant juxtaposition of pathos and parody informed our approach to our two-piano cover and our cinematic reimagining. We also wanted to celebrate the spirit of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury himself, one of the most iconic singers and performers in history; we aimed to infuse our cover and video with over-the-top theatricality in homage to his incendiary rebelliousness, cheekiness, and bravura.

Furthermore, the influence of opera permeates both our cover and music video (after all, the original song is featured on an album entitled A Night at the Opera). Freddie Mercury was highly influenced by classical music and especially passionate about opera, even successfully collaborating with the Spanish prima donna Montserrat Caballé in 1992. This scene from the 2018 Bohemian Rhapsody film further underscores his affection for opera:

(It should be noted that we composed and recorded our cover version of the song long before the film came out, so we were delighted to discover that this scene validated our operatic treatment!) In creating our two-piano arrangement, we wanted to reclaim the classical roots of the song and honor its operatic spirit by appropriating the styles of Wagner, Liszt, and 18th-century opera buffa. Throughout the music video, we take the operatic narrative literally, incorporating postmodern versions of Siegfried and Brunhilde alongside Mozartean aristocrats (playfully garbed in neon wigs). As classical pianists, composers, and filmmakers, we found it satisfying to delve into the song's classical origins and send the love back to Freddie. In turn, we also wanted the chance to rock out ... which we definitely get to do, as you'll see in the video!

Freddie Mercury once said of Queen, "We break a lot of rules. It's unheard of to combine opera with a rock theme, my dear." We intensely relate to this statement—we find ourselves breaking rules and defying the status quo in the name of creative freedom. Our artistic instincts often lead us to mix genres and cross boundaries which may be why we identify so strongly with this song and Queen as a whole. His statement during the movie scene above hits the bullseye, as it applies not only to his band but to artists like us who resist the limits of labels: "No one knows what Queen means because it doesn’t mean one thing.” Word.

Last but not least, we thought it would be super fun to riff on the symbolism of "Queen" throughout this video. Royal or drag, regal or fierce, a figurehead or diva, with or without an actual crown: this music video is a call to us all to embrace the powerful queens within ourselves! 👑

So without further ado, we proudly present our latest music video extravaganza: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.

Danse Macabre: Bacchanal for Two Pianos, Percussion, & Violin

We’re back on Performance Today, and we’re celebrating with a score release!

This past July, we performed our Danse Macabre: Bacchanal for Two Pianos, Percussion, & Violin at the Grand Teton Music Festival. The resident “Death” in the ensemble was performed by violinist Lydia Umloaf (successfully managing seven lightning-fast violin changes), while Richard Brown and John Kinzie tackled a whopping 18 percussion instruments. We stuck to our usual 88x2 keys. Performance Today will air a recording of our performance on their October 31 show — perfect for Halloween! 🎃

In composing this wild ensemble work, we were inspired by Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and hints of Bartok’s token “night music,” funkified rhythms, and folksy mayhem can be found throughout. After two super-successful performances (the Tetons and San Francisco Symphony), we’ve prepped and fine-tuned the score and parts, and we’re excited to share the finished product with you. While it’s on the pricier side, the .zip file comes complete with PDFs copies of the full score as well as parts for the percussionists, pianists, and solo violinist. (Don’t forget to use the coupon code “25percent” to save 25% on orders of $50 or more.) We can’t wait to hear your bacchanalian performances!

Interview with Verina Chen

While on tour in North Carolina earlier this month, we caught up with pianist Verina Chen for a short interview. Verina is writing her dissertation on YouTube’s uses in performance and private teaching to fulfill her DMA in piano performance at the University of Utah. In short, she’s amazing. Check it out!