The Washington Post reviewed our recent recital at the National Gallery, and we're fond of the headline: "Ambitious piano duo shows that 'entertainment' doesn't equate to selling out." Highlights:
“Anderson and Roe are the very model of complete 21st-century musicians. They fuse classical and pop music into a blend of high artistry and skillful entertainment... That they are crack pianists goes without saying.
A sweet and jewel-like performance … ferocious, thundering… ”
We're blushing! This also reminds us that it just might be time for another media round-up:
[Anderson & Roe are] rock stars in the classical musical world.
Electrifying! The thunder of twin Steinway grand pianos and the pianists’ furious energy, at its peak, had the giddying exhilaration of… setting a calliope on fire and pushing it down a hill.
The pieces with the orchestra revealed the pianists’ talent for deconstructing and reassembling orchestral scores for piano and a sharp ear for playing together, keeping musical complexity and thick arrangements from turning into undifferentiated musical mud.
A riot of ivories!
Fleet-fingered… frisky iconoclasm.
Anderson and Roe are the gold standard among today’s piano duos. The duo dazzled…
Pianists Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe function like a complex machine, fusing two musical minds into one. The nimbleness with which Poulenc's sparkling lines passed between them was a wonder to behold.
Spectacular! One of the Phil’s most enjoyable guest artist appearances in recent memory.
San Francisco Classical Voice:
In Anderson-Roe’s realm, the choreography alternates between demure, savage; sexual.
The performance was remarkable in more than one way: Not only did the artists display superb musicianship throughout the program, but also the program itself was full of surprises. Anderson and Roe performed with the electricity and abandon that have become a hallmark of their career. The stark contrasts of dynamics and textures were masterfully rendered.
The artistry of Anderson and Roe is exemplary. Their playing was riveting. Toes were tapping all around me; it’s so easy to get caught up in their beautiful and sensitive interpretation.
In this committed unveiling, [Brahms’ Double Concerto arranged by Anderson & Roe for two pianos and orchestra] came across as an effective concert work, a useful addition to the regrettably small repertoire of concertos for two pianos and orchestra.
Risk-taking … dangerous!