Behold, our pandemic-era magnum opus! After a year-and-a-half of separation, we have our final made-in-isolation video to share, created entirely in our homes while separated by 3,000 miles. This kaleidoscopic fantasy rocked our socks on every level—as pianists, composers, and filmmakers—as we attempted to honor the spirit of Mily Balakirev’s pianistic Everest. Let the piano battle begin…
P.S. Today marks our 19th duo-versary!
Happy birthday to one of our favorite composers of all time, Johannes Brahms! His music probes the depths of the human experience, and this has never felt truer to us than during the 2020 pandemic. We present our latest music video, filmed last year over 3,000 miles apart: the fiendish and electrifying Scherzo from his Sonata for Two Pianos (also known as the F minor Piano Quintet).
In celebrations of Bach’s birthday this year, we created three(!) new music videos to share.
Up first: a music video we created to showcase Bach’s awe-inspiring contrapuntal wizardry—essentially Bach at his nerdiest. These five canons are based on the baseline of the Goldberg Variations and feature single lines of music that when flipped, stretched, squished, and staggered create musical marvels.
Second: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (“God’s time is the very best time”) BWV 106, a sacred cantata composed by Bach. Twentieth-century composer György Kurtág created this simple yet poignant duet transcription to perform with his wife, Márta. Significantly, the primo part is performed nearly entirely with overlapping arms, creating a visual representation of the cross. May this soulful music serve as a source of contemplation, healing, and hope.
And finally, here’s something we would never have thought to film were we not isolating 3,000 miles apart during the pandemic: the “Allegro” from Bach's Concerto for Four Keyboards, based on music by Vivaldi. (As arrangers ourselves, we bow down to Bach’s mastery as the ultimate arranger!)
On March 11, 2021, we teamed up with Tonebase for an in-depth, all-things-duo-piano conversation with From the Top host and our pal Peter Dugan. Complete with music video excerpts, wacky anecdotes, and compositional insights.
To wrap up this challenging year, we present a new music video that captures 2020's states of loneliness, heartache, and longing: ALL BY MYSELF, a mash-up of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto and Eric Carmen's song "All By Myself" (famously covered by powerhouse pop diva Celine Dion in the 1990s).
All by myself / Don’t wanna be / All by myself / Anymore ...
In isolation and separated from each other by nearly 3,000 miles, we couldn’t have said it better! We hope our mash-up resonates with you during this age of anxiety. Beyond the obvious relevance of the title and lyrics, the recognizable nature of this song coupled with the sweeping romanticism of Rachmaninoff’s textures feed our craving for comfort and connection. Please feel free to sing along with our performance; music like this invites a much-needed collective catharsis, and we hope it carries you forward into the new year with a resurgence of hope.
(Keep an eye out for our dream venue Carnegie Hall. ✨😉)
#peaceout2020
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