Heart's Distance

The pandemic has caused disruption of some sort in everyone’s life. Throughout the summer months, we’ve worked around the clock to put together an ambitious two-day Virtual Extravaganza—streaming live this weekend!—in partnership with Portland Piano International as our response to the current state of the performing arts industry and society at large.

One of the biggest artistic challenges of quarantined existence has been virtual collaborative performance. We’ve encountered substantial obstacles in attempting to recreate the synchronization of an in-person performance; alas, we are isolated across the country from each other.

Latency caused by transmitting audio over the internet can get in the way of achieving coordination in real-time. There are two causes to latency — the time it takes computers to process the audio data and the time it takes data to travel from the source to its destination. There are premium hardware and software-based solutions that can nearly eliminate the processing time, powering nearly real-time performance and recording between musicians located near one another (approximately 70 miles apart or less). But no matter the speed of our equipment or software, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (thank you Einstein).

For us situated nearly 3,000 miles apart, this results in a 13-16 millisecond delay, which is not a satisfactory solution that would enable a live performance meeting our standards of synchronization. Not to mention, our bodies feel sound, and our timing in music hinges on that feeling. There are so many factors at play when we perform live together and any degree of latency is viscerally tricky to overcome.

So alas, we’re stuck with network traffic and trying to balance fluctuations from multiple locations with varied latencies. Even with the fastest available internet connections, sophisticated equipment, the support of Portland Piano International’s excellent resources, and a listener’s potential tolerance for the inevitable delays, we have been inspired to seek new creative solutions for this issue, all of which will be on display during this weekend’s performances!

Filming and recording at lightning speed, rapid costume changes, and editing on the floor. The show must go on!

We’ve captured the essence of a live Anderson & Roe concert experience by creating a virtual festival that’s chock full of interactivity, variety, and personalization. Everyone involved in this project was suddenly reinvigorated when we were instantly able to feel that heart-to-heart connection during our virtual rehearsal last week. We’ll be sure to share lots of behind-the-scenes details in today’s #TwoPianoTuesday chat on Facebook Live (6PM Eastern).

After months of hard work, we are extremely excited to share these unique, interactive events with you! Purchase your ticket for our two-day concert experience now. Join us on August 15 & 16 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT for the magic of live concerts, with all the spontaneity, risk, and connection we cherish. On the docket:

• The world premieres of five new Anderson & Roe arrangements

• Nearly a dozen brand-new music videos

• Live performances of solo and duo piano music

• A live appearance by the winner of our Maple Leaf Rag youth competition (featured in our playful three-piano music video)

• Gerd Kühr's Corona Meditation performed by over 30 pianists from Portland & beyond

• Piano miniatures of Satie narrated live by Portland-based luminaries

• The opportunity to title our as-of-yet unnamed composition for multiple pianos based on Balakirev's Islamey

• Our mashup up of Rach 2 and "All By Myself"

• Trivia competitions

• Curated commentary

Each ticket grants access to both performances—use the discount code “lizandgreg2020” for 20% off.

Our mission to make classical music a powerful and relevant force in our society is as important as ever. We could not do this work without the love and support from our inspirational families, friends, and fans. We appreciate all of you beyond words and cannot wait to connect with you in person again. Until then, we’ll connect as closely as the speed of light and the physical distance will allow.

See you this weekend! 💗

“Programming.” 🎹🖌

Portland Piano Virtual Extravaganza!

Back in March, right before the world turned upside down, we were eagerly looking forward to performing in Portland (one of our favorite cities!). The concerts were postponed, as were the remainder of our 2020 live events, and we found ourselves isolated apart, mulling over how we could best continue our mission to make classical music a relevant and powerful force in society. Since the lockdown began, we edited and released new music videos that speak to our time (including our Hallelujah Variations), appeared on various virtual panels, and connected with our fans via our weekly Facebook Live show #TwoPianoTuesdays (Tuesdays at 6pm EDT).

But when Portland Piano International asked us to present two virtual performances this August, we took a deep breath and wondered whether such a thing were possible or even worthwhile, especially when we already have dozens of previously prepared music videos that audiences can watch on their own time. We asked ourselves, “How can we recreate everything we love about live performance, but in a virtual world?” It wouldn’t be worth the trouble without a strong sense of community, the thrill of risk taking, and a profound connection with humanity.

We faced further challenges knowing the two of us couldn’t perform together in person. Typically we’re at each other’s side during our jam-packed touring careers, though we *technically* reside on opposite coasts. Now with changing travel/lockdown situations and Greg's regular exposure to the virus (his husband is an ER doctor working hard on the frontlines), we decided it would be safest to isolate in our respective homes over 2,500 miles apart.

Nevertheless, Portland Piano’s proposal kicked our creativity and inspiration into high gear, and our brainstorming sessions were flooded with exciting new ideas! We’ve spent the past several weeks devising, organizing, and preparing, and we’re finally ready to announce our Virtual Piano Extravaganza, set for August 15 & 16.

We are resolved to make these virtual events feel impactful and relevant to our times, surprising, highly interactive, and lovingly tailored to the city of Portland. Our goal is to capture the in-the-moment essence of live performance and provide a valuable opportunity for music-lovers, both locally and around the world, to connect with each other and the joy of piano music. Featuring multiple world premieres of new compositions and music videos, each concert will invite key participation from members of the Portland Piano community and our global fanbase.

We’ve planned question & answer sessions, trivia competitions (with prizes!), and curated commentary in addition to nearly a dozen new music videos, five new Anderson & Roe arrangements, and live performances of solo and duo music. Look forward to a cosmic performance of Gerd Kühr’s “Corona Meditation” featuring dozens of local Portland pianists, our new multi-piano fantasy based on Balakirev’s Islamey (you can help us pick the title!), the winner of our youth competition featured in a wild and funky three-piano music video, piano works of Satie’s narrated by Portland thespians and luminaries, debriefs with Performance Today’s Fred Child, and much more.

But these events need YOU! See how you can participate in the festivities and learn more about the programs here. It’ll be a classical piano experience like you’ve never seen before. We can’t wait to see you there!

UPDATE: Use our discount code “lizandgreg2020” for 20% off your tickets. 🤩🎹🎉

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!

Kennedy Center: Before and After

Before our recent Kennedy Center debut, we sat down for an in-depth interview with David Rohde for DC Metro Theater Arts. His excellent article is worth a read.

For the performance itself, we juxtaposed the scandalous with the sublime. We began with three over-the-top fantasies based on operas by Mozart, Bizet, and Adés; each provided a snapshot of the corruption, power dynamics, and sexual abuse we still find in our world today. The second half featured transcendent music by John Adams and the Beatles, as well our new Hallelujah Variations... in a way, it was our personal (and frustrated) response to the political landscape of our times.

After the recital, we were thrilled to receive a fantastic review in the Washington Post!

“While each is a virtuosic powerhouse pianist in his and her own right, what sets the pair apart is an ability to make emotional and spiritual connections with their audiences.”

— Washington Post

Up next: we're giving the world premiere of our Carmen Fantasy for Two Pianos and Orchestra with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, in addition to performances of Poulenc's Double Concerto. After that, a fun salon-style cocktail concert and performances of Mozart's Double Concerto with the Missoula Symphony. And finally we're off to New Zealand for a 10-city tour.

UK Premiere of Thomas Adès' "Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face"

This week we're performing a recital on the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's Close Up concert series, featuring the complete Rite of Spring and a special all-British music set, including Thomas Adès' Powder Her Face concert paraphrase and our arrangements of Arne's The Morning and the Beatles' "Let It Be" (a loving, gospel-gone-wild homage to the band's provenance). 

We're particularly excited to present the UK premiere of Thomas Adès latest work for piano (in this case, two pianos!) — it's a potent, kaleidoscopic, and topical addition to the repertoire.

On Thursday, we'll join forces with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Maestro Christian Lindberg in Francis Poulenc's Double Concerto.