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.

Piano Day 2018

Happy Piano Day 2018! 🎹🎹On this 88th day of the year, we're partnering with Decca Classics and Steinway & Sons to celebrate:

Happy Piano Day! Here's a little four-hand Libertango action on the 88 keys to celebrate the 88th day of the year. Conrad Tao, Inon Barnatan, and Igudesman & Joo: we challenge you to post a live...

Anderson & Roe Piano Duo are taking part in this years #PianoDayChallenge. Join them, as well as pianists across the world, by submitting your own video playing piano video this Thursday.

Will you be taking part in this years #PianoDayChallenge?

Happy Piano-ing, everyone!

Making-of: MAMBO on a Spirio

We are thrilled to present our newest music video:

Filmed last October on location throughout New York City, this was one of the most high-octane shoots we've ever undertaken. In devising the concept, we wanted to accentuate the mind-boggling aspects of Steinway's new Spirio* instrument while paying homage to the Big Apple: the provenance of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, Steinway & Sons, and our duo itself. (Incidentally our alma mater Juilliard now stands at the very locale of Bernstein's beloved, brilliant musical.)

In the history of our music videos, the scope of this project was unprecedented in terms of its location-per-duration ratio. (In two short minutes, we basically traverse Gotham!) When Greg and I originally conceived the concept of the video, we imagined the Spirio working its magic in various iconic NYC sites; in order to bring this vision to life, we had to jump through a variety of daunting logistical hoops (while trying to focus on our "day job," i.e. concerts), such as crisscrossing the city during the scouting process, applying for permits and insurance, anxiously awaiting approval of these applications, then anxiously checking the hourly weather forecast as the shoot approached ("What's the precipitation percentage??"), and finally schlepping one of the rare Spirios in existence from borough to borough. Such feats were made possible by our excellent producer, Victoria Sendra (who also collaborated with us on our Taylor Swift video, which we shot later that weekend) and our supportive colleagues at Steinway. Normally our filming operations are super small—just Greg and me with one or two people helping out—but this time, we utilized a talented and enthusiastic (yet still relatively condensed) film crew. When the first day of filming finally arrived, it was a butterflies-in-stomach sensation to arrive at Washington Square Park just after sunrise and take in the sight of the Steinway piano, grand and gleaming, between the famed arch and fountain. Amid the intensity of the day's schedule, I made sure to soak in the scene as well the excitement of the crowd that spontaneously gathered around us. (Shout-out to the NYU students, sightseers, and urbanites hanging out at the park that day!)

Some standout memories of Day 1:
-Teaching our extras to shout "MAMBO!" on cue and urging them to jive to the music
-Cutting my finger on the inside of the piano during our "percussion" shenanigans #bloodonthekeys
-Getting photographed by celebrity photographer Christopher Peterson and appearing on his Instagram feed immediately after we wrapped our park footage (let's just say I was tickled to be featured among the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alexa Chung, and Naomi Watts):

-Eating lunch with the crew on the park grounds, dazed and trying to process the epic madness that had just unfolded!
-Right after lunch, piling into a cab to a street corner in trendy Greenpoint and watching the movers unload the Spirio in front of a graffiti-laden backdrop (with the Manhattan skyline majestically in view from another angle)
-Jamming with our friend, Juilliard violist Drew Alexander Forde, for the Brooklyn scenes:

-Finding random folks on the street to join our shoot, including the guys who supported our "busking" efforts and a mother riding on a tandem bicycle with her adorable kids (we love the gung-ho spirit of New Yorkers!)

Day 2 of the shoot took place at the Steinway Factory in Astoria (also the mise en scène for our spooky music video of Schubert's Der Erlkönig). This time we filmed in a cavernous woodshed on site, which was impressively lit by John Frisbie. We chose this location as a direct reference to the birthplace of the American Steinway instruments, but also for its raw, urban quality (a nod to the ghetto of West Side Story). We juxtaposed the grit of the environment with glamorous outfits and lighting for a cinematic feel.

Waiting between takes ... behind the scenes at the Steinway Factory in Astoria, NY

In the end, this video celebrates bold innovation, joyous collaboration, and NYC's inimitable spirit. We give our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who brought their invaluable energy, skill, and passion to this project, and we thank YOU for watching! EJR (+ GA)

*Here is a video of us speaking about the Spirio, filmed last year after our very first encounter with this unique, state-of-the-art instrument: