Review – Flights of Fantasy Piano Concert

Anderson & Roe might sound like old farts playing boring classical music on a piano.

We’re afraid not. Anderson & Roe are in fact Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe, a dynamic pair of young pianists known for their 4-hand piano technique. The pair is known for their original compositions and notorious music videos on YouTube, and UrbanWire concurred after watching their recent Flights of Fantasy concert in Singapore.

From changing spotlight colors to their entertaining descriptions of each piece, the entire gig was marked with virtuosity and youthful energy. At one point, a bluish-green spotlight was shone to reflect the serenity of a swan gliding across a lake during “The Swan”, while a fiery-red color depicted the intensity of their finger movements during “Flight of the Bumblebee”. Sensual pink played up the seductive spirit of “Carmen Fantasy”.

The atmosphere in the concert hall intensified when Anderson & Roe gamely introduced Radiohead’s rock song “Paranoid Android”. Roe explained, “My favorite part is when we get to the end, the pleading from the cleansing of his soul is so dramatic and beautiful.”

Anderson & Roe showed the audience they are truly masters of their trade when they conveyed the emotions of the hit rock song and translated the intensity of electric guitars and drums equally on the exquisite piano.

Even if you’re not a Mozart enthusiast, you would still be moved every time their fingers landed on the piano keys, especially when they started off with a boom in “Ragtime Alla Turca”, a rendition of Mozart’s “Turkish March”. The flawless synchronization and stylish execution wowed the audience and earned a standing ovation just before intermission.

There was a significant number of younger kids in the audience that night, and even they were leaning forward attentively when the duo commenced “Animal Suite”, introducing pieces inspired by the animal kingdom. As they played on the piano imitating a swarm of bumblebees, their animated and vibrant gestures made it seem as though there really were bumblebees buzzing above their pianos as well.

Just like the tantalizing grand finale “Carmen Fantasy”, their own expression of this classical opera piece seduced the audience into the backstory of the gypsy woman Carmen, and we could feel the piece’s poignancy and irresistible wit in each delightful bounce of their fingers. The slow, sensuous mix of both pianos at times depicted their complementing musical articulations and impeccable control of their instruments.

We love how the duo was never stiff or mannered. They were always at ease and they affected their listeners with their radiance, every note and piece viscerally connecting them to the enthralled audience. We saw several people tapping their feet to the rhythm of 1 of their encore pieces – Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”.

And did we mention that Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers paid the duo a visit?

Darth Vader sauntered onto stage with his imperial Stormtroopers, demanding his favorite Star Wars soundtrack, “Cantina Band”, to be played. Darth Vader proceeded to whip out his light saber as he scrutinized the duo while ambling around the stage, triggering much laughter from the amused audience.

In the end, the Dark Lord presented bouquets to the duo, leaving a very relieved pair playing for the crowd.

Anderson & Roe’s well-matched choreography of finger techniques kept the audience riveted until the final key was struck, much to the delight and deafening standing ovations, which cajoled the duo into not 1 or 2, but 4 splendid encores.

Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe’s mission is to “free the world from the constraints of sleep-inducing concerts”, which exceeded far beyond our expectations and pushed the boundaries of the stereotypical classical music concerts. In fact, they have created a new form of music of their own – sleeping pills not included.

 

Set list

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Papageno! (a short fantasy based on arias from Die Zauberflöte, K.620)

Johannes Brahms

Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56b

Theme. Andante

Variation I. Andante con moto

Variation II. Più vivace

Variation III. Con moto

Variation IV. Andante con moto

Variation V. Poco presto

Variation VI. Vivace

Variation VII. Grazioso

Variation VIII. Poco presto

Finale. Andante

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Aria (“Lo, at Midnight”) from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5)

Radiohead

“Paranoid Android” from OK Computer

 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ragtime alla Turca (after the Rondo alla Turca, K.331)

 Animal Suite

The Cat’s Fugue (Scarlatti)

“The Swan” from Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns)

“Flight of the Bumblebee” from The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Rimsky-Korsakov)

Cristoph Willibald Gluck

Ballet from Orphée et Eurydice

Georges Bizet

Carmen Fantasy for Two Pianos

 

All photos courtesy of www.andersonroe.com and Vizpro International