Igudesman & Joo play Beethoven
That’s it. That’s the whole premise of this show. Some people do not like Beethoven. Some people are dense and do not realise how funny Beethoven is. Fortunately for those people, Igudesman & Joo are here to help (at least, with Beethoven’s humor. There’s nothing they can do about your taste).
Taking their cue from Franz Clement and Yehudi Menuhin, Igudesman & Joo will speak to the audience between movements upside down. And yes, there is evidence to support this strange performance practice: Franz Clement, the violinist who gave the world premiere of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto showed off between movements by playing his violin upside down. Then, Yehudi Menuhin, Igudesman’s and Joo’s mentor, conducted Beethoven with the Berlin Philharmonic while doing a headstand. If this isn’t enough to convince those of you worried about historically informed performances, we’re not sure what could be!
What will they speak about? Well, wouldn’t you like to hear—no offense, Ludwig. Why did Beethoven dunk his head in cold water every day, you ask? Why did he love to throw soup around? Was his favorite fruit really “Ba-na-na-naaaaa”? If you didn’t understand those questions, especially that last one, you definitely need to come see this show.
The program will include Sonatas for Piano and Violin by Ludwig van Beethoven: Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. We’ll stop at number 10, not because we want to but because we have to. Even Beethoven stopped at 10. . . Because he died. . .
Program will also include a very unique transcription of a Piano and Violin Sonata, for when the pianist forgets to show up, and, of course, variations on Beethoven’s greatest masterpiece, his finest work, his magnus opus: “Für Elise.”
This show is created in honour of the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Come see this exclusive show in 2020, before it’s too late and the occasion ends! Otherwise you’ll just have to see it in 2021, and where’s the fun in that?
What others say
“Describing the Igudesman & Joo humor in detail would be to deflate its brilliance. For the put-upon Igudesman, think Jack Benny and Jascha Heifetz rolled into one. For the zany Joo, try an unholy Chico Marx, Vladimir Horowitz and Jerry Lewis mash-up […] The Igudesman & Joo anthem is Gloria Gaynor’s ‘70s hit song “I Will Survive.” Igudesman begins it as if singing a Russian folk song, and he electrifies it by playing on the violin strings with an electric swizzle stick (on a priceless 1717 Santo Seraphin violin, no less). Ultimately, it survives – barely and hilariously — as an unclassifiable audience sing‐along. But the idea of surviving is also a serious business with these two miraculous performers“
“What makes the slapstick duo so original is not that they turn classical music culture upside-down and inside out, but that they never mess with the music itself, treating that with not just respect, but with astonishing virtuosity.”
Prior to our thanksgiving concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Manfred Honeck and the dynamic duo Igudesman and Joo, there was much scepticism within the organization as to how the orchestra and audience would react. However, our minds were put at ease the minute they arrived! They were incredibly professional, obviously very talented, and provided a breath of fresh air for the orchestra and PSO staff. It was such a joy to have them with us, and we received such great feedback from our patrons and the musicians that we immediately reinvited them to join us for a special concert with the orchestra the following year!