shows
Mambo Jambo
IGUDESMAN & JOO, dubbed by The Los Angeles Times as “the kings of classical music comedy” join forces with two queens of musical virtuosity to create a royal musical jam filled with fruity pieces, such as “Mambo” from Bernstein’s West Side Story. As well as music by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Chick Corea, Sting, Georg Kreisler, and IGUDESMAN & JOO.
The dazzling queen of percussion Lucy Landymore, best known for her performances with Hans Zimmer, brings good vibes to the mix with her vibraphone and other exotic percussion instruments.
Yu Horiuchi, better known as the queen of the piano, brings in her incomparable soulful voice and art of acting, which even IGUDESMAN & JOO cannot resist.
Mambo Jambo is truly a royal pleasure, highlighting the diverse abilities of all our musical royalties and bringing music from different genres into action!
Happy Concert
Happiness. Is that not what we are all looking for?
Well, look no further because Igudesman & Joo are serving happiness on a silver orchestral platter for you. Each serving of music comes with a boost of happiness that will leave you immunised against all the problems of the world- well at least for a good seventy minutes or so. Here is a selection of happy delights that await you.
Joyful Variations
An electrifying set of variations for symphony orchestra and soloists on themes from the ninth Symphony. Each variation is treated with a national flair and cultural pizzazz from nine different countries, taking one on a musical kaleidoscopic journey that goes around the globe from Bonn to Boston and back.
This piece takes Beethoven’s and Schiller’s motto of all humans being brothers and sisters and sends it to travel around the world. Think ‘Beethoven on the road’. The percussion section are the heroes of this piece and are featured in a way that has probably never been done before in a symphonic work. The journey starts in the concert hall and then, with no travel restrictions, jets off making nine stops in Asia, Ireland, the Middle East, Spain, Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, South America and back to your very own seat. You may even be asked to leave your seat and join the musicians on stage to dance to Beethoven’s 9th in Salsa style! All abiding with social distancing guidelines of course.
So, bring your passport, boarding passes, and carry-on, and enjoy the sensational ride.
Happy
And to top off your happy meal of musical fun, Igudesman & Joo perform arguably the happiest song of the century so far, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Of course, the way of the I&J means incorporating mashups of Mozart and Strauss into the song, making it an even happier experience. And if after the concert you are hooked on happiness, there is even a 24 hour music video of “Happy”, so now you can really be happy all day long.
As Igudesman and Joo says, “Music makes Happy”, and there will be no shortage of happy music with the “Happy Concert”.
“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.”
Since our first encounter with I&J in 2011, we (the musicians & staff of the Taiwan Philharmonic) had been longing for being part of the birth of the “Scary Concert”. From the perfect preparation of the music scores to the super efficient rehearsals, I&J not only inspired our musicians to be more creative in performances but also bounded them with our audience even tighter. Right after the concerts, we received many inquires about when I&J will be back for another new project …. yes, from both orchestra musicians and audience. The Scary Concert is the healing concert for both audience and musicians in this stiflingly busy city life.
“Their blend of classical music and comedy, laced with pop culture references and a wholly novel take on the word slapstick, is fueled by genuine, dazzling virtuosity.”
Beethoven’s Nightmare
Imagine if Beethoven
…woke up from his cryogenic tomb only to “hear” what people are doing to his music today… would he just wish to be dead again? Igudesman & Joo tackle this question with their signature mischief and fun, reinventing and recomposing the musical genius of the great mastermind Beethoven.
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“Beethoven’s Nightmare”- You’ve heard about the seven circles of Hell, but what about the seven circles of Beethoven? Let Igudesman & Joo guide you as you descend through the composer’s haunting nightmares and multi-layered personality, not to mention witness a stylish choleric outbreak or two.
“Joyful Variations”- An electrifying set of variations for symphony orchestra and soloists on themes from the ninth Symphony. Each variation is treated with a national flair and cultural pizzazz from nine different countries, taking one on a musical kaleidoscopic journey that goes around the globe from Bonn to the USA and back.
“Beethoven Takes Five”- Beethoven’s most famous four-note motif and turned it into a five- beat measure in this riotously fun piece. Funky rhythms and grooves are combined with the melodies of Beethoven to create the perfect pairing.
“They Call me Ludwig”- A humorous song from the perspective of the composer about how miserable his life is and how he never gets to have any fun. And, hey, don’t forget that those bags under his eyes are designer.
“For a Lease”- Arguably the most “cheesy” work by Ludwig Van “Für Elise” undertakes a makeover and is transformed to a quirky, yet ethereal and utterly original work.
In the true spirit of authenticity, as when Franz Clemens would perform tricks with his violin in between movements of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, Igudesman & Joo too will intersperse musical sketch comedy during the performance using Beethoven’s music. This will include some old favourites such as “Credit Card,” and new opuses such as “Beethoven World Record,” and “Für Elise Forever” from their duo show, “And Now Beethoven”.
Igudesman & Joo’s celebration of Beethoven’s Anniversary will be the hottest ticket in town. Expect the unexpected and brace yourself for an unforgettable night.
What others say
“Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo played at my 80th birthday celebrations. I nearly died laughing. I’d like to invite them back for my 85th, but that might be considered reckless… Great usicians, great fun.”
“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.”
“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“
And Now Beethoven
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
“The incredible performance/workshop of Igudesman and Joo… was the best visiting educational experience that I have witnessed in my 31 years of teaching in public education.
Over 780 performing arts students… were exposed to musicianship, self-confidence building, kinesthetic learning, and different cultural perspectives that spoke to everyone in the auditorium at different and memorable levels.
… Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this wonderful event. You have touched many lives today, with your passion for music and the arts.“
“Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo played at my 80th birthday celebrations. I nearly died laughing. I’d like to invite them back for my 85th, but that might be considered reckless… Great usicians, great fun.”
“I had the time of my life when I first saw them live in action, and felt honored to put in a cameo in some of their nutty skits! Take the opportunity to get a taste of their over brimming musical imagination!”
Die Rettung der Welt
Die Welt versinkt...
…nicht im bunten Chaos, nein, in grauen Räumen, grauer Langeweile, in grauer Monotonie. Doch Rettung naht: Igudesman & Joo zeigen uns, wie sie es geschafft haben, ihrem Leben die nötige Portion Chaos und Humor zu geben und es dadurch frisch und bunt zu erhalten. Folgen Sie ihnen auf ihrem Weg und lassen Sie sich anstecken von der Kreativität von Igudesman & Joo, aber auch von Mozart, Bach und anderen Kollegen. Denn nur durch Kunst als höchste Form der Kreativität kann die Welt – und somit auch Sie – gerettet werden.
Damit Sie auch nach der Show dem kreativen Flow folgen und mithelfen können, die Welt zu retten, gibt es etwas ganz Neues: gezielte Übungen, wie Sie Kreativität in den grauen Alltag bringen. Und weil man sich nicht alles merken kann, gibt es das Ganze auch als Buch.
Zu Risiken und Nebenwirkungen dieser Show fragen Sie Mozart, Bach und Beethoven.
What others say
“Having had the great pleasure to have shared a stage with my friends Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo, I can tell you that even from up-close they are the real thing.They are extremely funny, very original, and highly-skilled musicians to boot. Their mix of classical music and comedy is absolutely unique”.
“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.”
Since our first encounter with I&J in 2011, we (the musicians & staff of the Taiwan Philharmonic) had been longing for being part of the birth of the “Scary Concert”. From the perfect preparation of the music scores to the super efficient rehearsals, I&J not only inspired our musicians to be more creative in performances but also bounded them with our audience even tighter. Right after the concerts, we received many inquires about when I&J will be back for another new project …. yes, from both orchestra musicians and audience. The Scary Concert is the healing concert for both audience and musicians in this stiflingly busy city life.
Clash of the Soloists
Violin Virtuoso vs Piano Virtuoso
We live in a world where millions of people will walk passed a concert hall and only a fraction will step inside. Interestingly, thousands will gather at Wrestlemania. Igudesman & Joo have finally found common ground between these two, seemingly opposite, spectator sports. Clementi had to contend with Mozart’s ingenuity, Beethoven blew Steinbelt out of Vienna, and Handel sparred Scarlatti in a joust of fingers (ending in a draw where Handel took the honour for organ mastery—the instrument, not his liver—and Scarlatti reigned harpsichord supreme). Now, Igudesman & Joo prepare themselves to go head-to-head and put an end to the bull—for good.
In the right corner we have Korean/Japanese/Chinese piano prodigy Whay-Tsu Fast and in the left, Russian/American/Jewish/German/Spanish-speaking violin virtuoso Sergey Amadeus Showoff—but, in the feud as ancient as time itself to determine the superior instrument, who will emerge triumphant? Who will snatch victory and prevail as champion in this Clash of the Soloists? Who, with flying fingers and soaring melodies, will rise above as the greatest soloist of all time and claim eternal glory? Ladies and gentleman, now on the world’s greatest stages, let’s get ready to rumble!
In this savage duel between violin and piano, anything and everything goes—whether bribery or axes in the piano and even an evil maestro in disguise. Igudesman & Joo battle it out in their iconoclastic, spectacular, Szechuan-spicy style. They blaze through concertos with extraordinary dexterity and finesse that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. A performance makes for an unforgettable, laugh-until-soda-comes-outof-your-nose performance that will leave listeners of all ages thirsting for more. Forget gladiators—this is blasphemy, this is madness, this is IGUDESMAN & JOO!
“Clash of the Soloists” was commissioned by the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra to commemorate their 150th anniversary, and a world premiere performance by the orchestra with conductor, referee, and Maestro of Ceremonies, Joshua Weilerstein.
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.”
“The incredible performance/workshop of Igudesman and Joo… was the best visiting educational experience that I have witnessed in my 31 years of teaching in public education.
Over 780 performing arts students… were exposed to musicianship, self-confidence building, kinesthetic learning, and different cultural perspectives that spoke to everyone in the auditorium at different and memorable levels.
… Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this wonderful event. You have touched many lives today, with your passion for music and the arts.“
Scary Concert
Leaves Audiences Howling with Laughter
The age-old question, can a concert be simultaneously bone rattling and sidesplitting now has an answer. As if Igudesman & Joo weren’t outlandish and ghoulish enough, they’re upping the ante with “Scary Concert,” a no-holds barred musical salute to the dark side that manages to tingle your spine and tickle your fancy. Under the pair’s spell, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has no choice but to give in and play along in special Halloween-themed performances from Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh on October 31 and at the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theater at West Virginia University on November 2.
Violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-Ki Joo are the wildly inventive comedy team whose YouTube sketches and musical mash ups have attracted close to 40 million viewers. Seriously talented musicians with the wit, sensibilities and improvisational bent that bring to mind Monty Python, “South Park,” “SNL,” and “Portlandia,” Igudesman & Joo hilariously waltz their way from Mozart to martial arts, Haydn to hip hop. By breaking down barriers between the stage, audiences and orchestra, their concerts roam several standard deviations from the classical norm. Anything can and usually does happen to the delight of enthusiastic fans worldwide.
Following in the tradition of their “Big Nightmare Music,” these masters of mayhem and mirth again commandeer a full-size symphony orchestra, whose members will channel their inner pirates, wizards and zombies and don costumes to match. “Halloween is a wonderfully zany holiday because it combines things that are really scary and really fun,” Igudesman says. “It’s a time to let the folly out, perfect for us.”
The Halloween homage mines the musical canon for the chilling and creepy as well as featuring the duo’s original works. “Horror Movie,” for example, is the violinist’s own brilliant paean to the creaky and crackling, the squeaks and squeals, sounds that frighten the living daylights out of filmgoers, but are sure to have listeners screaming in laughter.
What others say
“Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo played at my 80th birthday celebrations. I nearly died laughing. I’d like to invite them back for my 85th, but that might be considered reckless… Great usicians, great fun.”
Since our first encounter with I&J in 2011, we (the musicians & staff of the Taiwan Philharmonic) had been longing for being part of the birth of the “Scary Concert”. From the perfect preparation of the music scores to the super efficient rehearsals, I&J not only inspired our musicians to be more creative in performances but also bounded them with our audience even tighter. Right after the concerts, we received many inquires about when I&J will be back for another new project …. yes, from both orchestra musicians and audience. The Scary Concert is the healing concert for both audience and musicians in this stiflingly busy city life.
Notify Me when Igudesman & Joo comes to town.
JOIN NOWPlay it Again
Bravo. Well Done.
Often the best parts of the concert are the encores. So why not start right away with them? In fact – what if every piece was an encore?
Play it Again, IGUDESMAN & JOO’s third duo show, (after A Little Nightmare Music and AND NOW MOZART), is a topsy‐turvy, upside‐down, insideout show, taking audience’s wishes for them to “play it again” and giving them far more than they wished for!
Although no two performances of IGUDESMAN & JOO’s are ever really the same, Play it Again explicitly promises that each night will be so wildly different from one another that audiences will have to come back again. Every piece on the night will be spontaneously decided before, and there will be occasions for fans to send in their requests for specific performances giving them the opportunity to actively engage in the direction the show will take on that particular night. Furthermore, having toured the world for over a decade, and doing their best to perform in the local language, Play it Again will be presented in IGUDESMAN & JOO’s new linguistic form, a sort of global, multi‐cultured Esperanto‐ish language which everyone will be able to understand all over the world: Joodesmanish!
Once IGUDESMAN & JOO Play It Again you will want to “Hear It Again”!
What others say
Since our first encounter with I&J in 2011, we (the musicians & staff of the Taiwan Philharmonic) had been longing for being part of the birth of the “Scary Concert”. From the perfect preparation of the music scores to the super efficient rehearsals, I&J not only inspired our musicians to be more creative in performances but also bounded them with our audience even tighter. Right after the concerts, we received many inquires about when I&J will be back for another new project …. yes, from both orchestra musicians and audience. The Scary Concert is the healing concert for both audience and musicians in this stiflingly busy city life.
“Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo played at my 80th birthday celebrations. I nearly died laughing. I’d like to invite them back for my 85th, but that might be considered reckless… Great usicians, great fun.”
Notify Me when Igudesman & Joo comes to town.
JOIN NOWUpbeat
Raise your batons!
The utterly uproarious virtuosos violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-Ki Joo are at it again with their delightfully daft orchestral show “UpBeat.” A follow up to their “BIG Nightmare Music,” “UpBeat” takes audiences on a madcap musical ride with stops at every conceivable genre from Ravel to rock, from hip-hop beats to would you believe tee-hee-hees. The show makes its US debut on March 3, 2016, when the Seattle Symphony Orchestra plays straight man to Igudesman & Joo.
The words “strike up the band”—or in this case orchestra—never had a more deliciously raucous meaning than when they signal the appearance of the pair, who do double duty as both conductors and soloists throughout “Upbeat.” Of course this being Igudesman & Joo, a baton quickly turns into “a weapon of mass conduction,” and the tug-of-war over who gets to give the initial upbeat has the concert off to a tumultuous start.
The orchestral merry-go-round span “Ring in the Classics,” Igudesman & Joo’s symphonic Nokia ringtone poem commissioned by the New York Philharmonic; “Winter Polka,” an epic exercise in coughing; “Horror Movie,” a brilliant paean to the creaky and crackling, the squeaks and squeals, sounds that frighten the living daylights out of filmgoers; “An Austrian in America” commissioned by the Pittsburg Symphony to honor its conductor Manfred Honeck…or at least they hoped it would; loop-the-loop with “Ride of the Oy Veykyries,” a lively, klezmer-infused version of Wagner’s most famous piece sure to have the grim German spinning in his grave; “Rush Hour” where a Moscow traffic jam provides fodder; “You Just Have to Laugh,” a kaleidoscope of chuckles, guffaws, and ha-ha-has where the entire philharmonic gets the giggles singing along with the audience; and, as if Greece didn’t have enough woes, Igudesman tries his best to help the beleaguered country out in a schizophrenic finale “Zorba the Geek.”
What others say
Since our first encounter with I&J in 2011, we (the musicians & staff of the Taiwan Philharmonic) had been longing for being part of the birth of the “Scary Concert”. From the perfect preparation of the music scores to the super efficient rehearsals, I&J not only inspired our musicians to be more creative in performances but also bounded them with our audience even tighter. Right after the concerts, we received many inquires about when I&J will be back for another new project …. yes, from both orchestra musicians and audience. The Scary Concert is the healing concert for both audience and musicians in this stiflingly busy city life.
“Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo played at my 80th birthday celebrations. I nearly died laughing. I’d like to invite them back for my 85th, but that might be considered reckless… Great usicians, great fun.”
Notify Me when Igudesman & Joo comes to town.
JOIN NOW