St. Lawrence Centre Presents A LITTLE NIGHTMARE MUSIC, 4/2

Classical music fans with a big sense of humour (they have them, you know) are thrilled to learn the news of the imminent Toronto debut of Igudesman and Joo.  This big-deal event will happen at St. Lawrence Centre's Jane Mallett Theatre on Saturday April 2 at 2 PM (so the old folks can feel safe going out by day) and at 8 PM (for the hip young thangs who dwell in their condos). 

Igudesman & Joo are classical musicians who have taken the world by storm with their unique and hilarious theatrical shows, which combine comedy with classical music and popular culture.  Their clips on YouTube have gathered over 15 million hits and they've appeared on live television in several countries, including an interview with CNN.  But to be clear, they are SERIOUS musicians.  Mr. Igudesman has collaborated with Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and he plays a 1717 Santo Seraphin violin (Igudesman, that is, not Zimmer) on loan to him by ERSTE BANK; and Mr. Joo is a Steinway Artist, which means he's really, really good.
 
Igudesman and Joo met at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School in England, when they were both 12.  They've been collaborators since, following the footsteps of Victor Borge and Dudley Moore.  Many of classical music's stars such as Emanuel Ax, Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky, and Gidon Kremer have joined them onstage for their antics; the duo have also worked with really famous people outside of classical music.  They performed "The Maklovich Torment" with famed deraged-looking actor John Malkovich - click on the link of you don't believe it. 
https://www.youtube.com/user/igudesmanandjoo?feature=chclk

A film director and former member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, with no music degree to his name, loves 'em too: "A Little Nightmare Music brings surrealism to the concert hall and pulls its trousers down!  Very musical, very engaging, and very funny," said Terry Jones.
 
In the past few months, Igudesman and Joo became internet sensations, particularly on Facebook, where, among the nerdy classical music set, this video of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C#-, Op. 3 No. 2 spread like wildfire.  Why?  Because lots of hard-working Asian piano students are on Facebook (when they should be practising), and many of them have hands too small for this work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w&feature=related. This footage is now legend.
 
Alek­sey Igudes­man and Hyung-ki Joo  are equally com­fort­able per­form­ing in clas­si­cal con­cert halls as well as  sta­di­ums in front of crowds of 18,000.  Their uni­fied dream is to make clas­si­cal music acces­si­ble to a wider and younger audience.  Nerds or not.

To cyberstalk the duo, please visit http://www.igudesmanandjoo.com/.  For more info on the smart cookie bringing them to town: www.showoneproductions.ca. 

 

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