Concert Report

Anthone’ Brinkley
April 29, 2013
Igudesman & Joo: “Big Nightmare Music”
Wright Auditorium
“Big Nightmare Music”
Concert Report

The Igudesman & Joo: “Big Nightmare Music” concert premiered in Wright Auditorium on April 13th, 2012; accompanied by the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. Imagine Mozart taken over by Monty Python and you have some idea of the humor/seriousness created at the highest level of musicianship on stages around the world. Violinist Aleksey Igudesman, and pianist Hyung-ki Joo are both classically-trained artists who bring a show-stopping, unique approach to the concert performance. Igudesman & Joo strive to make classical music more popular with the public, and for them, the mix of music, comedy and theatre is its own art form. Comedic as well as musical virtuosi, they add a new light to classical music, mixing genres and styles with subtle doses of humor and theatrical elements. The comedic approach to their classical tunes might be irreverent, but they always treat the music with the utmost respect. Believe it or not, many of the classical music world’s biggest names are part of their biggest fan base. The concert included a variety of works by Igudesman & Joo, and everything was brought together with special thanks to the Greensboro symphony orchestra. From Mozart with Love begins the concert and it sets the classical tone with subtle entrances of the underlying James Bond theme for the comedic pass-off and duet. From the first piece to the last well known song “I Will Survive,” the concert has everything to keep even the non-classically aware viewers entertained. Igudesman & Joo perform well known favorites like Mozart Bond, Alla Molto Turca and Cleaning vs. Riverdancing enhanced by the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to other well-known adaptations of pieces from their popular duo-show, “Big Nightmare Music” comes several witty sketches personalized for a symphony orchestra, drawing everyone into their act, from the first violinist to the last percussionist. Cleaning vs. Riverdancing immediately caught my attention due to the fact that it was a piece written for violin/piano. The comedy sketch that developed into a full ensemble visual feature was both hilarious and surprising seeing that the members of the orchestra could play the piece perfectly while riverdancing! Many ‘serious’ musicians dream about being onstage and letting loose. It really is a different experience when seeing this group perform live and being able to feed off of the energy the crowd gives to the performers. While I might also be in the audience, as a performer, I know what it feels like to receive great audience feedback when you really strive to perform the best you can possibly perform. At a time when audiences for classical music have become smaller and smaller, the scores of college students and young children who know nothing about Bach are experiencing Igudesman and Joo’s main goal. The main goal is to bring back an audience that appreciates classical music but through comedy which is easy for anyone to enjoy. The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra is the only professional orchestra in Greensboro and performs major symphonic works and supports many professional musicians. The depth of the orchestra musicality was truly fascinating and it’s always interesting to watch an orchestra full of string instruments moving simultaneously with the music being performed. Performer/audience interaction made this show easy to sit through because it’s moments like those that add some variety and different atmosphere depending on the audience. Overall I was impressed by everyone’s hard work and production of the pieces performed at the “Big Nightmare Music” concert. It’s not often that people are able to experience live music performed by professional musicians. It’s definitely an eye opening experience to see how an audience will react, but in general a rewarding experience for the audience, performers, and composer.