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Praise for Anderson & Roe
American Record Guide:
“There is an overriding joy in their music-making. Couple that with incredible technical abilities, ensemble second to none, and, in their videos, a true sense of theatrical entertainment, and you have a positive look at the future of classical music performance. They do have it all, and any classical music lover owes it to himself to hear Anderson & Roe.
The Washington Post:
“Dazzling... transcendental... Anderson and Roe are the very model of complete 21st-century musicians. They fuse classical and pop music into a blend of high artistry and skillful entertainment...
That they are crack pianists goes without saying. What sets the pair apart is an ability to make emotional and spiritual connections with their audiences.”
San Francisco Classical Voice:
“No more sensational young piano duo team can be found … the most dynamic duo of this generation.
Explosive creativity ... refreshing ... exuberant ... volatile and thrilling.
The Straits Times:
“Breathtaking. They breathed as one … an almost telepathic understanding of each other’s musicianship and an outrageous and transcendental technique. Testament to the popularity of Anderson & Roe: the line for their autographs was longer than that for Lang Lang’s.
Gramophone:
“Sparkling … exhilarating! Certainly [Bach] would have embraced Anderson & Roe’s ingenuity and musicianship. Uncanny ensemble prowess ... gorgeously calibrated legato phrasing. The music dances off the page.
The Star-Telegram:
“The highest level of artistry. Phrasings tapered across the instruments; harmonies blended sumptuously; articulations were perfectly matched in weight and color.
The Southampton Press:
“Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers transposed from the dance floor to the keyboard.
Miami Herald:
“Rock stars in the classical musical world.
NPR :
“Bold and brash, full of unexpected twists, Anderson and Roe pull off an expertly rendered, elegantly pianistic moonwalk.
Bachtrack:
“Believe all the hype: Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe—more famously called Anderson & Roe—are electric. The piano duo did more than celebrate the launch of their new album; they fashioned an entirely new concert experience.
The Herald-Tribune:
“Even the most jaded of concert goers sat forward in their seats and dropped their jaws in amazement as these two just re-wrote the book of the tedious concert recital.
Süddeutsche Zeitung:
“At the core of Anderson & Roe’s performance is a downright lustful grab for the music’s raw impulses. Spotless diction, perfect teamwork, expertly balanced dynamics. A monumental sound; their warm, full tone is a delight ... Their arrangements are feats of magic. Huge cheers.
Performance Arts Monterey Bay:
“The audience, like Vesuvius, erupted with one massive cheer, jumping to its feet, settling for a moment like hot pumice only to explode again minutes later for two more dazzling pyrotechnic encores. …all the flamboyance, adrenaline and infectious passion that youth and virtuosity could muster.
WMRA:
“Bloody knuckles and poked eyes: these two play rough.
The Press (Christchurch):
“I am struggling for superlatives to describe what was an outstanding evening’s entertainment, a smorgasbord of dazzling pianistic virtuosity, musicianship and stagecraft, all bundled up in an irresistible package by two dynamic young performers.
Korea Herald:
“Partnership does not do justice in describing the electrifying performance by the Anderson & Roe piano duo. [Anderson & Roe] showed the magic that can happen when two musicians perform with one soul.
Northwest Reverb:
“Anderson & Roe gave an electrifying performance that swept the audience into a cheering mass of humanity, making a strong case that playing piano is the most fun thing that two people could ever do together.
Monterey Weekly:
“Electrifying would be too small a word to describe the duo. [Anderson & Roe play] in a musical environment of severe risk-taking and wide open experimentation.
Daily Camera:
“Anderson & Roe are the gold standard among today’s piano duos.
Clavier Companion:
“Greg and Liz take an iconoclastic pleasure in smashing through the stereotype of classical music as a tame and harmless anachronism.
Arts Saginaw:
“Oh my God, people. Flying hands around each other, across each other, next to each other... Flamboyant, humorous, [Anderson & Roe’s] hands pounding the keyboard. The audience cheered like it was at a football game.
Praise for Greg Anderson:
Free Times:
The first three piano works were genuine musical extravaganzas, beginning with Bizet’s Carmen Fantasy — arranged by Greg Anderson … Everybody knows Carmen, but this is a Fantasy, and Anderson takes it a step beyond a straightforward arrangement — maybe several steps beyond — and nobody does this better than he.
San Jose Mercury News:
On "The Devil's Staircase" (aka Ligeti's Étude No. 13) he drove full-throttle through the obsessive pistonlike surges up the keyboard, reaching higher and higher and drumming at the keys in the upper treble range. You could practically see the damned soul, struggling and failing to escape the fires.
After intermission, Anderson performed Rachmaninoff's rarely heard Sonata No. 1 in D minor. He called this immense work, which he played from memory, "profound, spiritual and so exciting." And then, for 35 minutes, without saying a word, he showed why.
His performance was gripping, with rapturous renderings of perfumed textures in the Lento movement. In the finale, Anderson went for broke: galloping rhythms, densely cross-hatched passagework, bell-ringing chordal effects. ... It was thoughtful, passionate and very in the moment.
Times Union:
The strongest and most interesting piece of the evening came almost halfway through with, of all things, two movements from Tchaikovsky¹s “Nutcracker Suite,” played by all five pianists. The original version of the Overture and March were played first, and then a new “tripped out” version created by Greg Anderson followed. The Overture became a Broadway jazzy vamp, almost unrecognizable, and the March¹s reincarnation was a virtuosic, very clever classical contemporary work, and both were tremendous fun, performed wonderfully by the five.
La Nueva Espana:
Greg Anderson brought the audience to its feet with shouts of "bravo, bravo!" He left this reviewer at loss for words.
Edmond Life & Leisure, regarding a concert in which Greg replaced Desirae Brown of The 5 Browns:
Once he was on stage Anderson quickly became the star of the concert. His modest charm, virtuoso performances and the strength of his arrangements assured his immediate acceptance and success with the audience. As the old saying goes, if you must have a replacement make sure that replacement is equal to or better than yourself.
...
The remainder of the evening was greatly enhanced by Greg Anderson's astounding performance of his adaptation "Danse Macabre: Hootenanny for Five Pianos," accompanied by the Browns. In this work as well as in his quick and manly pounce onto the piano keys during his arrangement of Gustav Holst's "The Planets," Anderson performed with remarkable astuteness: He is indeed a performer par excellence, and the Browns should keep him on their programs permanently.