Igudesman & Joo – Making fun with classical music

Aleksey Igudesman, violinist, composer

Hyung-ki Joo, pianist, composer

What would happen if classical music could have all of the professionalism of virtuosic performing but none of the stereotypical uptightness? What if classical music met SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit and took a page from South Park?

1.) Introduction: Igudesman & Joo solve all of classical music’s problems

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tgYh93cuQ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

2.) Original: Bach-Gounod version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyUhEjtlDLA (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Igudesman & Joo: Being John Sebastian Bach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A95yzVgBTs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

3.) Original: Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 3 No 2 in C Sharp minor, performed by Evgeny Kissin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCm9O2KNEX4 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Igudesman & Joo: Rachmaninov had big hands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

4.) Original: La Cucaracha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp_7aieGEMQ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Gipsy Kings version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VILr1xH3io (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Igudesman & Joo: Violin Duet: La Cucaracha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8iDDx1k38 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

5.) Mozart will Survive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS1-lxD9Cbs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

6.) Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecG6c30THp0 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Assignment:

First, I hope you found some humor in all of this. Clips 1-4 will introduce you to who Igudesman & Joo are and what they are doing. Clip 5 is one culmination of their work. Clip 6 is an interview that starts off rambling a bit, but it does get good after a point. Part of the process appreciating music appreciating the process, so I’d like you to go through it. Write something that has coherent thought. As with so many of the open-ended assignments that I give, you’re welcome to take the responses in any direction you feel appropriate. Your responses should demonstrate that you’ve thought about the clips, not just passively consumed it.

For the following clips:

Watch and reflect. Respond as you did in the assignment above.

7.) What Bose Headphones can do for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGwWnpKqHI (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

8.) Vogue the Violin – Funk the String

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a0mlf69-34 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

9.) The Cyber Conductor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFltd2838gc (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.