 |
Igudesman and Joo tickling audiences with ‘A Little Nightmare Music’
The duo, whose videos have received over 15 million hits on the Internet, is currently on tour and staged their show, “A Little Nightmare Music,” yesterday at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
The two musicians started their musical education at the Yehudi Menuhin School, where they met at the age of 12. “We were influenced so much by Menuhin,” says Igudesman in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “His love for classical music and his outlook excited us, and he was the person who oriented our musical life. We were thinking of how to carry classical music to the masses and how to make people smile at a classical music concert.”
From this perspective, the duo discovered the humor embedded in the music and treated the musical notes as if they were cues for their roles. “We are, of course, very happy that we could achieve our dream. In fact, there’s much more humor in classical music than people expect. But someone has to go and ‘tickle’; this was important. And what we did was this,” says Igudesman.
“The idea of a musical comedy was something we had had in mind for many years,” says Igudesman, “but the project ‘Igudesman & Joo: A Little Nightmare Music’ has a history that goes back five years. I can say that this is the most successful project that we have ever done.”
The feedback that the duo has received thus far has gone a long way in encouraging and motivating them in what they are doing. “Young or conservative or even people who don’t ever listen to [classical] music love our show,” says Igudesman. “And, of course, this excites us a lot because we believe that we are on the right track. It is interesting that our biggest fans are the greatest names of the classical music scene, such as Julian Rachlin, Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky and Gidon Kremer. They even make guest appearances in our concerts occasionally.”
Between classical and popular culture
“We are fans of Mozart and Beethoven, as well ‘South Park’ and Borat,” says Igudesman, explaining their position that crisscrosses classical and popular culture. “We believe that we can attract many people who eschew the serious ambiance of concert halls and don’t go to classical music concerts because of such reasons,” he notes. “However, there is a ‘serious humor’ on the stage: funny and ridiculous. That is important!”
The duo indicates that it is not the classical music pieces or composers they are making fun of. “We have received an intense classical music education for many years,” says Igudesman. “And, of course, these works and composers merit a deep respect. But we do not laugh at the music itself. Music is only a tool. We satirize the humorous aspect of this institution as well as that very serious attitude.” He added that he is certain that Mozart, if not Brahms, also employed humor himself.
Joo and Igudesman indicate that they are interested in theater, cinema and acting; as they also act on stage, this is quite obvious. “These are very important elements of our lives,” says Igudesman. “In many projects, I take part both as an actor and a film and theater music composer.”
The duo is also nurtured by their individual experiences. While Igudesman worked with musicians ranging from composer Hans Zimmer to singer Bobby McFerrin, Joo collaborated with Vangelis and was chosen by Billy Joel to arrange and record Joel’s classical compositions on CD. The duo also collaborated with actor Roger Moore on several occasions for UNICEF. Having such experiences, they are now after new projects. “Richard is a fan of Italian films, especially the ones by Fellini,” says Igudesman. “We are now working on a TV show which will host celebrities from the classical music and entertainment world and combine music and humor.”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BÜLENT KENEŞ |  |
||
| What befell Niyazi-i Misri in the past is happening to Fethullah Gülen now | |||
| EKREM DUMANLI |  |
||
| When a call for fairness and reason finds acceptance | |||
| ŞAHİN ALPAY |  |
||
| Uludere, test case for democracy in Turkey | |||
| EMRE USLU |  |
||
| Are the Kurds mentally divorced from Turkey? | |||
| GÖKHAN BACIK |  |
||
| Erdoğan, Gül and Davutoğlu: the inner bargain on Turkish foreign policy | |||
| MARKAR ESAYAN |  |
||
| Taking lessons from previous experiences with the military | |||
| YAVUZ BAYDAR |  |
||
| Qualm | |||
| ÖMER TAŞPINAR |  |
||
| A new phase in Syria? | |||
| İHSAN DAĞI |  |
||
| Turkish foreign policy: Time for a re-evaluation | |||
| SEYFETTİN GÜRSEL |  |
||
| Poor-friendly economic growth and the AK Party | |||
| CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON |  |
||
| Missing women, missing opportunities | |||
| BERK ÇEKTİR |  |
||
| Changes to incentives for investment in Turkey | |||
| MERVE BÜŞRA ÖZTÜRK |  |
||
| The 1960 coup: a final test for democracy | |||
| AMANDA PAUL |  |
||
| Ukraine: a lost country | |||
| MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE |  |
||
| The 52nd anniversary of May 27 | |||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
