Igudesman and Joo: Keep on Being Creative
The world needs more Igudesman & Joo.
If you’re not familiar with this music duo, watch this highlights video before you read on.
Interview with Igudesman & Joo – who they are and how they stayed creative in 2020.
Igudesman & Joo is a well-known duo whose performances combine a perfect balance of music and comedy. The musicians that make up this duo are violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-ki Joo, both of whom are also composers, arrangers, conductors, educators, YouTubers, and soon-to-be podcasters. These two classically-trained musicians met in their pre-teen years at the Yehudi Menuhin School in England, a prestigious school for the musically gifted children. Since 2004, they’ve been performing their own original shows where, contrary to some stereotypes, classical music is anything but sleepy – think Beethoven meets Monty Python.
“If you see [Hyung-ki Joo] do some crazy shit on stage, you can believe that privately it’s even more extreme.”
They jokingly describe their shows as performances based on embarrassing moments. “The more embarrassing it is, the better,” Aleksey says. Apparently, trying to out embarrass each other is an important part of their creative process, and the comedic nature of their shows means they can take advantage of those times when things go wrong on stage by turning mistakes into funny highlights.
Who has more embarrassing moments in real life? I ask them. “In real life,” Hyung-ki responds, “we are even more outrageous. We get embarrassed by the other person.” This is not the answer I expected to hear, and perhaps Aleksey could tell by my hesitation, because he jumps in to explain that they are just as goofy in real life as they are on stage. “If you see [Hyung-ki] do some crazy shit on stage, you can believe that privately it’s even more extreme,” Aleksey adds. As a long-time fan of theirs, this is fascinating to me, as I can hardly imagine crazier behaviors when they’re off stage. I take the opportunity to ask if we could arrange a behind-the-scenes documentary of them in real life. Hyung-ki doesn’t seem to mind the idea; it’s a point worth coming back to when the world returns to some semblance of normalcy again.
Using a milk frother to play their instruments? Igudesman & Joo explain the origin of their musical experiment and the secret to using this little gadget.
Jokes aside, what I love the most about their shows, is how they are able to effortlessly transition from one musical style to the next, all while respecting the form and characteristics of each style, thus bringing the audience a comprehensive musical experience that is, in terms of genres, all inclusive. And it wouldn’t be an Igudesman & Joo concert without some inventive musical experiments in their sketches. The one I’m particularly keen to learn more about is their use of a milk frother! For a deep dive on this fun topic (plus an exclusive insider’s scoop) be sure to watch this video that’s all about the froth.
“We try to make the best out of the situation and look at things from a positive angle.”
Aleksey and his “Igudesman & Joo” Zoom background
What Aleksey and Hyung-ki are able to share through their shows, are bridges that connect musical works written in different eras and weave them together seamlessly. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to describe them as the ambassadors of classical music who demonstrate that this musical genre is still relevant and treasured.
“What we try to show over and over again is that there’s no such thing as Classical music or Pop music,” Aleksey explains. “These are terms that are completely time related. At the moment we’re calling it Classical music, but it was Modern music a hundred years ago. Some of Mozart’s music was thought of as Pop music during his time. For example, his Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was literally written as background music for dinners. [To play that music] is the same as someone putting on a track for a party.”
But despite the meticulous planning that goes into creating their shows, one thing they could never plan for is a full-scale shutdown of live performances. Like so many other musicians, Aleksey and Hyung-ki have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
“Aleksey and I have become very skilled in making Zoom backgrounds.”
“It’s been a crazy year, obviously,” says Aleksey. “Many people, including musicians, have suffered. But in many other ways, it has also been an exciting year.” Hyung-ki chimes in by first acknowledging the severity of the pandemic. “Anybody who works in the cultural scene has been mostly devastated, but we try to make the best out of the situation and look at things from a positive angle,” he adds.
Embracing the creative spirit, they’ve used the time to reinvent themselves. These include many new skills they’ve learned during this time, most notably:
Hyung-ki Joo’s Zoom background, featuring Bessie the Cow.
Learning how to be better film makers in order to film themselves at home
Creating a new live show that incorporates the concept of live streams (“And Now Beethoven”)
Starting a YouTube show, hosted by Aleksey with the participation of Hyung-ki (Amuse News)
Working on Aleksey’s startup company Music Traveler
Preparing to launch a new podcast (The Way of Igudesman and Joo)
Making great backgrounds for Zoom conversations
Before we conclude our conversation over Zoom, I ask for a few more minutes of their time to give some advice to musicians who are in or preparing for a career in music.
Hyung-ki’s advice is: “Learn as much as you can, especially during your school years. As you get older, you get more occupied with things that you need to do. Now is the best time to pick up new skills. There’s such a wealth of knowledge out there, online, at the click of a button. There’s no excuse not to learn.”
From Aleksey, he encourages musicians to diversify their skills. “People say you have to focus, I say, yes, you can focus on one thing that you love in particular, but be an all-around musician. Write music, arrange music, learn a different instrument, learn a different style. It’ll only help you in your career.”
He wraps up with one final golden tip: “Keep on going and keep on being creative.”
Interview conducted and written by Louise Lau. Connect with her on social media @offstagetunes
Watch video highlights of this interview and this Milk Frother segment