June 12th 2015
The Piano Guys, in the words of the Usher Hall blurb:
began as an internet
phenomenon; four Utah
dads who created a series of strikingly original self-made music videos with a
quirky-yet-virtuoso take on making classical music hip with a rock 'n' roll
style. With over 500 million views and
3.2 millon subscribers of their YouTube videos and three chart topping albums,
their staggering online popularity has resulted in sold out concerts around the
world.
I cannot personally vouch for
the two big figures asserted above, but would suggest the number of actual
Piano Guys represents a bit of an exaggeration.
For there is really only one: Jon Schmidt.
The majority of the show
consists solely of Jon performing alongside cellist Steven Sharp Nelson. The other two (Paul Anderson and Al van der
Beek), who I believe generally perform their magic behind the scenes as video producer
and musical arranger respectively, are only trotted out on a couple of
occasions to perform the all-fiddling-around-inside-the-guts-of-the-piano thing
they do. Additionally Al steps forward
to sing, admittedly in an impressively soulful voice, some gloopy saccharine
goo about how great is to be a Dad.
Generally though, the gig
consists of Steven and Jon doing what they do and doing it rather well.
They specialise in what they term mash-ups: contemporary (often so contemporary Daughter
had to enlighten me as to what they were) pop songs given vaguely classical arrangments,
often with some well-known classical piece layered into the mix.
Thus we had, amongst others, both The Bourne Identity theme and the Disney
song Let it Go Vivaldi-fied, One Republic’s Secrets was mixed in with Beethoven’s 5th
Symphony, and David Guetta’s Titanium given a soupçon of French composer Fauré. You get the picture?
And it was all really rather entertaining. The atmosphere in the Usher Hall certainly
helped, for it is some time since I have experienced such a roar of delight from
an Edinburgh audience as was heard when the PGs took to the stage. For a moment I thought I was perhaps at a
Glasgow gig, and it seemed to me to be one of those few occasions where performers
appeared genuinely taken aback by the generosity of their welcome.
Their Rockabel take on Canon in D was fun, even if the cellist’s
comic dismay at the soul-destroying tedium of the cello part was a seam already
mined far more cleverly by American comedian Rob Paravonian’s Pachabel Rant
some ten years ago.
I really don’t know enough
about musicianship to comment on just how special these guys actually are at
their instruments. My guess would be “very”. But, for all I knew there may have been a couple of professional musicians in
the audience grumpily thinking "I could do that". But the point, of course, is they did not,
and The Piano Guys did.
Layered on top of the music we
get a healthy dose of finely honed if slightly contrived comedy banter between
the two. And for all the fact Steven
both resembles and even appears to possess some of the of the more irritating mannerisms
of that annoying little squid Chris Hollins, things generally went well.
Two grouses I am permitting
myself:
The pair generally play unaccompanied,
but for a few songs they performed along to some video footage. But the footage also had a soundtrack, so I
was never quite sure how much of the, admittedly at times sumptuous, music was actually
being performed live here.
And being committed Mormons all,
they could not resist dragging their beliefs into proceedings, and dedicating one tune to the old sky wizard. But given this piece was an utter delight performed
against a backdrop of breath-taking footage of Rio de Janiero and the Iguazu
Falls, even a devout anti-theist like myself could forgive them this single lapse
in taste.
Stage set-up |
The Piano-Guys arses as they do their all-fiddling-around-inside-the-guts-of-the-piano thing |
Setlist
Let It Go/Winter
All of Me
Code Name Vivaldi
Love Story / Viva La Vida
With or Without You
Kung Fu Piano
Summer Jam
Waterfall
Father's Eyes
Ants Marching / Ode to Joy
Interval
Beethoven's 5 Secrets
The Cello Song
Titanium / Pavane
The Mission / How Great Thou Art
Story of My Life
Don't Worry, Be Psycho
Canon in D / Rockelbel's Canon
A Thousand Years
Peponi
What Makes You Beautiful
Encore
Bring Him Home / Can't Help Falling in Love
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