Program Notes
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A New Account of the Blue Danube Waltzes
for Piano/Four-Hands by Anderson & Roe, based on the waltzes by Johann Strauss, Jr. (2004)
Watch an abbreviated cut of "A New Account of the Blue Danube Waltzes" on the music video page!
Buy "Reimagine," the CD/DVD combo featuring this work!
The kaleidoscopic Blue Danube Fantasy takes the elegance of the Viennese waltz as a point of departure and plunges headlong into the passions that undulate beneath the dance's restrained façade.
Be sure to watch for the choreography of the four hands, illustrating the striking resemblance between a couple dancing and two pianists nestled at one piano. It’s a monstrous challenge that resulted in many injuries during rehearsals!
Also, be sure to listen for the musical combining of themes. At times, melodies are layered atop one another, most notably at the climax. Believe it or not, seven melodies from throughout the piece are played simultaneously (9:09 - 9:30 on "Reimagine," 7:49 - 8:10 in the video), a real compositional feat.
Quotes from a review regarding "A New Account of the Blue Danube Waltzes" in the Southampton Press, April 21, 2005:
a "pièce de résistance"
"at once a small satire on and an act of homage to the great Viennese master of the frivolous and the joyous. ... It has an elegance and a romance that is of another time. The seduction paid off..."
"Their hand movements and the intertwining of arms, and it seemed at times of fingers, was elaborately and brilliantly choreographed. There were times when their hands seemed magically to occupy the same space, though they were playing different notes. The entire process was a small ballet of the hands, as wonderful to watch as to hear."
