Andsnes and Hamelin: A Music World Bromance

Ah, collaborative friendships…sometimes two minds really are better than one. From Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to Spock and Captain Kirk, the “bromance” is alive and well in all areas of popular culture. But they aren’t just for movies or books…if you know where to look, bromances can be found in the world of music as well.

For instance, take pianists Leif Ove Andsnes of Norway and Marc André-Hamelin of Canada, who are prolific collaborators on stage and good friends off it. Take a look at this behind-the-scenes video as they prepare for a rehearsal of Stravinsky’s arrangement of Rite of Spring for two pianos as part of Risør in Brussels last year…you’ve got to love the debate over which piano to take!

As both artists mention in the video, the piano arrangement offers a different interpretation of the regularly-heard orchestral version, and may not even have been intended for concert performance. Luckily for us, Andsnes and Hamelin are going to bring the dual piano version–and their rehearsal antics–to Ojai for the Sunday Night Concert. We hope you’ll join us and help welcome one of the bromances of the music world to the Ojai Music Festival in June 2012!