logo
Poking Fun at Classical Music, With Wigs, Hula-Hoops and Puns

Poking Fun at Classical Music, With Wigs, Hula-Hoops and Puns

New York Times05-12-2024

The violinists Eddy Chen and Brett Yang arrived in the suburbs of Bangkok recently on a mischievous mission. They had come to record hip-hop videos about Beethoven, Bach and other titans of music as if they were alive today.
'They called me calloused, called me unfeeling,' Chen, dressed as Beethoven, with a gray wig and crimson scarf, rapped in one video. 'Can't let them know what I am concealing.'
It was just another day in the life of Chen and Yang, better known as the comedy duo TwoSet Violin, who have millions of fans for the humor and whimsy they bring to the often very serious world of classical music. Over the past 11 years, they have galvanized a younger generation of musicians and helped dispel their field's stuffy image.
Chen and Yang have performed Pachelbel's Canon in D with rubber chickens, hosted wild composer-themed games of charades and brutally taken down actors pretending to play the violin in movies. They have produced skits about showboating musicians, pushy parents and high-stakes auditions.
Some of classical music's biggest names have joined in on the fun. Hilary Hahn joined Chen and Yang to perform Paganini caprices while hula-hooping. Ray Chen played a game in which he and the duo imitated violinists like Jascha Heifetz and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
Now, to the dismay of many fans, Chen, 31, and Yang, 32, who are based in Singapore, say they are moving on. They announced in October that TwoSet Violin was ending. They removed nearly all their videos from the internet and wrote on Instagram, 'It's been a wild ride with you all.' The post garnered more than 330,000 likes, with many fans in disbelief.
In an interview, Chen and Yang confirmed they were finished with TwoSet Violin, though they said they would likely continue to work together. They said they were increasingly worn out by the demands of creating more than 100 videos each year. And, with 4.3 million subscribers on YouTube, they said, they were growing tired of the scrutiny.
'We've said all that we wanted to say,' Yang said. 'It felt like I had 50-kilo weights on my shoulders for the last 11 years, just trying to please people and be the best that we can.'
Chen and Yang, who have made a habit of reading comments on their work, said they felt like they were under a microscope. At times, they were stung by criticisms of their personalities, music and style.
'Sometimes social media becomes this question of, 'Who's the next person for us to all hate on?'' Chen said. 'We needed a break.'
As part of their farewell, Chen and Yang are planning to release six videos in which they play members of a band of composers called B²TSM. (Inspired by South Korean pop, or K-pop, the band's name stands for Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Mozart.)
In the first video, titled 'I'm Bach,' released on Thursday, Chen, as Bach, finds himself dismayed by modern music. He raps:
Chen described the videos as a final gift to fans: 'our blood, sweat and tears.'
'We're showing what TwoSet has meant to us through our art, in the same way a composer shares how they feel through their music,' he said. 'To us that feels very meaningful.'
Chen and Yang were both born in Taiwan and raised in Brisbane, Australia. They met as teenagers, enrolled in Friday night math classes together and playing in the Queensland Youth Symphony.
They pursued a traditional path in music, studying at a conservatory and joining Australian orchestras. But they found themselves drawn to social media. They posted their first videos as TwoSet Violin in 2013, recording violin versions of pop songs.
In 2016, Chen and Yang quit their orchestra jobs and made plans to perform a mix of comedy and music on their own. They financed their first tour by livestreaming as they played violin around the clock on the streets of Sydney, while fans tuned in and made donations. After four nights of sleeping on benches, they reached their fund-raising goal of 50,000 Australian dollars (about $32,200).
TwoSet became known for jokes about violinists, conductors, prodigies and pit musicians. Chen and Yang sometimes tackled weighty topics, such as the pressures of auditions, discrimination in classical music and the mental health struggles of artists.
They did not shy from controversy, calling out the K-pop band Blackpink in 2022 for using a bit of Paganini in their hit song 'Shut Down.' In a video called 'Sell Out,' Chen played Paganini.
'Barely making songs, how you call yourselves pop stars?' he rapped. 'You must play the tuba, 'cause you keep repeating only two bars.'
As their popularity grew, Chen and Yang drew the attention of top violinists like Hahn, who met them at a cafe in New York in 2018, after she commented on a post of theirs and they started messaging back and forth. They quickly became friends.
Hahn said that TwoSet Violin captured the quirks of classical music in a relatable way.
'They don't have a separate persona; they are exactly who they seem to be,' she said. 'I think the world of them. I think they're phenomenal.'
The TwoSet universe, which is chronicled in minute detail on sites like Fandom and Reddit, is rife with heroes, villains, code words and fantasy. Fans unite in their worship of Ling Ling, a fictional violinist who is said to practice 40 hours each day.
Chen and Yang built a company around their brand. In 2015, they started a streetwear clothing line, which they described as 'the world's first classical music fashion brand.'
In 2018, Chen and Yang devised the 'Ling Ling Workout,' a series of tasks meant to test even the most formidable virtuosos, including Hahn. She was forced to play part of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the only the lower third of her bow. And she had to reverse her usual bearing — putting the bow into her left hand and the violin in her right — while playing an arrangement of Schubert's 'Erlkönig.'
In 2021, during pandemic lockdowns, Chen and Yang produced a virtual tour, performing a show about going back in time to save classical music.
Then, in the 2023-24 season, they went on a 39-city tour, appearing at some of the world's top concert halls. At the Philharmonie in Berlin, a fan threw a bra onstage.
But their grueling schedule began to take a toll. During a vacation in Japan earlier this year, Chen and Yang found themselves tied to their desks. They reached what they described as a mutual decision to move on.
'It's exciting to question yourself and challenge yourself sometimes,' Chen said, 'and not just do things purely out of inertia.'
In October, back at home in Singapore, they removed most of their more than 1,500 videos from YouTube, preserving only 29 — the crème de la crème, in their view, with titles like '21 Types of Orchestral Players' and 'The World's FASTEST (and most INACCURATE) VIOLINIST!'
In their farewell post, they wrote: 'We've all grown up together and it's kinda surreal that we're ending our chapter here. Thank you for all the laughs, the genuine encounters in real life and all the special moments we've had with you online and offline.'
The reaction from fans was intense. Some were angered by Chen and Yang's decision and chastised them for removing their content. Others said they had grown up watching TwoSet Violin and were not sure how they would cope.
'My childhood crumbling before my eyes,' the pianist Erica Lee wrote on Instagram.
Chen and Yang unplugged from social media and stayed silent. Friends messaged to ask if they were OK. Fans published investigations and commentary. ('What Happened to TwoSet Violin? The Shocking Truth About Their Future!,' one YouTube video was titled.)
They did not want to post a trite video explaining their decision, they said, and resolved instead to make the B²TSM videos as their send-off.
'I would much rather give all of you our best in these music videos than give you a nice, kind, seems-authentic video,' Yang said. 'I'd rather let your dreams and fantasies run free.'
For the B²TSM videos, which are lavishly produced, the duo filmed in Hong Kong, Thailand and Austria. They worked with Hong Kong Ballet to record a video about Tchaikovsky. In Austria, they produced 'Papa Wolfgang Style,' a Mozart-themed video, at the Eckartsau palace. They also filmed at Vienna's storied Musikverein concert hall.
Chen and Yang said they did not know what would come next, though they said it was possible they would perform again as B²TSM, which they introduced in 2022.
'It would be stupid to throw this all way,' Yang said, 'after all the ups and downs we've been through together.'
Chen agreed. 'I'm pretty useless in some areas of life without Brett,' he said.
To the fans disappointed by their decision, they offered a simple response.
'Go practice,' Yang said. 'There are no excuses anymore.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bruce Springsteen, wife Patti Scialfa celebrate wedding anniversary
Bruce Springsteen, wife Patti Scialfa celebrate wedding anniversary

USA Today

time23 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Bruce Springsteen, wife Patti Scialfa celebrate wedding anniversary

Bruce Springsteen, wife Patti Scialfa celebrate wedding anniversary Show Caption Hide Caption Bruce Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa reveals cancer diagnosis Longtime E Street Band member and wife of Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, revealed she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018. The Springsteens are celebrating over three decades of love. Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary over the weekend. Scialfa, a member of Springsteen's E Street Band, has been on hiatus from the group since revealing she had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. "Our one year anniversary … Bruce surprised me with a beautiful party," Scialfa wrote in a June 8 Instagram post alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. Scialfa and Springsteen were married June 8, 1991, in Los Angeles. "Today marks 34 years … even though we already had Evan and Jess was on the way … spent the evening with Bruce (and) Sam and our granddaughter Lily," she continued. Scialfa and Springsteen share three children: Evan, 34; Jessica, 33; and Sam, 31. The family will soon notch another milestone: a multigenerational album. Sam and Evan are credited with contributing background vocals on the track "Where You're Going, Where You're From," part of the "Faithless" album, one piece of a two-part project that releases old Springsteen tracks from the vault. On Instagram, friends, fans and family congratulated the couple on their milestone. "Happy Anniversary!!!!!! We love you both!!!!!" commented Rita Wilson, an actress and wife to Tom Hanks. Longtime Springsteen photographer and concert promoter Danny Clinch laid down three heart emojis. "What a beautiful picture of the two of you! A very Happy Anniversary from us to you! Nicki & Garry," Nicky Germaine, the wife of E Street bassist Gary Tallent, wrote. Springsteen and Scialfa first met when she answered a newspaper ad in the mid-1970s for a female backup singer versed in 1960s girl groups. She had a tryout with the E Street Band, but did not end up joining the group until 1984 on the eve of the Born in the USA tour. When the two began to rehearse alone at her New York City apartment ahead of the subsequent Tunnel of Love tour, the line between bandmates and lovers began to blur. "I used to steal up there and sit on a park bench waiting for my gal to meet me with a six pack of beer," Springsteen said during a July 2020 broadcast of "Bruce Springsteen: From His Home, To Yours" on Sirius XM's E Street Radio channel. "We got engaged on that park bench," Scialfa added. Marianne Faithfull's "Trouble In Mind" was the theme of their budding romance, the couple revealed. "I used to drive you back from New York City after visiting me, and we would play that all the way back," Springsteen said. "That makes me think of your blue Camaro," Scialfa added, "and also you had an old Corvette, which was also blue. We would just play that, never talk. We were just in a daze of love." "Marianne Faithfull was our guardian angel in those days," Springsteen said. Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY

Snoop Dogg to be played by 'Outer Banks' star Jonathan Daviss in new biopic

time23 minutes ago

Snoop Dogg to be played by 'Outer Banks' star Jonathan Daviss in new biopic

We now know who will play Snoop Dogg in his upcoming music biopic. Jonathan Daviss has been cast in the lead role of Snoop Dogg in the upcoming film about the hip-hop legend for Universal. Daviss and Snoop Dogg confirmed the casting in separate posts shared to Instagram on Monday. "Let's go nefew !! it's time," Snoop Dogg captioned his post, tagging Daviss. "Bow wow wow," Daviss captioned his own post announcing the news. Daviss is best known for his role as Pope Heyward in the Netflix series "Outer Banks." On the red carpet at the BET Awards on Monday, Daviss said he is excited to take on the role of portraying the legendary rapper. "I was like, 'Is this happening? It's happening. All right, let's go. Let's do it,'" he said in an interview with "Extra," recalling his reaction to being cast in the role. Snoop Dogg, whose birth name is Calvin Broadus Jr., said the biopic will be an "evolution story" of how he got to where he is today. "A lot of people just see me for who I am now, and they don't know what I went through and what I had to, you know, do to get to this stage, and the people that taught me, the lessons that I learned, and the reason why I am who I am," he told "Extra." "It's the love child story." The rapper, who was joined on the red carpet by his wife Shante Broadus and their daughter Cori Broadus, one of the couple's four children, added that the biopic will also show his family life. "I think you're going to learn what family is all about, what the roots of family means and what love is," he said. "Like how my mother taught me how to love, and that's how I was able to overcome and, you know, beat a lot of things that I faced in my life. And that's what I teach and preach is love." "Coming 2 America" director Craig Brewer will direct Daviss in the role. Snoop Dogg serves as a producer on the film.

Kristin Davis Addresses Chris Noth Dating Rumors
Kristin Davis Addresses Chris Noth Dating Rumors

Yahoo

time28 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Kristin Davis Addresses Chris Noth Dating Rumors

Originally appeared on E! Online And just like that, Kristin Davis is setting the record straight about a Big rumor. After a fan asked her if she dated Chris Noth, who starred alongside her as Mr. Big—love interest of Sarah Jessica Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw—on Sex and the City and its ongoing sequel series, the actress passionately shut down that speculation. "No," the 60-year-old commented on her Instagram June 6. "I didnit!!! [sic]" Dating rumors about Davis—who played Charlotte York Goldenblatt on the HBO franchise—and Noth first swirled in 2000, the year they were photographed looking cozy at the MTV Movie Awards, with the actress even licking her costar's cheek on the red carpet. The speculation resurfaced on Reddit in recent months. Davis—who did once date Alec Baldwin, who franchise creator Darren Star originally considered for the role of Noth's character—made her comments alongside a clip from the June 2 episode of her SATC rewatch podcast Are You A Charlotte?. On the show, the Melrose Place alum and Megan Thee Stallion discussed Mr. Big's journey, which ended in season one of And Just Like That in 2022 after the controversial character suffered a fatal heart attack. "We killed him," Davis said. "He died on the Peloton." More from E! Online Tony Awards 2025: See the Complete Winners List Tony Awards 2025: George Clooney Gives Rare Update on His, Amal's Kids Ella and Alexander Tony Awards 2025: Katie Holmes Wows During Rare Red Carpet Appearance On the show, the Melrose Place alum and Megan Thee Stallion discussed Mr. Big's journey, which ended in season one of And Just Like That in 2022 after the controversial character suffered a fatal heart attack. "We killed him," Davis said. "He died on the Peloton." Noth—whose character angered fans when he abandoned Carrie at their wedding in the 2008 Sex and the City movie before reconciling—was due to appear on And Just Like That again after Mr. Big was killed off. But a flashback scene he filmed was scrapped following sexual assault allegations made against the actor, who denied any wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime. After the accusations were made public in the media, Noth was also dropped from the CBS show The Equalizer and lost deals with both the tequila brand Ambhar Tequila and Peloton. But despite the turmoil, the actor isn't giving up on his career. "I can't just say 'Well, OK, that's it for me'. I'm an actor. I have other things that I want to do creatively," he told USA Today in 2023. "And I have children to support. I can't just rest on my laurels." "I have to just continue on," Noth continued. "It's rough, because people are scared, and their fear leads them. And I have to just persevere because I still have a creative life." As for Davis, you can watch her on season three of And Just Like That, which premiered May 29. Look back at Charlotte and other characters' relationships on Sex and the City... For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store