While piano music has long been loved for its calming beauty or the thrilling virtuosity of performers, the concert experience many audiences expect is one of more reserve. Enter Queenz of Piano, featuring Jennifer Rüth and Pauline Gropp, who are on a mission to show how multifaceted the piano can be. “We aim to show that classical piano music is bold, is interesting… We show that piano music is fun.”
A quick perusal of social media makes it clear that Jennifer and Pauline are certainly having fun. They come from different backgrounds—Jennifer being equally at home on the concert stage or scatting in a smoky club, while Pauline splits her days between hospital rooms, where she works as a doctor, and the stage.
“We started a classical piano duo at the Conservatory of Music in Germany. But we also tried, from the very beginning of our work, to always integrate some modern style,” Jennifer tells us.
It took a while for the group to find their sound and stage presence—even trying things like tap dancing.
Their style continues to evolve with their sophomore album, Piano Cosmos. It was originally inspired by the idea of a single mash-up. “The very first idea was putting together the second prelude of Bach with Aerodynamic by Daft Punk.”
They began experimenting with synthesizers, their own singing voices, and more, developing a “soundscape that reminds us of cosmic sounds.” You’ll hear crossover reimaginings of Vivaldi alongside Coldplay, as well as original music.
Among the tracks on the album is an updated version of Für Elise. “We started with trying out different harmonies, because the melody is the same, but the harmonies—we were influenced by Hans Zimmer’s… we chose Interstellar as the harmonic base for our version of Elise. We put these cosmic sounds of synthesizers and like some very soft beats to it, so that we have this modern flair and yeah, at the end, it’s a mixture of the classical piece. We know the melody, but in a totally different way.”
The album took nearly two years to bring to life. “The idea is to show our personal universe of the piano music we like to play. It’s different pieces we always had in mind to do, and also to show that piano music is a big universe. It can sound different. You can create different sounds with a piano. Our aim is to show that the piano is a wide range… it’s like classical music for the next generation.”
Given the variety of musical styles in their repertoire, their appeal is broad. “I think our audience is very diverse, from young people to older people and everyone together… we want to bring generations together, and especially the younger generation, to enjoy classical music.”
Piano Cosmos is streaming now, and Queenz of Piano is embarking on a 50-city tour in Germany. Learn more about their process, the logistics of filming music videos in crazy conditions (desert or pouring rain!), and more in our full episode premiering July 6th on our YouTube channel and Channel 10 in Connecticut.