ShareThisBy ANDREW DRUCKENBROD
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Classical music has had the Three Tenors, Anonymous 4, Les Six and even the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic. Now it has the 5 Browns.
This group is a family affair. Ryan, 20; Melody, 21; Gregory, 23; Deondra, 25; and Desirae, 27, grew up in Utah. Each started with piano lessons at 3, and each matriculated to the Juilliard School.
If you think that's impressive, their marketing savvy and organization are even more so. Rather than struggling to make it in the ultra-competitive music industry as soloists, they banded together to form the 5 Browns, an unusual quintet _ composed of pianos and only pianos. The repertoire is primarily transcriptions of orchestra works and well-known duets, not crossover material.
Even after all the media attention (including "60 Minutes," "Oprah Winfrey" and People magazine) and a debut album that went to No. 1 on the classical charts, the siblings seem to have kept their heads screwed on tightly. Their parents, Keith and Lisa, remain involved in their kids' careers.
The next album will contain several commissioned works, a crucial step as they operate in virtually uncharted territory as an ensemble of five pianos.
In case you are curious, they perform on their own Steinways, which travel by truck to each concert site. The 5 Browns are touring in support of their latest album, "No Boundaries" (on Sony/BMG's RCA Red Seal). It contains works by Gershwin, Copland, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and even Lutoslawski.
We caught up with the family recently in what had to be one of the most organized speakerphone interviews ever conducted, each saying his or her name before speaking. They are pros at this, too.
"All right, we're all here," says Desirae.
Q: When you were in Utah or in practice rooms in Juilliard, did you ever think you would have a No. 1 album for 20 weeks?
A: Desirae: Are you kidding? No way! This is like our dream come true. If somebody had told me that 10 years ago when I was studying at Juilliard I would have probably have been paralyzed. ... It's been so exciting for us, especially for our second album to outdo our first.
Q: It's not really crossover music, is it?
A: Gregory: It is not crossover at all. We play transcriptions of orchestral music for five pianos. They are classical standards. We also play solo or duo piano works that are in the classical repertory.
Deondra: When we were approached by record labels, that was one of the biggest considerations, that the music remain pure. So we went with Sony/BMG because they went with our ideas of trying to market it in a different way, but to keep the music strictly classical music.
Q: The marketing has been on you as a five because of the oddity of all being in a family, so what about your repertory?
A: Desirae: Even if you have seen "West Side Story" or "Rhapsody in Blue," the five piano arrangements lend (themselves) to something totally different than you've ever heard. The five pianos are percussive instruments, so a lot of the rhythmic aspects come out in the music ... you hear some things that you may not have noticed before in the music.
Q: With five pianos, does it ever get unbearably loud up there?
A: Melody: It can ... it is such a full sound, but we have learned how to balance things. If there is a melody that needs to be brought out and you are playing (accompanying) material, you need to come down.
Q: Did you have more than one piano in the house?
A: Ryan: We started out with one Steinway upright, that's when my parents were just married. We (eventually) got five Steinway grands ... so we just got around and practiced on our own pianos.
Q: Was there ever a concern about involving family and business?
A: Melody: It has worked pretty well. ... We all carry our own weight in different ways.
Deondra: It is not like we have established roles, but certain ones of us are likely to take on different aspects. I, for one, like to be involved in the business aspect ... whereas Dese and Melody tend to be the ones who help out on dressing the five of us, which can be a feat in itself. Trying to make us look like we are a group, but not all matchy. Gregory will handle all the e-mail aspects. Then there is Ryan, he is the little guy of the group. We try to dish him out a few responsibilities, but we just tell him to come clean and shaven and that's about it!
Q: Is there a shelf life for this group?
A: Desirae: When we set out, we said we will try this for a little while ... but it keeps seemingly getting better. I supposed in the future we could branch out. If it ends up running out and we branch out, that's fine; if it ends up we are playing together 15 years down the road, that is cool, too.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette classical-music critic Andrew Druckenbrod can be reached at adruckenbrod(at)post-gazette.com.)
