The 5 Browns perform at Mercedez Benz Fashion week for world renown designer Zac Posen and his Fall 2009 RTW collection. Performing for a star studded audience (from Alicia Keys to Claire Danes, to Anna Wintour), the music included a bit of Chopin’s ocean Etude, Ernesto Lecuona’s Maleguena, Rachmaninoff’s Valse and Romance for 6 hands, Saint Saen’s Danse Macabre (not heard in this clip) and Stravinsky’s Firebird. The Browns played their Steinway grands in a long line on the runway, spanning some 90 feet in length, amidst challenges of hearing and seeing.
Some reviews of the show include…
“We knew we were in for a treat at the Zac Posen show when, upon arriving at the Tent in Bryant Park on Thursday night, we were confronted with five Steinways lining the centre of the runway. Intriguing, to be sure ….The program notes promised ‘dynamic shapes and whimsical decoupage of materials and decorations,’ and Posen did not disappoint. Out came The 5 Browns (three sisters and two brothers — all piano virtuosos) and, as they began playing one of their original compositions, out came some of the most fanciful, evocative fashions we’ve seen in a long, long time (at least on the New York runways). ” – Vogue
“Mr. Posen placed the five pianos in a line down the middle of the runway, where the 5 Browns pounded away at complex five-piano arrangements. The result was a show that didn’t require any expensive backdrops and would have entertained even without the models.” – Wall Street Journal
“Five Steinways crowd the runway at Zac Posen, where the pianist siblings known as the Five Browns (the kind of act, and I mean this is the nicest possible way, that one used to see on the Ed Sullivan Show) will accompany the catwalk presentation. Maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the singularly of Posen’s vision — all those muted shades, those baby flowers, a trip to the moon on gossamer wings — but the show is mesmerizing.” – Lynn Yaeger, NY Magazine
“Yes, other designers had live music, but no one had five grand pianos and world-class pianists quite like his, and, yes, other designers got plenty of applause, but did anyone else get spontaneous clapping mid-way through the show just because a dress was just so damn good, or a standing ovation at the end? Thought not.” – Marie Claire