Hey, how's it going? Welcome back to another episode of TwoSet Violin. Today, we're very excited to be joined... once again with the lovely and amazing... Eddy: Hilary! We thought today we'd like to play a game called... Eddy: Hilary, I believe you've played it before, but we've actually never played, so... it's not an equal playing ground. It's pretty close. Because I've played it exactly once over text message. So each person will have to say two truths and one lie. - Mhm.
- And the other two players will have to guess... Brett: ...which one is the lie. Hopefully, maybe some juicy stuff. Okay, here goes. I made my European debut with the Beethoven Violin Concerto in Munich. It's very specific. "In Munich." - Maybe it was Beethoven, but in Frankfurt.
- It could be Frankfurt. One detail can skew the whole thing! Hilary: I was... born in Lexington, Virginia. I... am... 41. Oh, I don't actually know your age! We can't check it, right? - Nah, we can't do it.
- We can't check. No, that's cheating. The point is that you can't check. My hands are here. I'm not Googling. Locking number 1. I don't know, something about the word Lexington just... sounds very sus to me. I just feel like, maybe you're playing on the fact that we are oblivious to American geography. But I'm gonna lock in 2. What's the answer? Eddy: No. 1 was the lie! Dammit. Was it the Munich? My European debut that people think they know about— because it's the one that was televised first— was Beethoven Concerto. But I was actually there before. Hilary: My European orchestral debut... was playing the Bernstein Serenade with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer when I was... I want to say 13. Maybe I was 14. - Wow.
- Wow, okay. Wow! I can't relate. Wow! So it was my first international flight. Hilary: And it was actually... before the Iron Curtain fell, so it was really interesting to be in Budapest. And it was fascinating. I loved it. Like, I loved being out of my familiarity zone. So yeah, that was the one that wasn't true. Damn! Yes! - Yeah! Ding, ding ding!
- Eddy: You're good at guessing. All right, Brett. Okay, I bet you won't know this. My first orchestra debut was the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Was it? I forgot. Eddy: I feel like I should know this. Shh! Shh! Shh! You know him too well! I need- I still need to guess! I did a sightreading piano competition... - What is that?
- Brett: ...when I was 10. Brett: My very first pet... was... ...a guinea pig. - I call 3.
- Eddy: Why are you pausing so much? I don't know if you know I have guinea pigs. And I feel like if you actually had a guinea pig, that would have flowed better. Eddy: I think so, too. But then I wondered if he paused deliberately, you know? But I can totally believe that at 10, you would do a sightreading piano contest. 'Cause I had to take supplemental piano... Although I never had to do a sightreading competition. Hilary: And then Tchaikovsky as your first performance with orchestra. That's a big entry. Hilary: That might be a little bit over the top. I don't know. I'm pretty sure your first was Tchaikovsky unless I could not remember it. It was with the con orchestra, right? - I don't know.
- Eddy: Depends how you define debut, but... I'm just gonna go 2 just to balance it out. But I don't know if it's 2 or 3. Hilary is right. Dude, I suck at this game! Brett: Okay, can I just say... the reason I paused... My first pet was actually a rabbit. Then we- Later, we did get guinea pigs. Oh...! I remember- I was like, "Hold on." "I need to throw in a false statement." Brett: 'Cause I was about to say rabbit. Oh, you forgot what you were doing. "Ugh! Guinea pig!" Well, tell us what was the sightreading competition? What was that? It was in New Zealand, and it was like this... eisteddfod. - Oh, so everyone saw the music for the first time on stage?
- Yeah. And you play in front of people. - That's horrible!
- Brett: Yeah... - Wait, did you take piano?
- Brett: It's so high pressure. I used to learn the piano. But the funny thing, it was like, there were 3 contestants, 3 prizes. They go, "1st prize, Brett Yang." Then when I walk on stage, they're like... "Actually... you're 3rd prize." Oh, no... Dude, that's messed up. I still remember standing and being like, "Oh..." They couldn't even sightread their own announcement. - Brett: So awkward.
- Eddy: Yeah. All right, my turn. I'm so nervous. All right. - Eddy: I can do this. I got this.
- I'm watching you... Eddy: I feel like Brett knows a lot about my life as well. It doesn't help. I once forgot my violin at a train station. I once forgot my violin at an airport. I once forgot my violin... on a bullet train. I feel like I'm just incriminating myself! Eddy: Only one of them is false. It's shockingly bad! Can you imagine being on tour with me? - It'd just be a horrible experience.
- Dude! You lose your violin on tour. I feel like you might know this, Brett, though. So I think Hilary should guess first. It's really difficult to get your violin back at an airport. When I get on board, I'm always very vigilant about the violin, wherever it is. But maybe that's because I have a pattern of traveling. It could be me landing at an airport and forgetting while I went to the hotel. It's funny 'cause I think they're all plausible. Okay, I definitely believe No. 3. - Yeah, 'cause I've called you about it.
- 2... Yeah. "Brett, help!" - "What do I do?"
- I remember that moment. I was like, "How-" Anyway, I think 1. I'm gonna lock in 1. It was actually 2. You're right. Eddy: I haven't left it at an airport before. I did leave it at a train station. Didn't I tell you? This was when I was in high school like- Wait, so you left it at the train station. The other time, you left it on the train? Yeah, two separate incidents. Now, the best part with the train station one was I was in high school. Took the 25-minute train ride home... Eddy: Got home, and my mum was like, "Where's your violin?" We had to call up. Eddy: It was pretty bad. - Dude...
- Hilary, you're so good at this game! Wow... Brett: You left it at the train station! How can you forget that?! I'm gonna stick to that theme a little bit. Oh! Okay, okay! I once showed up at a lesson... without my violin. I once had a bodyguard for my violin, Hilary: but not for me. I once left my violin... *snickers* I'm like, how many things is it okay to say? - My fans are watching! Students are watching!
- Eddy: Say it all! Everyone in here! First here! I once left my violin in a taxi. First one sounds very plausible. I think most people probably have done that before. No? Instinctively, I was like, No. 2. But then, for Hilary, I could almost believe that 'cause... You're a soloist, you got an amazing violin. Brett: Of course, that violin is super important. With a taxi, your violin will be next to you. It'd be very hard to forget. I think I'm gonna lock in 3. I'll go 3 as well. - You're right. You're both right. Yup.
- Eddy: Correct? Yes! I mean, on one hand, I feel happy I got it right. But on the other hand, it just makes me feel so bad that I forgot my stuff. I left a bow in a bow case in an Uber. - Oh... okay, okay.
- Ooh... So there's truth there. - So that's the secret.
- Yeah. You've got to get something that's... - ...half true, so you can say it convincingly.
- Half true. Yeah. The bodyguard thing was in Russia. The presenter provided bodyguards for everyone, but said... "If you're gonna go out, leave the bodyguard at the hotel with the violin." And I was like, "But what about... me?" Hilary: They were like, "Uh... whatever." "Leave the bodyguard at the hotel with the violin." Who knows what happens to me, but my violin is fine. - Okay, my turn.
- Yeah.
- Yeah. The first time I raised my hand to answer a question from my English teacher when I was 6 years old... and the answer I said was "poo." Brett: Second... The first time I ever played the viola in a rehearsal, I was 18 years old. My first one and only singing lesson was at the age of 14 in high school. I think Hilary should go first 'cause I already know one of them to be true. I'm gonna go with 1. Although it's probably really true. Poo... Yeah! Would you really say poo as a 6-year-old? My 3-year-old is doing jokes about poop and pee. But 6-year-olds may be as well. I also think 1 or 3. Brett did do a viola thing when he was 18. He's not making eye contact. Yeah, I'm looking away. Ha ha ha...! I'll look at the camera. I initially thought 3. Maybe I should switch to 3. Brett, sing for us right now, - so we can judge whether you had a lesson before.
- No, I'm not singing. I'm switching to 3. Yeah, you guys got it right! Eddy: Are we right? Yes! Why did you say poop? I still remember this soooo clearly. It's like my first time going overseas from... you know, Asia, Taiwan. My English was horrible. Brett: And there was a kid in the same class, called Kinkaid. It was an interesting name, so I still remember it. And the teacher asked a question. I wasn't really paying attention because I didn't understand what the teacher was saying. Kaid was like... "Poo!" Brett: And I thought that was the answer. - Hilary: Aw, that's awful, too!
- Brett: Literally. He said it so convincingly. He was like, "Poo!" And I was like... "POO!" And then I just remember there was awkward silence afterwards. Brett: I think I forgot everything else. - I blocked it out.
- That's so relatable! - Yeah, and I was the only Asian kid there.
- Yeah. Aw... Your turn. Oh, okay, okay, okay. It's actually a fun game. - This is fun.
- It's really a fun game. In high school, for one of my semesters, I once had an English teacher who didn't know how to spell "unicorn." And so she spelled "unicon." And nobody mentioned it, so on the whiteboard it said "unicon" for the whole lesson. Eddy: The second one is... When I was in primary school, I once was asked to record Sarasate, Romanza Andaluza, as part of this little CD that the primary school was making. And I was the only solo violin on that CD. Eddy: And the third one... When I was young, at my grandma's house, I was walking down a flight of steps, and then... I didn't see, but I stepped on the dog that was lying on the steps. And then the dog bit me. These are so elaborate! Dude, I don't even know this! Um... Yeah, I had to think of stuff that you don't know, Brett. I feel like 3 is like, whacko, but then because it's whacko... I'm gonna go with 3...? I just think the detail of the dog biting you might be the thing that's not true. I also feel like 2 might be too easy to lie as well. Like, any part of 2 could be wrong. Like, it could be the piece, or the... - Yeah, exactly.
- Hilary: ...primary school, only violinist on the recording. I'm gonna go 2. I'm throwing out my senses on 2. You were right. - Yes!!
- Hilary: Ahh! - No!
- Eddy: It was 2. Yeah. I played Wieniawski, Légende. You're exactly right, I just changed the piece. The dog did bite me, I remember crying a lot. We did have a... - I'm still laughing...
- Brett: Yeah, I thought... - I can't believe I had an English teacher that can't spell "unicorn".
- I thought... Yeah, that's... That's pretty funny. Brett: Should we do one last round? - One last round?
- Hilary: Yeah, let's do one last round. I don't practice every day, but when I do, I practice 4 to 6 hours. 46 hours?! - 4 to 6 hours in the day.
- Brett: 4 to 6 hours.
- Eddy: Oh, right! I was like, "What is this?!" I've gone paragliding twice at Verbier, Hilary: at the festival. And the third, I went on a nature expedition in the Arctic Circle. What?! Wait, what's the Arctic Circle? Like, that's like, where polar bears are, right? Mm-hmm. So which of those? I'm going 3. - Actually, I don't know, Alaska...
- Wait, is Arctic Circle like, North Pole? I don't know! I just know it's somewhere like... Yeah, probably like, super north. - Brett: Like, super cold.
- Yeah, I don't even know what the definition of Arctic Circle is. Oh, this one's hard. I reckon 1. I think Hilary actually practices - 46 hours every day. I think that's the truth.
- Brett: Yeah, 46 hours every day! I'm gonna go with 3. Eddy: It was 1! Wait, so where in the Arctic did you go? So I went on a rafting expedition on the Firth River, which is up in the Arctic Circle, in Canada. - Wow, Canada. Okay.
- Canada! I don't know with, um... With current climate conditions, but at that time, that river only ran for 6 to 8 weeks every year. The rest of the time, it was frozen. - Wow, okay. Yeah.
- It sounds like such a fun time. I've got 3 good ones. These are 3 instruments I learnt in the following order. First I learnt the violin, then I learnt the piano, then I learnt the cello. Next statement is... I played table tennis competitively. Third statement: I played Paganini Caprice No. 16... ...in Italy, when I was 16. Wait, when were you ever in Italy? No, you went for the school tour. - Actually, I don't know how much I should say.
- Hilary: Ohh... - I see, I see.
- Eddy: Maybe Hilary should... I feel like I need some music, like some thinking music. Yeah! Maybe it wasn't Italy, maybe you played it in France. Well, table tennis competitively could be just like a little tournament in school. Up to interpretation. Well, if it's up to interpretation you could also say he was just in a hotel room in Italy, and he was practicing Pag 16, Eddy: and he played it, technically, right? What's your guess? I think it's definitely 1 or 3, I know you played table tennis as a kid. Eddy: I know your brother played the cello. I didn't know you actually took cello lessons, though. I'm gonna go 1. I'm gonna say 3. (both) Ooooh! Okay, Eddy's right, 1. Ohh! Yeah...! Was it the order? Yes, it was the order, actually. - Really? So you did learn cello?
- Yeah, I did learn cello. What?! - Yeah, so he didn't know that either.
- I didn't know that! I actually learnt the violin, then the cello, then the piano. Wait, so tell us about Paganini 16. It was... high school, like, "Oh Brett, we need you to play something, we're in Italy!" "Play something Paganini!" I'm like, "Ahh... 6..." - Was it a performance?
- Yeah, performance. Outdoor concert. Brett: The forecast, it was gonna rain, then I played outdoors, and it became sunny, and they were like, "Oh my god, could you play Paganini 16 so it's sunny?" *Eddy laughing* - Brett: "Okay."
- Eddy: Yes! Bravo. That's good, like that's a good true story. I gotta pick one to finish it off. - Sorry, give me a moment. I was too invested in thinking.
- It's like, "I forgot my violin in my bedroom." Yeah! You hide your face after you say it. Hilary: He hides his face while he's coming up with it. I can still see his face from here. But he's hiding his mouth, - Hilary: and he's touching his nose.
- Brett: Yeah. He's like... Is he like, smirking? Why are you guys analyzing me? If you hide your mouth, or you touch your nose when you're lying, apparently, it gives it away. I'll just say all 3 touching my nose. - Now he's gonna start touching...!
- Just do all of them like this. - All right, I got them. You ready?
- Yep. I was once on one of those, what do you call it, like...? Tour booking trips? When you go with a group. - Yeah.
- Eddy: From Australia to China. They end up taking you to all these like, upselling places that you don't really wanna go to. And so me and my friend got so sick of it, we were like, "We wanna actually do something fun." And so one night in Shanghai, we decided to sneak out at night And we just went to some parties, and then we did an all-nighter. Except on the all-nighter, going back, there was really bad traffic. And they said the whole bus got held up because we weren't back at the hotel in time. And we got in a lot of trouble. So that's the first story. Oh my god...! I can't even summarize that. Okay. The second story... We're in Philadelphia. So, I don't know if you remember this or not, maybe you'll forget. While we're on tour, we love doing escape rooms. And the way most escape rooms work is they're mechanical, so you do something correctly, the lock opens. Right? Eddy: But this one is like... You have to put something into a box. And there's a person on the other side of the door that checks if you did the right thing or not, and they give you the next hint. Eddy: Which already was kind of weird, right? I was reading a hint, and I didn't really understand it. And there was this painting of a pirate. So I went up to the pirate and I just yelled out, "O mighty Gustavo!" You just hear this laugh in the other room, the lady was like, "That is so funny. You didn't do the right thing, but I'm gonna give you the next hint anyway." So that's the second story. - Okay.
- Eddy: And the third story... Once we were in a uni rehearsal, and our conductor was super in a bad mood. Like, just very angry. And I think someone was chatting, and he just started like, yelling at them. Like, why you shouldn't disrespect an orchestra rehearsal. You know, this guy's yelling for 5 minutes, I was bored, so I just kind of had my phone on silent. Like, texting, maybe. When he finished yelling, I went to close it, but I think I double tapped or something. And so while it was silent after his yelling, my Siri spoke, it was like, "How would you like to help?" And then he just turned at me, and I was just like... "Sorry, my phone... ...malfunctioned." - So that's the third statement.
- Okay! - 3 novels.
- Oh, okay! I'll let Hilary go first. The second story... What was it about? - The escape room, yelling "Gustavo."
- Hilary: Yes. I just feel like that happened. Yeah, I'm with Hilary on this one. I think 2 is definitely real. - 'Cause you were there.
- Brett: I remember I was there. We were in Philly together. - That's true!
- Yeah, exactly.
- And I remember you did an escape room, and it was a frustrating escape room. - Oh, we did tell you that story!
- Yeah, we did... We told her! I don't remember the other side of the room, but... - It's ringing some... bell.
- Brett: Yeah, no, - we definitely would've... Ah, yeah.
- Yeah yeah, we would have told you, - I think we told you that story.
- A hundred percent, yeah. Was it Gustavo Dudamel? Who was this Gustavo you were...? Gustavo Dudamel! "Almighty..." - You should've said that, "Almighty Gustavo Dudamel!"
- I... Alright, I don't remember if the name was exactly Gustavo. It was some name that sounded like - Gustavo on the hint.
- Yeah. - Ohh...
- Eddy: So I just started yelling it at this painting.
- Brett: Yeah, I remember that part. It was funny as... - I'm gonna say 1.
- Brett: I'm locking in 1. Yeah, me too. There were so many parts to that story, I can't remember... Dammit, I added too many parts. Yeah, you guys are right. It's 1. Yeah...! But it did happen, my only thing I lied about was it happened in Beijing, not Shanghai. - What?!
- Eddy: Everything else happened, - Eddy: I did sneak out.
- Brett: Oh... I did too many details, so you guys got suspicious. But still! The fact that all that happened. Hilary: Like, I didn't pick up the city. That wasn't raising any suspicions. So good job on that one. All right guys, that's it for today. Did you learn some secrets about us? Some truths? Oh! One more thing! Hilary, you have something to... - Brett: ...promote.
- Hilary: This is a truth! Yeah, this is the latest album. This is the... The Paris album, and it's big enough to show because it's the... ...LP box set. - But yes, it's on CD, it's on streaming.
- Eddy: Wow. Which Prokofiev is it? No. 1? No. 1! - Everyone go check it out!
- Go check it out! And go check out Hilary's socials, - links below.
- Yes, and she will be on tour soon. Brett: If you get a chance, go watch her perform. And as always, go practice. Go practice.
