I play in a community concert band that's about 80% professional, with a few duffers like myself. Every year we have a 'one composer' concert. For years I've been suggesting that we do a P.D.Q. Bach / Peter Schickele concert. The typical response from the music directors is "We're not THAT good yet!"
They're right. It is incredibly difficult to play Schickele's music -- much less spell his name -- precisely because he zigs when you "should" zag and jumps when you should duck -- in fact I think he used a duck (call) in this piece. But his pieces are sure fun to listen to, even if the audience doesn't always get all the jokes.
I dated a girl in college who played in the band and took lessons/courses from a French Horn Player in the Buffalo Philharmonic. When Peter Schickele came to do a concert, the sheet music was sent to the orchestra only three days before the performance. Most certainly, only seasoned professionals could keep up with Peter.
My brother and I have each asked for "Pop Goes the Weasel" to be played during our funeral liturgies. Our sister Bridget, who has arranged music for the liturgies of Dad, Mom and sister Jane, has flatly refused. Go figure!
I agree. I have seen at least a half dozen versions of this piece from high schools to the Boston Pops & this is easily the best of them next to Schickele's own. But there's no ID. What orchestra is this?
The music is the joke, the musicians don't clown. Some of PDQs works are extremely difficult to play or sing. The physical jokes are carefully contrived. If you mess with his music he will come and haunt you.
It is very refreshing to see that the efforts of Professor Schickele paid off and the music of PDQ Bach is becoming part of the classical repertoire. I remember thinking back when I came in to acquaintance with this piece that it would be great to see an actual performance of the overture but I thought that such day would never come. I am most grateful to know that I was wrong.
THE LATE GREAT PETER SCHICKLE,THE CLOWN PRINCE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC! HIS LEGACY WILL LIVE ON,AS LONG AS MUSICIANS AND GOD HAS A SENSE OF THE REDICULOUS AND A HEARTY SENSE OF HUMOR! THANK YOU PETER! THANK YOU 😇 😊!
Switch to Wellington's Victory, which the 1812 Overture replaced in the public epository of Really Obnoxiously Grand But Fun Pieces. Some of the best deserved parts of the 1812 Overture were parodied here.
@@BennyLlama39 Indeed, Monty Python did that to me with Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, with their Oliver Cromwell song, those bastards: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pwiztVCnjY0.html
This is even funnier if you read the liner notes for the album. For example, it is partly the story of two brothers, Rudi and Dieter Dudel. Rudi founded and became the mayor of the town of Duseldorf, Germany, and became known as Der Deutscher Dudel, while Dieter moved to the New World and became known as the Yankee Dudel. This explains one of the themes in the piece!
I might very well have misspelled the town name but that is not relevant. The explanation I speak of refers to "Yankee Doodle" being used as a theme in this piece. There's no reason to be pedantic about it.
@@graeme011 Without the umlaut, it is spelled Dusseldorf in English. Being good linguistic imperialists, and considering this post is in English, I would ask, "who won the war, anyway?!"
The guy with the pink tie and shorts is pretty well hidden. Didn't see him til a last close up. I love the parts where Shick doesn't think it came out quite silly enough, so he immediately repeats the brass line muted. The guy is a warped genius!
I attended Norwich University, a military college, and each spring we performed the 1812 Overture, complete with Carillon and 75 mm Howitzers. around 1990 I had the chance to see and hear the 1712 Overture performed by the Buffalo Symphony. one of the most entertaining and memorable concerts I've ever seen. having played the 1812 the 1712 is even more hilarious especially the exaggerated glissando run and the whole orchestra on cue taking a deep breath. I was s horn player. I think his music is purd genius. it's also nice to know Rainer Hirsch has taken up when the professor left off.
More years ago than I care to count I saw the Professor in Philadelphia where the performed the four seasonings oratorio. This was an unforgetable evening and living proof that life is too important to take seriously. :-)
Splendid!! Had me laughing out loud, several times. 15 mins ago, I was innocently watching Dvorak's 'Requiem.' Then, on an impulse, I looked-up the meaning of 'Tuba Mirum' ... Too late - the damage was done and I was hooked!
This was more enjoyable to watch and listen to than when Peter Schickele conducted this overture with my local orchestra. This orchestra really go into of PDQ Bach's overture.
DrBobcf Obviously, since PDQ's 1712 comes first. 1712 before 1812. Pyotr Ilyich has a lot to answer for. He still owes me for the pint I stood him for. So does PDQ. But I'll never see my money from PDQ, I know that.
Possibly two reasons: culture and amplification. Japanese audiences at concerts tend to be rather undemonstrative. And if the audience isn't mic'd you'd have a hard time hearing them laugh over the volume of the orchestra anyway.
Yes, on one of his intro's he says something like: Prepare to hear things you've heard before. But then he warps them into complete hilarity. What scares me, is if you listen to enough of it, some of the warped parts start to sound GOOD???
Say what you will of the impish humor of von Karajan or the nonchalant, laid back Furtwangler, this has to be the Reference Recording. RIP Peter Schickele
Perform PDQ Bach without telling the audience beforehand that it's supposed to be funny and they have permission to laugh, and you risk a total flop. I know: I've been in that situation many times.
Very well played, it takes great musicianship to perform a parody well. Very nice composition and performance. Even a funny seating arrangement. Were the birds tuned to D#? ;-) Thank you all! Bravo!
Oh, my gosh: I have not listened to PDQ Bach in dedades. This was great. I'd love to know which orchestra is performing, and the explanation for the smattering of costumes. Well done with loving respect for PDQ Bach and Peter Schickele. Thanks !
MathMachne', Then Schickle has succeeded!. PDQ Bach's video "New Horizons in Music Appreciation" renders Schickle's brand of musical humour more transparent.
That was a lot of fun. Can you add the name of the orchestra and conductor, and the location and date of this performance, to the video description above?
It's July 5th, 2018. I had forgotten this least known overture by the least (talented) child of J.S. Bach. Then the mouse wandered to an obscure box/link and here I am. Uh, where am I?;)
This is proof: PDQ Bach's plagiarism is time-reversible. Is it my imagination, or do I hear vocals in spots echoing the music? Oh, and I like the extended organ cadenza.
I have two questions. 1. The musicians who were out of uniform. Are they card-carrying members of the musician's union? 2. If they were not, were they paid union scale?
