Search - P.D.Q. [pseudonym of Peter Schickele] Bach, Leonid Hambro, Chamber Orchestra :: Peter Schickele Presents An Evening With P.D.Q. Bach

Hilarious!

H. F. Gibbard | Dark City, USA | 04/19/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite P.D.Q. Bach recording. "Iphigenia in Brooklyn" is not only very funny; it's also very clever. I don't sense the same cleverness in more recent P.D.Q. Bach recordings; Peter Schickele seems to have run out of gas. Back when this was made, though, he was at the top of his art. What's funny about "Iphigenia," like any good parody, is how it's done with a straight face. John Ferrante is perfect as the "bargain counter tenor," forced to sing within a ridiculous range while double reeds (sans instruments) intone lugubriously around him. The whole thing smacks of Handel's more serious choral works, turned to utter silliness."

P.D.Q. Bach in action

Anna Dewey | MN, USA | 12/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though the laughter in this live recording sometimes distracts from the music, it is still P.D.Q. and the Prof. at some of their highest hilarity. The Concerto for Horn and Hardart is one of P.D.Q.'s pieces that relies more on the work of a collection of humorous instruments than clever music but is still a treat to listen to(One wonders what the Hardart looked like in performance). Iphegenia In Brooklyn manages to combine both P.D.Q.'s trademark "devious instruments" with wit sharp as a tack. The highlight being the clever recitative "Oh ye gods..." and the aria "running nose". The gem on this disc remains to be the Quodlibet by Professor Peter Schickele, whose skills in "borrowing" themes has yet to be matched. This disc is a must have for any serious (if there can be one) fan of P.D.Q. Bach!"

Plagiarism at its best...

Timothy P. Scanlon | Hyattsville, MDUSA | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Curses. I'd planned to entitle this "Vintage PDQ" but some other reviewer beat me to it.I too first heard this many, many years ago. And I still hum along with it, particularly portions of Shickele's own "Quodlibet." ("Be prepared to hear things you've heard before," Professor Schickele warns the audience.This really is a unique comedy genre. As an acquaintance with a degree from Julliard from which Schickele is also a graduate said, "You and I could tell a story and people would be bored. Peter tells the same story and everyone is in stitches." That describes this, maybe the first of the PDQ Bach collection. "PDQ was the last of Johann Sebastian's twenty odd children. He's also the oddest."DO be prepared to hear things you've heard before. Be prepared even to remember some of the mixture of themes that make up the Quodlibet. And be prepared to laugh. This is great stuff."