The Dreaded P.D.Q. Bach [Box set]

Peter Schickele (Performer), P.D.Q. [pseudonym of Peter Schickele] Bach (Composer), Peter Schickele (Composer), I Virtuosi Hoople (Performer), Semi Pro Musica Antiqua (Performer), Leonid Hambro (Performer), John Ferrante (Performer), Donna Ribalda (Performer), Southern North Dakota at Hoople Heavy Orchestra (Orchestra), David Oei (Performer), David Oel (Performer), Lorna Haywood (Performer), Marlena Kleinman (Performer), John Nelson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Schickele, I Virtuosi Hoople, Semi Pro Musica Antiqua, Leonid Hambro, John Ferrante, et al.
• Orchestra: Southern North Dakota at Hoople Heavy Orchestra
• Composer: P.D.Q. [pseudonym of Peter Schickele] Bach, Peter Schickele
• Audio CD (August 27, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000EDK
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,863 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #21 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Symphonies > Sinfonia Concertante
  • #50 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Brass > French Horn

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. In the Vanguard Vault, Part 1

2. Introduction

3. Allegro

4. Tema con variazione

5. Menuetto con Panna e Zucchero

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. 'Unbegun' Symphony, By Professor Schickele - Introduction

2. 'Unbegun' Symphony, By Professor Schickele - III. Minuet

3. 'Unbegun' Symphony, By Professor Schickele - IV. Andante - Allegro

4. Pervertimento For Bagpipes, Bicycle And Ballons (S. 66) - Introduction

5. Pervertimento For Bagpipes, Bicycle And Ballons (S. 66) - Allegro Moulto

See all 33 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Program Of Broadcast: The Stoned Guest, Part 1: Introduction

2. Program Of Broadcast: The Stoned Guest, Part 1: Overture

3. Program Of Broadcast: The Stoned Guest, Part 1: Aria: 'Let's Face It-I'm Lost'

4. Program Of Broadcast: The Stoned Guest, Part 1: Recitative: 'Boy!'

5. Program Of Broadcast: The Stoned Guest, Part 1: Aria: 'Now Is The Season'

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Introduction

2. Overture

3. Aria: 'I Am A Quaint Old Innkeeper'

4. Aria: 'Like A Lonely Pilgrim'

5. Aria: 'My Name Is Hansel Hunter'

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Twisted Genius!, April 21, 2002

By 

D. Seymour "snadmus" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dreaded P.D.Q. Bach (Audio CD)

This four disc collection (Volume 1) of the pre-digital recordings of P.D.Q. Bach is excellent! P.D.Q. is the Anti-Mozart, and devilishly dis-fun-ctional at that. And for comedy music, the upside to Professor Peter Schickele is that the music is actually memorable and quite good on its own. The more you know about classical music or music theory in general, the funnier this music becomes. After listening to the oratorio The Seasonings, tell me you didn't roll your eyes at the trio "Bide thy thyme", remember the last football game you attended during the Finale, or find yourself singing "Open sesame seeds" about an hour or so later. The Unbegun Symphony is at least as exciting as the sum of its forty-odd, far more illustrious parts. Why pay for a music appreciation course when you can cram it all in just under 9 minutes. I remain ever-so-slightly disappointed to this day that Mozart didn't think of the same key change in Symphony 41. The Pervertimento is priceless. Beethoven's Fifth with running commentary is probably one of the best routines on record. The Schleptet lays a glorious egg and the two operas are irreverant and inane respectively. Oh yes, and don't forget to cringe during "Please, kind sir". The remastered sound is excellent compared to their first digital release. ... I ... am having to wait until Vanguard releases the second volume so that I can have a decent copy of the Missa Hilarious. However, in the meantime this collection will do just fine.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally corny and totally classic!, November 29, 2002

By 

Brianna Neal (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dreaded P.D.Q. Bach (Audio CD)

What can I say? These attempts to poke fun at classical music and aficionados of the genre are silly, puerile, well-informed, beloved by said aficionados, and utterly hilarious. With a style of humor that is something like a cross between Garrison Keillor, Victor Borge and Monty Python, "Professor" Peter Schickele has been perpetrating the P.D.Q. Bach phenomenon since 1959. "Researching" and sometimes even dressing up as the alleged "last and least" of Johann Sebastian Bach's many children, Schickele has composed, conducted and performed send-ups of various composers and musical styles. This four CD set compiles some the best (or should I say "worst"?) of his efforts. Included are "The O.K. Chorale", "The Unbegun Symphony", "My Bonnie Lass, She Smelleth", "The Seasonings", "Schleptet in E flat minor", "Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments", "Concerto for Horn and Hardart", and my two personal favorites: "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" (with commentary by sports analysts discussing the "competition" between the conductor and the orchestra) and the hilarious cantata "Iphigenia in Brooklyn". I can remember my father rolling on the floor in hysterics upon first hearing "Iphigenia", and anyone who is familiar with the Baroque oratorio style of such ubiquitous works as Handel's "Messiah" or J.S. Bach's cantatas will undoubtedly howl too at all the "in jokes". If you're serious about Baroque or classical music, do yourself a favor--let your hair down, get un-serious, and listen to these CDs every once in a while. And may every genre of music be fortunate enough to have a "P.D.Q. Bach" invented for it!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff, but..., April 26, 2000

By 

Sean Cullen "Seanakin" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dreaded P.D.Q. Bach (Audio CD)

Having indulged in the works of Prof. Schickele whom I call the "Weird Al" of Classical Music (Sorry, Al) for ten years now, I give this collection thunderous applause, especially for the fact that it FINALLY includes the "Sanka Cantata!" However, it's my personal opinion that it pulled up one album too soon. Had it included "Portrait of P.D.Q. Bach," there would be no need to wait for Vanguard or Schickele or whoever to remaster the rest of the Vanguard PDQ catalogue. But, since it doesn't, I'm noting my objection here.

I like the extended liner notes, though.