An Hysteric Return: P.D.Q. Bach at Carnegie Hall

Peter Schickele (Composer), Jorge Mester (Conductor), Royal P.D.Q. Bach Festival Orchestra (Orchestra), P.D.Q. Bach (Performer), Maurice Eisenstadt (Performer), William Woolf (Performer), Lorna Haywood (Performer), John Ferrante (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: P.D.Q. Bach, Maurice Eisenstadt, William Woolf, Lorna Haywood, John Ferrante
• Orchestra: Royal P.D.Q. Bach Festival Orchestra
• Conductor: Jorge Mester
• Composer: Peter Schickele
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000EJ4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,250 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy & Spoken Word
  • #51 in Music > Indie Music > Classical

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the funniest PDQ Bach recording ever made..., October 27, 2000

By 

Mark Swinton - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Hysteric Return: P.D.Q. Bach at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

This is the ultimate CD to get for unabashed amusement! It is a live concert recording hosted by Professor Peter Schickele, the man who single-handedly unleashed J.S. Bach's "forgotten" son onto the musical world some years ago and who has kept audiences in stitches with "newly-discovered" works and performances of them using a host of "authentic instruments" - for instance, this CD is the only one I've ever come across that includes music for bicycle, bagpipes and balloons...

My former composition tutor possesses a copy of the first item in the programme, "The Seasonings," an oratorio that can best be described as a crazy fusion of Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" and Handel's "Messiah." Hearing that score come to life in this recording had me laughing just as much as the live audience: particular moments including the line "Soothsayer, say unto me the sooth," and the aria "Open Sesame seeds" for solo bass (which includes a passage that is physically impossible to sing unless you happen to be a Russian octavist!). The programme closes with the "Pervertimento" (not the composer's own title, apparently) for bicycle, droneless bagpipes and balloons with kazoos attached. This too is an utter hilarity: the entrance of the wheezy bicycle siren in the second movement (over implacably graceful string music) never fails to evoke a giggle! In between these two works comes one of Peter Schickele's own works: "The Unbegun Symphony" which consists of a minuet and a finale but nothing else. This is not as arresting as the other two works, but it fills up the programme very well, complementing the PDQ Bach items and providing no less amusing moments.

If you only ever buy one PDQ Bach record, it might as well be this one. Endless fun, particularly for musicians who like to take the plunge now and then...

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Vintage" P.D.Q. Bach, July 4, 2003

By 

Virtualmonk (Missouri) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Hysteric Return: P.D.Q. Bach at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

I was first introduced to the "artistry" of P.D.Q. Bach in the late '70s via "The Wurst of P.D.Q. Bach" compilation. That album is long gone, so, now that I'm going through my mid-life "transition", I'm rediscovering good ol' P.D.Q. via the original Vanguard recordings. This is, to my knowledge, the second of the P.D.Q. Bach recordings, and it is truly a side-splitting classic. If you have "The Wurst", you may still want this recording, too, as it contains the complete "The Seasonings" as well as the full introduction and third movement of the "Unbegun" Symphony. WARNING: if you listen to this while driving, make sure you're on a road with a good, wide paved shoulder. You will likely need it so you can pull off to recover from a fit of hysterical laughter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prime PDQ, November 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: An Hysteric Return: P.D.Q. Bach at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

This is definitely one of the best of the many titles featuring the questionable genius of J S Bach's 13th and perpetually soused son, PDQ. As always, Peter Schickele is in fine form with rapid-fire jokes, quips and godawful puns, but it is the sheer breathtaking awfulness of the music which leaves you rolling about helplessly with laughter, begging for more. The first offering, "The Seasonings", manages to mercilessly savage Handel's "Messiah" in just under twenty minutes, and the vocal harmonies have to be heard to be believed, especially the final chord of the work. Schickele's 'Unbegun Symphony" has the Professor back to his old tricks again, mucking about with the interplay of classical standards and more modern melodies, but it is the "Pervertimento" which stands out as an instant classic. Only an inventive genius (or a complete loon) would think to incorporate bicycles into an orchestral piece, much less the distinctive wail of the bagpipes. In fact, the second movement, where the bagpipes try desperately to echo the strings, must stand as one of the high points of musical comedy to this date. The only problem with this recording is that much of the humour to be derived from the performance is visual, so it does lose a little in the translation. That aside, this is a very, very funny CD, and a great introduction for anyone wanting to dip into zany world of PDQ Bach.