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Topic: Victor Borge  (Read 2908 times)

Offline rosie

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Victor Borge
on: May 12, 2004, 08:31:24 PM
Forgive me if there is already a thread on this, but what do you think about Victor Borge? I think he is sooooooo funny.

rosie

Offline belvoce

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #1 on: May 12, 2004, 09:16:20 PM
I love Victor Borge! ;) I haven't watched my tape of him in a while, but I have many fun memories of my brother and I almost dying of laughter while we watched.

Offline MzrtMusic

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #2 on: May 16, 2004, 06:12:29 AM
My friend and I once took the music for Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, and we watched the video clip of him and the Romanian pianist playing it, and wrote it all down. We performed it at a talent show, and the audience LOVED it! It was so much fun! But we got really sick of those three minutes of video! It took us almost three hours to complete.

My Grandpa saw Victor Borge live once, when he was in the army. He said that he is even funnier in person than on video!

Love,

Sarah
My heart is full of many things...there are moments when I feel that speech is nothing after all.
-- Ludwig Van Beethoven

Offline krenske

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #3 on: May 19, 2004, 11:46:06 PM
Who could resist Fliszt and M. Ozart?
Or that fabulous seat-belt trick?
I wonder how much trouble you'd get into for falling off your seat in a exam-recital!!!?
"Horowitz died so Krenske could live."

Offline faulty_damper

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #4 on: May 20, 2004, 12:23:43 AM
I had to google him up.  I'm now listening to some clips of his performances.

https://www.kor.dk/borge/b-mus-1.htm

He's a funny guy.  I like his Happy Birthday variations and how he was able to shift from Chopin's A major Polonaise into the HB theme.  And also from Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody 2 into the theme.  

Offline faulty_damper

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #5 on: May 20, 2004, 12:27:50 AM
HOLY sh*t!  He's even playing the HB theme in Moonlight Sonata!  That's amazing! :D

Borge is amazing with Mozart, too!  Dang, thanks for bringing up Victor Borge, Rosie!

Does anyone know if he is improvising it or is it well rehearsed before he plays it?

Offline bernhard

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #6 on: May 20, 2004, 12:47:42 AM
Quote
HOLY sh*t!  He's even playing the HB theme in Moonlight Sonata!  That's amazing! :D

Borge is amazing with Mozart, too!  Dang, thanks for bringing up Victor Borge, Rosie!

Does anyone know if he is improvising it or is it well rehearsed before he plays it?


I may be wrong, but I believe it is rehearsed.

The reason I say so is that some years ago I came across a book of Happy Birthday variations (Gunther Von Noe - Happy Birthday to you - Humorous variations for piano - Doblinger), and several of the variations that Borge plays are in this book (it has amongst other gems, HBTY implanted on the Pathetique's 1st movement, on Schubert's impromptu op. 90 no. 2,  On Chopin's Etude op. 25 no. 1, even on Arnold Schoenberg!).

But then again, he might have been imporvising and Gunther just wrote it down.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. (Hunter Thompson)

Offline thomas_williams

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #7 on: May 21, 2004, 01:10:54 AM
I have heard very little from him but would love to hear more (and see the video)!  I have heard his "phonetic punctuation" on the radio (twice, actually) and IT IS HILLARIOUS!  ;D
It's GREAT to be a classical musician!

Offline TonyG

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #8 on: June 27, 2004, 09:50:50 PM
Well I've not heard that name for years, and did not realise he was still alive. Behind all the messing about and comedy Victor is (was) a quite outstanding player. The very same applied to the late Liberace. What ever you think of the man and the sad circumstances surrounding his death he was a true pianist. Many accused him of making Chopin in particular sound cheap and glitzy, but hey, there was no Classic FM in the UK then, hardly anyone listened to Radio Three, and this guy brought a 'glitzy' taste of the classics into living rooms that were only accustomed to The Beatles and the (fabulous I think) Stones. Another 'variety show' pianist of quite breathtaking ability was Arthur SEMPRINI, who produced further 'Rachmaninov pastiche' type works. Then there was Robert Docker of 'Legend' (now that is one tasty piece to play) fame. Let's not also forget the Queen mum's favourite pianist Russ Conway, who as well as his usual jingle jangle performances actually composed under the name Trevor H. Stanford some very attractive piano pieces, i.e. Concerto for Lovers, Concerto for Dreamers, Passing Breeze etc. I had a letter from Russ Conway just a couple of years before his death. He was non too pleased about what "passes for entertainment" these days!
"Playing Chopin to Status Quo" The Stage Newspaper, around 1978. Guess this still describes me well!

Offline faulty_damper

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #9 on: June 28, 2004, 03:46:01 AM
He's still alive? ???

Offline Antnee

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #10 on: June 28, 2004, 04:11:07 AM
I don't think so...  :( :( :(

-Tony-
"The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught to have too much respect for music they should be taught to love it instead." -  Stravinsky

Offline donjuan

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Re: Victor Borge
Reply #11 on: June 28, 2004, 04:55:54 AM
Yeah, Borge is dead. :(  

haha!! I was just reminded of the clip of him with the puppet listening to him play Moonlight sonata, and the Bust of Beethoven started talking and falling asleep!  hehe I love that part!!
donjuan
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