What on earth is he playing here?

[cabbynum]

I love this and want to hear the rest of it or write a transcription or something but He doesnt say the name of it

at 3:08

[perfect_pitch]

I'm confused... he plays it exactly as written, and the name of the piece is written EXACTLY below the video:

Charles-Valentin Alkan - Etude Op. 39 No. 3 "Scherzo diabolico"

(composer)                   (piece)

[j_menz]

Indeed. And nothing special happens at 3:08. Have you put the wrong YT link in by mistake?

[cabbynum]

Ha I most certainly have! A friend on Facebook answered for me but you are curious here is what I meant to post.

[j_menz]

So basically, if you had listened to Raymond Lewenthal's words in the video you'd have got your answer anyway? 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Hi, meant to reply on YT but not had the time and I didn't know offhand anyway! Some mischievous people suggest the opening line is 'Ten Green Bottles'. When I worked on this, my teacher had some very interesting general comments on the theme. He prefaced them with a summary of differences between French and Teutonic culture (he studied at the Paris Conservatoire), in particular drawing attention to the French tradition of a rather knowing mockery, or in simpler terms, piss-taking. I wasn't fully convinced, but he maintains that most people play the theme too quickly and it should be, as commented before, a comic, knowing thumbing of the nose, not something faster, lighter and more trivial.

[cabbynum]

So basically, if you had listened to Raymond Lewenthal's words in the video you'd have got your answer anyway? 

If I'm not mistaken he just says Yiddish theme or jewish folk tune and doesn't say the actual name of the song! Or did I totally miss something. I  which case I will go crawl in a hole now

[j_menz]

If I'm not mistaken he just says Yiddish theme or jewish folk tune and doesn't say the actual name of the song! Or did I totally miss something. I  which case I will go crawl in a hole now

I don't know - he sings some of the words. I'd assumed the title was in there somewhere, but maybe not.

Some mischievous people suggest the opening line is 'Ten Green Bottles'.

Somehow I'd missed spotting that, but it really is. The variations have such a spirit of fun to them, that would make perfect sense.

Possibly the Yiddish tune was the source for that, too?