Piano Concerto (to end all Piano Concertos) [Reizenstein]

[visitor]

cannot believe I didn't know about this. Really creative.

Reizenstein contributed the Concerto Popolare ("A Piano Concerto to end all Piano Concertos") to Gerard Hoffnung's first music festival in 1956. Hoffnung's festivals were comedy events, trading on the musical knowledge of the audience. The premise of the Concerto Popolare is that the orchestra believes it is playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, but the pianist believes he or she is playing the Grieg Piano Concerto. A pitched musical battle ensues, dragging in other themes (notably from Rhapsody in Blue, the Warsaw Concerto and the music-hall song "Roll Out the Barrel"). The soloist at the premiere was Yvonne Arnaud (otherwise a renowned actress), who had been chosen after Hoffnung's first choice, Eileen Joyce, declined.

alternate
even funnier w the video of the tomfoolery (no offence  to tom)

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*still better than the Schumann concerto. by a long shot.  

[stevensk]

Wonderful! (especially no 2) Thanks!  

[michael_sayers]

Thanks for sharing that as well!


Mvh,
Michael