The Portsmouth Sinfonia performs Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy

[deltaframes]

FANTASTIC.

[phuturephunk]

The guy in the other video was right, even played like shit Tchaikovsky's music still does sound pretty good.

[MrsFingerhut]

The celestaplayer does definitely NOT sound like a bloody beginner! He/she is cheating!

[MrAndyScott]

Funniest thing ever ... pure genious!! Had an LP of theirs in the 70's and have tears in my eyes hearing it again, fantastic lol.

[BobMillahhh]

When the woodwinds first came in, I nearly pissed myself.

[FMstubetube]

You actually have to be a competent musician to keep going on an instrument you can't play. Also, the timing isn't THAT bad, which shows that they're not completely incompetent. They just can't play their instruments.

[SirHatchporch]

@FMstubetube Most of them were musicians. The main conceit was for them to play instruments they weren't familiar with.

[videoreff]

I find it impossible to listen to any of the Portsmouth Sinfonia's work without laughing.

Incredibly funny, wish they would re-form & do more...

[ExeterBassoon]

0:48 Bari Sax Loud and Proud!!!!

[PlaidBoyPDX]

This is my favorite one, omg.  It actually sounds ok until :18 and then my skin just crawls

[mandscat]

Dance of the Sugar-plub Ogre more like!

[SmileysRevenge100]

I think that violin is out of tune.

[sv650steve]

Sublime, truly sublime...

[TheCloven]

I hear one instrument that had it bang on for most of the song. Most.

[richw456]

fantastic. couldn't stop laughing. wish they were still going, would have loved to have gone to one of the concerts.

[mrwickwiz23]

They couldn't have done it better. *Hat's off*

[ancsaeb]

1:39 - The "recapitulation". EPIC WIN!!!!

[JamesBalti]

Awesome. Knew about this lot years ago, but never heard them. Oh the wonders of YouTube. Tears rolling down my cheeks! As a musician, I'd have loved to be a part of this, maybe on violin. The horror! The horror!

[JakeViciousPB]

It's an orchestra of non musicians told to do their very best.

Awesome.

[BorisGodunov]

@JakeViciousPB Actually, they were all musicians, they were just playing instruments that they weren't trained on. :)

[elainebmack]

The celeste sounds like an insane doorbell from 1:11 to 1:40. At 50 to1:10 sounds like Lieutenant Kije crashed the party.

[KVCtje]

OMG.... This is not real, is it? Can't be!

[SeikilosLyre]

I'm laughing so hard I've got tears rolling down my eyes. I've heard of this group, but never actually heard them before (aside from them playing a bit of backup on Eno's "Put a Straw Under Baby" on the Taking Tiger Strategy album). Hilarious-- the Ed Wood of symphonic music...

[lovepichio]

thanks for entertaining us:)

[charmeueueur]

i love it! i would like to play a violin concerto with them!!!

i am a pianist.

[Schnorbs]

I love that the celesta only plays one note at a time. That's my kind of keyboard playing.

[suejayne1]

Uproariously funny, especially the saxophones. Reminds me of Grade 6 band.

[Tradleon]

Tchaikovsky is rolling around in his grave.

[monkeyfarmer1138]

Oh God! I think my ears have just been raped!

This is friggin' hillarious. It had me laughing for at least a good five minutes.

[JFman00]

Decent xylo IMO (considering). Highly enjoyable.

[jonragnarsson]

It's so bad, it's brilliant!

[Largo64]

This should be presented with pictures from the "Ugliest Dog" competition!

This is a joke, right? Either that or everyone in the orchestra is tone deaf (uh, make that stone deaf!)

[SirHatchporch]

@Largo64 It was an experimental orchestra put together in the '70s, consisting mostly of musicians who were playing instruments they had never played before. Brian Eno was actually affiliated with them for a while.

[Largo64]

@SirHatchporch Sort of like Harold Hill's "think system" from The Music Man! "All right, men, think the minuet in G." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[ManEaterFromReading]

@Largo64

AHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA­HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA

[JediMasterMcBev]

Most amazing thing I've ever heard, I just wish I could tell if they are using bassoons or saxophones