Crazy Sneezing Conductor - Rossini's Barber of Seville

A crazy conductor tries to conduct a classical orchestra while fighting off an unbearable urge to sneeze in a live comedy skit.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• crazy
• conductor
• sneezing
• classical
• orchestra
• improv
• jerry
• lewis
• Rossini's
• Barber
• of
• Seville

[MyMusic0201]

Just making gestures to music is not funny. He is even too late with his jokes sometimes. For really funny stuff you should check out PDQ Bach or Anna Russel. This is simply a too long sketch of a one-trick pony.

[tonystafki]

@MyMusic0201 Just making gestures to music isn't funny? Some of Jerry Lewis's funniest skits were just him acting to music and then of course there's Bugs Bunny... maybe it's just a higher form of comedy art or something that actually requires a sense of humor in order to be enjoyed.

[MyMusic0201]

@tonystafki You are totally right. But the big difference is that Jerry Lewis' gestures were actually based on a deep sense of musicality. Danny Kaye did the same with some top orchestras, conducting them with great succes. This is just being silly on (or behind) music,. I am not a snob, but I think you can only make a parody about something if you know it very well...as far as cartoons moving on music is concerned: that is the work of filmcomposers and directors, well-timed works of genius.

[tonystafki]

@MyMusic0201 I would have to disagree. While Jerry Lewis and Danny Kaye obviously had great musical ability as well, what made their skits great was there ability to mimick conductors in a comedic way. I doubt very much that they were capable of actually conducting an orchestra. Most physical comedy comes from mimicking, not from a deep and complete technical understanding of the content. Very interesting subject, though.

[tonystafki]

@tonystafki In fact (I find this subject fascinating as I love comedy and music and how they interact), I think the reason you don't see the humor in this skit is that you assume when you watch a comedy skit on conducting that during the skit it will look like the conductor is actually conducting every note during the piece.

[tonystafki]

@tonystafki This skit is not that at all and is more of acting to the music as you say which reminds me of some of the Jerry Lewis skits (smoking cigar in the office ect..). This skit is less about the orchestra follow the conductor angle and more about the effect of the music on the conductor and the drama of the music.

[tonystafki]

@tonystafki As the music builds his sneeze gets harder and harder to supress, ect (Although, in the first half there is definately some comedic musical gestures.). I just like this skit because it is not just your same old conductor/orchestra routine.

[MyMusic0201]

@tonystafki Well, that is actually spot on. It isn't so much the art of conducting that is mocked (although some conductors just scream to be mocked). It is some kind of slapstick, but not a skit about Rossini or music. Also quite interesting is the idea that I don't find it funny on video. But what would have happened to me if I was actually THERE, seeing his face better, being part of the audience, undergoing their energy? Sometimes a comedian is funnier on stage than on CD. Fascinating...

[MyMusic0201]

@tonystafki The funny thing is that some of my teachers played in the Concertgebouw orchestra and were delighted with Danny Kaye. He wasn't a real conductor, but had an innnate sense of music (he was a fabulous singer, after all!). It is also interesting that knowledge seems to change your perception of 'humour'. As a musician I find PDQ Bach and Anna Russel hilarious, where they mock the academic attitude of many snobs. You'd have to know the music very well to get the joke...or maybe not....

[18974473]

Was it because people laugh so hard that they sneezing and cough ?