Comments for Schickele, Peter, The Wurst of P. D. Q. Bach

"Concerto for Horn and Hardart" is in my opinion PDQ''s finest piece. Without the Hardart (an odd "instrument" consisting of strings, bottles, whistles, a bicycle horn, and a kitchen timer), the piece is strong musically. Yet the hardart adds to the piece, giving it a humorous element. "Schleptet" is also a great piece, with the various on-stage sound gags added (a pizzicato violinist breaking a fingernail, for example) and "Beethoven''s Fifth" takes the immortal classic and adds a baseball-style play-by-play for an interesting perspective. Note--correction to the playlist. The original piece is "Eine Kleine NACHTmusik," but PDQ''s version is "Eine Kleine NICHTmusik," as in A Little "Not Music."

One of Schickele`s earlier works, and one of the best.