Despite its reputation as a formal, refined art form, humor abounds in the classical music world—after all, those who make a career out of performing frustratingly difficult music have to find some kind of coping mechanism. And as Vermont finishes its fourth week under a stay-at-home order, we figure many of you could use a laugh as well. Here are some of our favorite videos for a classical music-related laugh; if you have other favorites that we should check out, send them to hello@vso.org.
1. Igudesman & Joo playing Rachmaninoff: When you don’t have Rachmaninoff-sized hands, you need to get creative.
2. Rob Paravonian’s Pachelbel Rant: Fair warning, this video has somewhat strong language—the kind that can only be forged by years of frustration with repetitive chord changes, of course.
3. Babatunde Akinboboye’s car sing-along videos: This baritone has created an entirely new genre, all while driving.
4. Lang Lang playing Chopin with an orange: Enough said.
5. Matthew Wright’s Cordon Sanitaire adventures: Follow VSO Principal Trombone Matthew Wright’s creative endeavors on his YouTube channel as he uses this period of social distancing to explore a variety of instruments and mediums, from paper towels to flute to percussion, below.