Richard Pennycuick wrote:

>I'm reminded of an LP of an English group of amateurs who called
>themselves the Portsmouth Sinfonia.  They were able to play well enough for
>you to recognise what it was they were trying to play but otherwise, their
>performances were disastrous.  A friend who owned the LP used to try it out
>on unsuspecting people.  He and his wife pretended nothing was wrong while
>watching for signs of incredulity, disbelief and so on.  ...

There's a similar delight in an old RCA LP of the "Guckenheimer Sauerkraut
Band" which sends up band arrangements.  Be careful of playing this for
anyone who's been in a high school band, for they may have a heart attack
or choke on their laughter.  The GSB arrangements of Raymonda Ove, Liszt's
Hungarian Rhapsody #2 and the ultimate, Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever,
remain so indelible in the mind that they wipe out all traces of the
original "straight" performances one has ever heard.  Did this ever make
it to CD? One of the great party records.

And in similar vein, does anyone remember the distinguished American
pianist, Mark Hambourg's Chopin waltz in 4/4? Devastating and almost
impossible to get out of one's head afterwards.

Can anyone nominate other such persistent "head busters?" I'll start with
Hoffnung's Chopin mazurka done with four tubas.  Heard on only piano
afterwards, there is a sense of loss of color...

Eric Kisch