Danny Kaye, Conductor

[Prommer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlGK...e_gdata_player

This is now thirty years or so ago, but I had not seen or heard it before. He really is conducting the NYPO, and being very funny with it, along the way.

Carlos Kleiber was apparently a great admirer...

[Caliban]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlGK...e_gdata_player

This is now thirty years or so ago, but I had not seen or heard it before. He really is conducting the NYPO, and being very funny with it, along the way.

Carlos Kleiber was apparently a great admirer...

By Jove, he's got it!! Once he gets going, it's the real thing!! With gags!

I've paid to see many worse baton-wielders!

[Chris Newman]

I could not get tickets for a concert Danny Kaye did with the LSO at the Albert Hall. Apparently he conducted Cimarosa's Il Maestro di Capella with Geraint Evans singing and had an amazingly funny sword/baton fight. He was a special envoy (Ambassador at Large) for UNICEF and the proceeds of his concerts went to them. That was in the days when the USA witheld payments from UNICEF and UNESCO because they did not approve.

[salymap]

I've told this before on here but a long time ago. I was at a rehearsal of the LSO, Sargent and Artur Rubinstein, who, I think, was rehearsing Beethoven PC 5. Suddenly there was a shout of "Artur" from the stalls opposite our small group of'students' and a tall figure rushed onto the platform, much to Malcolm's annoyance, and embraced Rubinstein. Apparently they were friends and neighbours in the US. Danny took over the rostrum, Sargent retreated to the side ofthe platform, and Danny went through his paces.
First he conducted the silent orchestra, he did his posh RAF officer routine and fooled about for some time.
By then the orchestra were queueing for Danny's autograph and it was some time before the rehearsal restarted.
I saw Danny Kaye that year at the London Palladium for sheer enjoyment the RAH show was the best.
My friend and I also spoke to Rubinstein, one of my heroes. I think the year was 1948.

[french frank]

Mmmmm. Didn't that mix of music and comedy make orchestral music 'accessible' [sic] in a very intelligent way? If only there were a few stars of the calibre of DK with both talents around today

[Ferretfancy]

I'm sorry, but I found Kaye's over the top performances embarrassingly bad - real hide behind the sofa stuff. There were a few nice moments in his films, where the best bits were written by his wife, Sylvia Fine, but all that clowning as a conductor seemed to me to hold good music up for ridicule.
Please! Nobody mention Victor Borge!

[Franzl01]

I could not get tickets for a concert Danny Kaye did with the LSO at the Albert Hall. Apparently he conducted Cimarosa's Il Maestro di Capella with Geraint Evans singing and had an amazingly funny sword/baton fight. He was a special envoy (Ambassador at Large) for UNICEF and the proceeds of his concerts went to them. That was in the days when the USA witheld payments from UNICEF and UNESCO because they did not approve.

It was the LPO, and I sat behind the orchestra - fascinating, and it was all down in the players' parts! There was a lovely moment at the end when someone called from the audience; 'What about Ballin' the Jack?', and DK started the sing it, with the orchestra gradually busking it with him.

[Beef Oven]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlGK...e_gdata_player

This is now thirty years or so ago, but I had not seen or heard it before. He really is conducting the NYPO, and being very funny with it, along the way.

Carlos Kleiber was apparently a great admirer...

This guy was trained by Sinopoli I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2tpB...ture=endscreen

[Beef Oven]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jgES...eature=related

[amateur51]

I'm with FF - Danny Kaye made me cringe as a child and now, while Victor Borge made me laugh then and to this day.

It's all in the wiring, they do say