Those devilish gentlemen of Beyond the Fringe were surely up to no good with this parody of British composer Benjamin Britten (1911-1976) and his partner and muse, tenor Peter Pears (1910-1986). Dudley Moore - yes, that's Dudley Moore circa 1965 - takes composer and tenor to task with this scathing and hilarious take on a Brittenesque Little Miss Muffet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YqgiOj54Ko This faux-gay knockabout was just outrageous enough to be quite biting for the BBC in the mid 1960s. Neither Britten nor Pears, God love them, were known for their humor. But as musicians, they were among the very great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gHTw9XjKMc
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.