Musical One-Upmanship Demonstrates Quirky Quartet's Talent

"Anything you can do, I can do better."  So sang Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun.  Whether it's on ice skates, in Cirque de Soleil, or in a concert hall, clowning around often is more difficult than playing it straight. Victor Borge set the tone for Classical comedy, followed quickly by Peter Schickele's alter-ego P.D.Q. Bach.  Both entertained audiences on many levels.  The physical schtick was one aspect of the joke, but there were many layers to the comedy onion.  Both Borge and Schickele had musical chops, which enabled them to make the jokes work. There is a German quartet whose videos are flying around social media, Salut Salon, which is both talented and hilarious.  Charles Ives loved to mix melodies up into a musical soup, but Vivaldi, Mozart, Kurt Weill, and Mission Impossible? Here's hoping Salut Salon comes soon to a theater near us. Read Classical Quartet Gets All Twisted (NPR Deceptive Cadence) If your German is fluent, here is an example of their musical talents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfbkaRq5q6A