Imitating a xilophone?

It´s been a long time since I don´t show you something funny but, today, I´ve found a video on YouTube that I think is worth sharing with you.

It´s about a man who, since he was a little boy, caught the idea of trying to imitate a xylophone: 

You have to agree with me that this video is pure kitsch: this gentleman with a flower in the buttonhole of his lapel trying his best to look good on TV, his "fluency" and "self-confidence" before the camera, phrases pasted together with eh...., ah...., uummmmm...., takes while playing crouched down, then standing up, giving the impresion of a picture descending from heaven....

It´s also funny how he pronunces "zilaphone" instead of "xylophone" and, when trying to explain his development, nothing comes to mind and says: "...And this is the result!"

But, the weird thing is when he says (and he seems to have realized after having said it): "About five years ago, I was in my backyard entertaining a friend with my hands". No need to say, in this context, that phrase is hilarious.

This is a video which could have been filmed by Luis Buñuel himself.

It´s been very funny.

…et in Arcadia ego.

© David Valdés

It happens sometimes...

Today, I´ll show you a video that proves timpanists are not free from unforeseen events (footage featuring the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra):

As a cautious musician, our timpanist has the lower right corner of the sheet folded, ready for the page turn, but... The stick gets in the way, and happens what Murphy´s Law prophesses... Total chaos! He tries to recover the score, but it is now an impposible task, and the only thing he can do is an as convincing as possible poker face. We have to say he did very well...

I have experienced something quite similar... It was many years ago, playing Grieg´s Piano Concerto with the Gijón Conservatory Orchestra. As you know, it starts with a timpani solo (a crescendo roll on A). As soon as I started playing, all my music fall down on the head (again, following Murphy, all papers fall on the "active" timpano instead of choosing the mute one...), making a funny noise, something like "gfrxxgrxgrfrfxgrfgfxxxxxxsssssscxscxscxs". Stopping was unviable, as it is a solo, so I had to pretend everything was ok, show my best "nothing-happens-face", and go on.

You see, accidents happen, so we better take them with our best sense of humor.

…et in Arcadia ego.

© David Valdés