Though Borge was known for his comedic piano schtick, he could play as well as any concert pianist. I heard him once play a piano piece with no comedy and was blown away. He obviously was well trained in piano to do what he did so effortlessly.
I think music critic Jacob Siskind put it best: "Borge is such a cut-up, you don’t expect him to play with that incredible sensitivity that is his…the tone is pure gold." He certainly came by it honestly, he was born to a musical family, his father was a distinguished member of the Royal Danish Philharmonic. His mother introduced him to piano at age 3 and his prodigy level playing earned him several scholarships. His sense of humour almost got him killed. He was forced to leave Europe, on the last American ship to depart, one step ahead of the Nazis, who didn't appreciate his comedic shots at Hitler in his stage act.
I dont know where but I read somewhere on the Internet that Borge was put in the same class/degree/level as Horowitz by music critics and that trained to be a concert pianist but had huge stage fright but then he used his brilliant comedic mind to start a career like this .
+ senorkaboom And on his longer TV appearances, he would also mix in an occasional serious performance. And as serious performances, they were quite superb! Even spellbinding. Yes, he really was a virtuoso of the instrument; and one who knew how to make fun with it, as well. The combination made for an utterly unique level of entertainment, in the truest sense of the word.
+Jonas Damm okay, maybe I said it wrong, because I wasn't typing in search bar "best piano performance ever" I was watching some piano videos and this came up, but I didn't expect any comedy, so it's not what I was expecting but I wasn't disappointed :D
Back in 1964 as a high-school Jr I got a walk-on tryout for a replacement spot for that weekend's Friday afternoon AFS fund raiser talent show assembly. I did a knockoff of Victor Borge and Liberace type of goofy insertion of children's tunes in a piece of classical music plus some musical slap-stick. There was a candelabra with a missing candle, a broken candle that I couldn't quite light etc. I wore a tux, had trouble sitting on the bench...the "whole nine yards". It was so successful that the theater director booked me on the Friday evening show and both Saturday shows. He requested that I work up a show for my senior year. My sister was incorporated into the show this time using her skills on the harp (which were considerable) as she earned a full tuition scholarship to the Eastman School of Music on harp, became the harp faculty at the University of Colorado-Denver, first call union harpist and played with the Colorado-Denver Symphony Orchestra. She also earned a dance degree, music therapy degree and developed her own successful harp studio. She has taken dance class the whole of her life until now at 70.
@@vigokovacic3488 lol, everything has a natural frequency to it which means it'll hit the same frequency, or note, every time it's hit. There are videos of people with perfect pitch who just go around and hit things and say what note it is.
@@petrichor9279 I myself have perfect pitch and I myself have tried hitting, per se, tables and identifying their pitch and succeeded, however, I still kinda doubt that what I had heard was an actual note and not my mind trying to find a pitch somewhere in that sound of hitting the table. Therefore I still doubt that every object has an identifiable frequency, or rather, tone.
I enjoyed his musical fun as a child. Very pleased to see her is available to be enjoyed by a new generation thanks to the internet. Simply the best pianist, who is also able to turn his great talent to comedy as well. Thank you TH-cam for having his performances available. These bring back such fond memories.
I love that ad lib: "Don't you like good music?" How often have I thought I would like to ask people that! His ideas could be considered blasphemous by serious musicians, but that was why they were so hilarious.
It's a bit like running across that video where Benny decided to actually play his violin instead of fooling around. There was always a clue, though, when you noticed that the sour notes were always exactly the same sour notes. Hyacinth Bucket's singing fell into the same category of deliberately bad from someone who was actually highly talented.
I don't know about the BEST, but without a doubt one of the FUNNIEST. I can watch his stuff time after time over the years and even though I know what's coming it is still funny. Tremendous humorist, and darn good pianist, actually.
I saw him live as kid sometime in the early seventies. He did that gag with a seatbelt in his bench b/c he kept falling off. I was only about 11 and I never laughed so hard. He also was selling a book, my dad bought me one and I got it signed by him.
Though Borge was known for his comedic piano schtick, he could play as well as any concert pianist. I heard him once play a piano piece with no comedy and was blown away. He obviously was well trained in piano to do what he did so effortlessly.
I think music critic Jacob Siskind put it best: "Borge is such a cut-up, you don’t expect him to play with that incredible sensitivity that is his…the tone is pure gold."
He certainly came by it honestly, he was born to a musical family, his father was a distinguished member of the Royal Danish Philharmonic. His mother introduced him to piano at age 3 and his prodigy level playing earned him several scholarships.
His sense of humour almost got him killed. He was forced to leave Europe, on the last American ship to depart, one step ahead of the Nazis, who didn't appreciate his comedic shots at Hitler in his stage act.
I dont know where but I read somewhere on the Internet that Borge was put in the same class/degree/level as Horowitz by music critics and that trained to be a concert pianist but had huge stage fright but then he used his brilliant comedic mind to start a career like this .
yes, you can actually hear that he's a very good player!
Oh my he's a genius!!!
+ senorkaboom
And on his longer TV appearances, he would also mix in an occasional serious performance.
And as serious performances, they were quite superb! Even spellbinding. Yes, he really was a virtuoso of the instrument; and one who knew how to make fun with it, as well.
The combination made for an utterly unique level of entertainment, in the truest sense of the word.
My dad once told me "You can tell how good a guy is at his job by how easy he makes it look."
That is completely true! Best wishes
Your dad was right
Spot on
Your Dad did know what he was talking about.
Wise Father 🎯⭐️
not exactly what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I bumped into this :D
+Danielly Danny so you were literally looking for the best piano performance ever?
+Jonas Damm okay, maybe I said it wrong, because I wasn't typing in search bar "best piano performance ever" I was watching some piano videos and this came up, but I didn't expect any comedy, so it's not what I was expecting but I wasn't disappointed :D
+Danielly Danny comedy aside his skills were some of the best, he just chose to focus on humor
My son has started learning piano and he is also quite the slap stick comedian, so he's going to love this when I show him. =)
how old is he?
I am laughing in tears. Even after the video is over.
"If I have caused just one person to wipe away a tear of laughter, that's my reward.... the rest goes to the government."
-Victor Borge
+Jourell1 Nice. I wiped away, A LOT, tears of laughter. Also, it's so sad he died/...
You kids that never saw him perform are so lucky someone took the time to create this time capsule! Wait until story time when he reads to you!
Phonetic Punctuation at its finest.
Phonetic Punctuation and
Inflationary Numeration
The person who made this "time capsule", or Victor himself.. will be the narrator of story time?
@@TheFredneck72 Victor or the cameraman is all implied. Never mentioned "Narrator"
Back in 1964 as a high-school Jr I got a walk-on tryout for a replacement spot for that weekend's Friday afternoon AFS fund raiser talent show assembly.
I did a knockoff of Victor Borge and Liberace type of goofy insertion of children's tunes in a piece of classical music plus some musical slap-stick.
There was a candelabra with a missing candle, a broken candle that I couldn't quite light etc.
I wore a tux, had trouble sitting on the bench...the "whole nine yards".
It was so successful that the theater director booked me on the Friday evening show and both Saturday shows.
He requested that I work up a show for my senior year.
My sister was incorporated into the show this time using her skills on the harp (which were considerable) as she earned a full tuition scholarship to the Eastman School of Music on harp, became the harp faculty at the University of Colorado-Denver, first call union harpist and played with the Colorado-Denver Symphony Orchestra.
She also earned a dance degree, music therapy degree and developed her own successful harp studio.
She has taken dance class the whole of her life until now at 70.
Great comedian great musician. Alec Petrossian.
alec petrossian You‘re right. Gummel
Gummel
Gummel glad you're from this year.
Pepe
Yes you are right. César Matheus
César Matheus
alec petrossian Alec petrossian!
Dylan Clayton
Stop fooling around, you guys.
Sincerely,
Palamedes
"Don't you like good music?", it kills me every time 🤣
The pitch of that wood at 1:16 is actually almost right
supermarc45 what's the name of this song?
@@aurelien2047 The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss 👍
The wood has no pitch. It's your mind expecting that note to happen and attributing it to that wood when it does not appear.
@@vigokovacic3488 lol, everything has a natural frequency to it which means it'll hit the same frequency, or note, every time it's hit. There are videos of people with perfect pitch who just go around and hit things and say what note it is.
@@petrichor9279 I myself have perfect pitch and I myself have tried hitting, per se, tables and identifying their pitch and succeeded, however, I still kinda doubt that what I had heard was an actual note and not my mind trying to find a pitch somewhere in that sound of hitting the table. Therefore I still doubt that every object has an identifiable frequency, or rather, tone.
I enjoyed his musical fun as a child. Very pleased to see her is available to be enjoyed by a new generation thanks to the internet. Simply the best pianist, who is also able to turn his great talent to comedy as well. Thank you TH-cam for having his performances available. These bring back such fond memories.
I miss him. What great memories from childhood I have when I used to watch him on TV. Thank you for this great post.
TRUE comedy never ages, needs no context...
Goodd
Pepe
f r o g
I think it’s more “universal context” than none.
Wondering how the woke culture could cancel him.
this was before my time and I found it to be extremely funny and clever
That's old school fun..
I tried to remove that eyelash from my screen!
@@victormn47 same
He is an fabulous and fascinating pianist!
flawless and timeless
I use to watch him all the time he was brilliant 😊
I remember seeing him on TV back in the 70s - I thought he was hilarious 😆
how are you still alive
@@bobonaqa 😭😭😭😭😭LMAO, better off, why are you on YT and not in a care home
I love that ad lib: "Don't you like good music?" How often have I thought I would like to ask people that! His ideas could be considered blasphemous by serious musicians, but that was why they were so hilarious.
Никогда не думала, что на фортепиано можно выделывать такие штуки! Ну он и профессионал!
I loved this! It was like watching Mr. Bean the comedic pianist version.
You don't see too many performances like this anymore.
Gran músico y comediante, dos artes que hoy están ya pérdidas.
ITS PERFECT!!!!! I've looked at this for 10 mins now
I LOVE musical comedy. And none better than Victor Borge. I laugh every time.
I love how my favorite piece performed on piano is an intentionall fuck-up.
BigBoyHops no u
shut down.
How do you know it was intentional?
(just kidding)
cholrus69 Matt monroe
He really was an excellent pianist. He made greatness look funny which is not easy
You have to be extremely talented and technically skilled to reach a level were you can make fun of all that !!
It's a bit like running across that video where Benny decided to actually play his violin instead of fooling around. There was always a clue, though, when you noticed that the sour notes were always exactly the same sour notes. Hyacinth Bucket's singing fell into the same category of deliberately bad from someone who was actually highly talented.
I Loved this guy and his "Slap Stick" comedy. No sex, no cussing, no rudeness, just plain good comedy!
최고의 연주 최고의 코미디였습니다. 덕분에 많이 웃었습니다 ^___________^
Every night I go to sleep to Victor Borga's rendition of Clair De Lune from he was in his 90s. So great and so missed.
Absolutely SU PRE ME!
Thank you very much for sharing this with us 🙏
Lots of love from Oporto, Portugal 🤗
One of the finest distractions one could ever bump into on TH-cam.
just love the man,
I don't know about the BEST, but without a doubt one of the FUNNIEST.
I can watch his stuff time after time over the years and even though I know what's coming it is still funny. Tremendous humorist, and darn good pianist, actually.
God I love this man so much never a dull moment 🤣👍 such a genius of a man
Yes ..master of masters may rest in piece...what a class
Simply the best !!!
he is really good proffesional, funny intereting pianist❤️
0:47
Am I the only one who enjoyed that beat of the piano cover? Sounds good with the song haha
Funny to see this on... right at Daddy's Birthday! One of his favorites . Victor was on the Ed Sullivan show many times. Sunday nights.
This guy is unbelievable. I mean, I know he's not in this earth anymore, but he is.
Victor Borge... Rest in peace, smiling genius. 😌
I saw him live as kid sometime in the early seventies. He did that gag with a seatbelt in his bench b/c he kept falling off. I was only about 11 and I never laughed so hard. He also was selling a book, my dad bought me one and I got it signed by him.
I play piano myself and at this moment 0:55 I completely lost it 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Mr bean of music
How i began to adore you !
This was incredibly brilliant!
Are we just gonna ignore the fact that the tear at 1:40 was absolutely perfect
He is amazing
what a talent!
This dude is the best. Both at piano, and comedy.
Maybe most people do not realize because it seems to be secondary in his acts, but he is a VERY good pianist.
So fucking hilarious
kemputin
Can't you talk politely?
class act - lovely man
He is great!
glad i grew up with entertainers like him
Still entertaining after all these years
One set piano of the 90s
Lmao that was brilliant !!!! 5 Stars
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank God I stumbled on to this.
Excellent 👏🏻 Wonder 🤩
Wow. So creative.
What's the name of the first song he played and at 1:05
i would like to know aswell
Found it, Blue danube waltz by Johann Strauss II
Adam Galant oh thanks alottt. Love ya mate
Musical piece or simply piece, guys! Pleeeeeaaase! A song is a vocal piece sung by a singer.
I am very happy that brutalmoose exposed me to this comic genius
Brilliant!
Now, that's an entertainer!
Amazing
I love it
❤ So very brilliant. 😂
A great talent and a true original. RIP.
indémodable
Genius
Das Waren Noch Zeiten!
Brilliant
So THIS is where the recorded laughs come from in tv shows
That is what is good.
Un genio!!!!
He's a great pianist, but for comic timing and general comedic sensibilities I think he's amongst the best who ever lived.
Sensacional!
A big man, I'm proud to be a dane, just as Victor. I misses his humor and him.
HIs music is so good that a mistake isn't a mistake. :0
抖音看到的特意过来看！ 抖友们点赞 让我看到youtube上抖友的力量
Related "Valentino Liberace" video brought me here!
This guy is to classical music what Weird Al Yankovic is to rock and roll.
Genial 👌🎹
Teşekkürler cem yılmaz.
Can,t hardly breathe after laughing..
superb
Is that it? 😅 I mean.. For the best piano performance ever 🤑🤑😝😝
Посмеялся рт души ! Лайк !
Ja tietysti suomalainen ladannu tän TH-camen! :D (Suomi Perkele)
the moment he fell on 0:57 i got tom and jerry flashbacks
Massacratore della musica classica per avere un successo personale !
He was young at this day
Totally unexpected! Hilarious beyond words!😂🤣😂
I like how he did ''swan lake''😂
Uhm...
Is this comedy, or real...? 😂🤔
1:56 what is that piece? I have been looking for it for a long time. Could someone please help me?
Marian Palko me too I want to know
Come and get me Thank you!
Bro its wedding march.thank me later
It's Mendelssohn Wedding March
Marian Palko wedding march
super