All Classical Music Explained

Its twenty tracks cover everything from reading music to grand opera. With hundreds of ridiculous musical examples and corruptions this fast moving hour of comedy is set to become a classic. "Not since Victor Borge has a musician-comedian raised the roof with such continuous laughter" (The Post, South Africa). Whether you are an Emeritus Professor of music or can't tell a string quartet from a string vest 'All Classical Music Explained' is guaranteed to teach you...nothing. But it will make you laugh.

It is my first album and I have taken a lot of time and trouble to make it beautiful, interesting and - above all - funny. I hope very much you enjoy it.

Rainer Hersch

A trained classical pianist, Rainer began his working life in the management of musical arts organizations but, unknown to his employers, he began moonlighting as a stand-up comedian on the London cabaret circuit. Short, unpaid slots in small clubs led to longer, paid appearances which in turn gradually developed into a parallel career. Rainer slowly realised that this was his true vocation and in 1992 he apprehensively gave up his last job with a title, Touring Manager of the London Festival Orchestra, to enter the uncertain world of professional comedy.

After a series of successful straight stand-up shows, in 1996, and for the first time in his comedy career, Rainer combined his skills as a stand-up with his music to produce 'All Classical Music Explained'. The show received rave reviews and has since toured the world. Rainer had found his voice.

The sequel to All Classical Music Explained: 'ACME: The Masterclass' built on the success and two years later Rainer developed the idea further using a seven piece orchestra 'The Rainer Hersch Philharmonic' which he conducts and uses to corrupt the classics in his own arrangements.

He has since used this experience to present full comedy programmes with many orchestras around the world including the Tasmanian Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony and the St Petersburg Philharmonic - with whom he appeared in the Grand Hall of the Philharmonic, one of the great Soviet era concert halls.

The All Classical Music Explained theme has also now been turned into a number of radio series for the BBC and Classic FM in the UK. In addition, Rainer has become a comic voice - providing witty commentary on things musical for many other BBC radio and TV programmes including over 40 appearances on the classic radio show 'Loose Ends' with Ned Sherrin.

His various radio series have involved some more serious projects - in 'Rainer Hersch's 20th Century Retrospective' (BBC Radio 3) he recorded what turned out to be the last ever interview with Yehudi Menuhin.

His documentary series about comedy and classical music 'All The Right Notes, Not Necessarily In The Right Order' (BBC Radio 4) plotted the lives of musical comedians of the past. It included a programme about the Danish born entertainer, Victor Borge, with whom Rainer has often been compared. This programme was the seed for Rainer's first one-man play, 'Borge Again!' which Rainer presented with sell-out success at the 2004 Edinburgh Festival, making his debut as an actor.