Released 1983 Composer Peter Schickele | Label Vanguard Records Language English | |
 | ||
A Little Nightmare Music
(1983) 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults
(1989) Similar The Abduction of Figaro, Mozart and Salieri, Einstein on the Beach | ||
P d q bach a little nightmare music 1983 cavatina for schlafer nature gave us eyes to see
A Little Nightmare Music is an opera in "one irrevocable act" by Peter Schickele under the pseudonym he uses for parodies and comical works P. D. Q. Bach. The title of the work refers to the English translation of Mozart's famous Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music). The opera is described as being "based on a dream he had December 4, 1791, the night that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died and Antonio Salieri didn't." The opera was "newly exhumed" (a.k.a. premiered) at Carnegie Hall on December 27, 1982. It was later recorded with the premiere cast and released on CD by Vanguard Records in 1983. The album also includes two other works by P. D. Q. Bach: an octet (Octoot for wind instruments) and a parody of Handel's Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks, Royal Firewater Musick.
Contents
Siue opera theater presents a little nightmare music wmv
Performers
Recording
A recording of the original cast of the opera was made. Since the opera is short, the recording also includes two other works by P.D.Q. Bach, Octoot for wind instruments, S. 8 and Royal Firewater Musick, for bottles and orchestra (original version), S. 1/5. The track listing is as follows:
A Little Nightmare Music
1. Aria: "What sweet music" (Salieri) 2. Aria: "Nature gave us eyes" (Schläfer) 3. Duet: "Uh Oh" 4. Finale: "What hutzpah!"Octoot
5. Vite, tout de suite 6. Lent, tout au moins 7. Minuet et, tout à l'heure, trio 8. Chanson: "Toute l'année, hey, hey, hey" 9. Tout à coup le boutRoyal Firewater Musick
10. Long; neat; long 11. March on the rocks 12. Minuet with a twist 13. Sarabande straight up 14. One for the road