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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2007)
THE KIVA GROCERS, WINE MERCHANTS & BOOKSELLERS • Specialty, Gourmet & Organic Foods • Fresh Organic Produce • Bulk Foods, Herbs, Spices, Coffees & Teas • Earth Friendly Cleaning Supplies and Paper Products • Energy Bars and Nutritional Supplements • Vitamins & Body Care Products MON-SAT 9-8 • • SUN SUN 1 10-6 MON -SAT 9-8 0-5 125 W. 11th A ve, DOWNTOWN EUGENE • 2 O REGON B ACH F ESTIVAL 342-8666 M USICAL M ONSTERS P.D.Q. Bach unleashes a cracking good tour BY DEANNA UUTELA R Peter Schikele and his alter ego obert Louis S t e v e n s o n ’s 1886 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, known for its vivid portrayal of a man with a massively split personality, has come to signify the crazy, uncontrollable nature hiding inside us all. In this spirit of duality, com- poser Peter Schickele is preparing to release his hilarious musical mon- ster, P.D.Q. Bach, this year at the OBF. Schickele’s story begins, like many tales, with a discovery in an old castle. In 1954, Schickele claims, he was rummag- ing around a Bavarian castle in search of rare musical gems when he happened upon a manu- script of one P.D.Q. Bach. P.D.Q. was the last of Johann Sebastian Bach’s twenty-odd chil- dren, and apparently his American orchestras and won four con- least favorite, Schickele says. But the secutive Grammy Awards. story gets even weirder: When the manu- The one thing that Peter Schickele script was taken back to the U.S. and and P.D.Q. Bach do have in common is performed at the University of Southern their love of writing party music. P.D.Q. North Dakota at Hoople, the professor has recorded such favorites as: realized too late that he had released a “Shepherd On The Rocks, With A monster on the musical world. Twist,” “Gretchen am Spincycle” and “3- Unable to restrain himself, Schickele Step Crab Dinner.” Schickele is known unleashes on the rare occasion the for his albums Songs From Shakespeare, bizarre, and dare I say disturbing, music Mother Goose and More, and Sneaky Pete and of P.D.Q. Bach. P.D.Q.’s use of unusual The Wolf. And both have charmed audi- instruments, such as the left-handed ences all over the world with their light- sewer flute and the bicycle, have left heartedly serious approach to spreading audiences perplexed and laughing. the love of music. Unlike his Hydian counterpart, You can see both characters perform Schickele takes his music very seriously. on one stage at the Hult Center at 7:30 Schickele is a Juilliard trained composer pm on Saturday, June 30. Tix range from who has arranged music for movies and $15 to $52. soundtracks, performed with leading For tickets and more info, visit http://bachfest.uoregon.edu
