Ditching Decorum: Classical Comedians Who Dare to Tickle the Funny Bone

This story was written by Brian Wise for the September-October 2023 issue of Strings magazine and is read by Megan Westberg, Editor. Aleksey Igudesman, the violinist half of comedy duo Igudesman & Joo, is no fan of the ritualized behaviors of classical performance. “Let’s be honest—the whole situation is ridiculous,” he says. “If aliens came down and went into the concert hall, they’d see people walking out dressed like penguins. People bow solemnly and don’t speak. All these weird rituals and self-righteous looks. The music they would get—the music is passionate, funny, fun, diverse. But the whole thing around it?”'Support the show