"Not
since Spike Jones gargled the William
Tell Overture has there been a disc to
compare with that classic. Until now.
While the booklet information seems to
give Koch the credit for the original
recording, the fact is that Mary
Schneider, Australia's Queen of
Yodelling, has been kicking around the
classical music underground for some
time now on an independent Australian
label. A party record "par excellence,"
it's probably fair to say that if you
haven't heard Madame Schneider's way
with this music, then you don't truly
understand the classics. She performs
bits and pieces of Rossini, Bizet,
Mozart, Offenbach, Brahms, Ketelbey,
Beethoven, Strauss, Jr., and a few
others as well, but there's nothing
superficial or glib about these
interpretations. Indeed, Madame
Schneider treats all of this music with
the high seriousness worthy of the
greatest classics, and brings her
considerable yodelling artistry to bear
on each selection. The contributions of
her daughter, Melinda, the Khan Dawson
Singers, and the Sydney International
Orchestra, to say nothing of the
conducting and inspired (by what, I'm
not too sure) arrangements of Maestro
Tommy Tycho, add considerably to the
fun. One of the great records, of its
type, of course."
Classics
Today.Com, July 2000
"For
my part, I'm perfectly willing to start
the rumor that Mary Schneider was
cloned from the supporting cast of 'The
Lawrence Welk Hour." She has all the
requisite wholesomeness, fashion sense
frozen in the golden age of polyester
and a sense of irony that's either
totally lacking or extremely advanced,
who knows which . . . "Yodelling the
Classics" sets a new, probably
unmatchable standard for "crossover"
music, the genre in which classical
violinists play bluegrass, pop singers
croon opera arias, and other novel
interpretations occur with mind-blowing
regularity. This one is, you should
pardon the expression, a classic."
Richmond
Times Dispatch, June 30, 2000
ClassicalNet
review
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