The first Hoffnung festival, the Hoffnung Music Festival Concert, was given on November 13, 1956 in Royal Festival Hall.
What was a Hoffnung festival? Think of it as the original that PDQ Bach copied.
You may know Gerard Hoffnung from his humorous reading of the “Bricklayer’s Letter” before the Oxford Union. He also created concerts which included send-ups of classical pieces as well as original compositions.
The first concert opened with the announcement, “Owing to circumstances over which the LCC and the management of the hall have no control, tonight’s program will be given exactly as advertised.”
Some of the send-ups were[ul][li]Donald Swann’s whimsical arrangement of the second movement of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony, which included celesta and blowing on water-filled bottles.[]A Leopold Mozart concerto for alphorn played on a garden hose with a brass mouthpiece.[]“Concerto Popolare”, where the orchestra and the piano soloist disagreed on what famous concerto was being played.[]an arrangement of a Chopin mazurka for four tubas (Hoffnung was a tuba player). [/ul][/li]
Original compositions included[ul]
[]variations on “Annie Laurie” arranged for hurdy-gurdy, heckelphone, serpent, harmonium and other instruments.“A Grand, Grand Overture” which included solos for a (mechanical) floor polisher, ended by being shot with a rifle. [/ul]