Beethoven’s Wig is a Fantastic Introduction to Classical Music
One of my favorite CD’s for children or adults who enjoy a good laugh along with their classical music is the Beethoven’s Wig series.
Richard Perlmutter, having started the series in 2002, has since been nominated for more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Award nominations and has been praised as an excellent vehicles to introduce young audiences to classical music and I can see why.
Perlmutter has taken famous classical pieces and has put very funny and clever lyrics to them. But, these lyrics are not just nonsense, they teach the listener something about the music piece or the composer and they are done with a full orchestra with opera singers, if the piece requires it. Here’s a sample from the first album.
These are the albums in the series. I’ve provided links where you can hear samples to all the albums.
- Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
Beethoven’s Wig, Vol. 2: More Sing-Along Symphonies
Beethoven’s Wig, Vol. 3: Many More Sing-Along Symphonies
Beethoven’s Wig, Vol. 4: Dance Along Symphonies
We own the first three albums and are planning on purchasing the fourth because my kids absolutely love to listen to the songs over and over again and amazingly, I don’t get tired of listening to them.
Another feature I loved, was that after each lyric piece is played, the original, purely instrumental, piece follows. This not only gave my kids and I a chance to enjoy the music but we could also use it as accompaniment to our solos.
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