RAINER
HERSCH
Rainer
Hersch is
a musician
and comedian
who performs
on every major
comedy stage
in Britain
and abroad...
He has appeared
eight times
at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival;
toured Canada
five times;
performed
in comedy
clubs all
across Europe
and in TV
shows around
the world.
A
trained classical
pianist, Rainer
began life
as an agent
to some of
the world's
great orchestras
- his last
official job
title was
Touring Manager
of the London
Festival Orchestra.
However, unknown
to his employers,
he had also
started appearing
as a stand-up
comedian on
the London
comedy circuit.
He eventually
devoted himself
full-time
to comedy
in 1992.
As
a straight
stand-up,
Rainer Hersch's
innovative
style crosses
between verbal
and hilarious
visual comedy
("Most
of what Rainer
Hersch does
doesn't bear
explaining.
But it will
make you laugh"
Orlando Sentinel).
This
originality
put him in
demand both
as quality
act and as
an enormously
effective
MC, able to
create a unique
atmosphere
for both audiences
and other
performers
to enjoy ("Rainer
Hersch is
possibly the
best compère
I have ever
seen":
TNT).
Whatever
his role on
stage, Rainer's
energy is
immediately
passed on
to his audience
and the rapport
he generates
is boisterous
and fun.
Then
in 1996 Rainer
combined stand-up
comedy with
his continued
fanaticism
for classical
music to produce
"All
Classical
Music Explained"
- a simple
and stupid
approach to
the difficult
subjects "How
to play instruments
without practising";
"Why
is organ music
so boring?"
and "What
do conductors
actually do?"...
The result
was an immediate
hit with all
kinds of audiences.
In
a 55 date
tour across
three continents,
the show attracted
rave reviews
"Rainer
Hersch is
a rarity amongst
musical comedians
- he is funny"
The London
Daily Telegraph
"A stroke
of comic genius"
Canada; "Not
since Victor
Borge has
a musician-
comic raised
the roof with
such continuous
laughter"
South Africa.
The
sequel to
All Classical
Music Explained:
"Masterclass"
built on the
success and
most recently
a seven piece
orchestra
has been added
which Rainer
conducts,
accompanies
on the piano
and uses to
perform madcap
comedy routines.
("A guaranteed
laugh every
four bars"
The Scotsman).
The
“All
Classical
Music Explained”
theme has
now been turned
into two radio
series for
the BBC.
In the most
recent of
these "Rainer
Hersch's 20th
Century Retrospective"
Rainer recorded
the last ever
interview
with Yehudi
Menuhin.
Amongst
numerous other
radio credits
Rainer Hersch
is a frequent
and popular
guest on the
classic Radio
4 programme
"Loose
Ends"
with Ned Sherrin.
On television
he is familiar
to audiences
in the UK
for his guest
appearances
on programmes
such as "How
Do They Do
That?"
and most recently
his five week
stint as team
captain on
the daily
television
show "The
Entertainment
Game"
for BBC1.
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