| Beethoven's Wig | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Classical Children's |
| Years active | 2002-Present |
| Labels | Rounder Records |
| Website | beethovenswig.com |
Beethoven's Wig is a vocal group that sings lyrics written to the greatest hits of classical music. Created by lyricist, lead singer and producer Richard Perlmutter, the group has been a featured performer with numerous symphony orchestras. Beethoven's Wig has recorded four albums. Each Beethoven's Wig CD has received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Album for Children. The group has also received four Parents Choice Awards, and three of its albums have been named American Library Association Notable Recordings. In total the series has been honored with 46 national awards. The performing and recording group features singers Elin Carlson, Jonathan Mack, Susan Boyd, Jon Joyce and Michael Geiger.
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The group's first album Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies was released on Rounder Records in 2002. Prior to that time Perlmutter had released two solo albums, Tin Pan Alley Songs For Children, and Hot Diggity, and produced albums for the Grammy Award winning band Nickel Creek and Saturday Night Live cast member Victoria Jackson. Perlmutter had studied classical guitar, piano, and music composition, and had wanted to write lyrics to classical music. He described his thoughts when he came up with the words "Beethoven's wig is very big", to the tune of the allegro con brio of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, "The words fit perfectly with the first eight notes of the symphony. And the wig was a perfect symbol for classical music." Within a week of the release of the album, Perlmutter was featured on NPR's All Things Considered, and then appeared on NBC's Today Show. The album shot to #6 on Amazon's Hot 100 Sales Chart and held the #1 position on both the Amazon Classical and Children's Music Sales Charts for four months. Pulse magazine called Beethoven's Wig, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" The LA Times said it was, "an irreverent approach to music appreciation." US News and World Report said, "Perlmutter's got goofball charm… the lyrics are truly hilarious!" Over the next year, Beethoven's Wig received 15 national awards including a Grammy Nomination for Best Musical Album for Children, and a Parent's Choice Award. It was also designated an American Library Association Notable Recording.
When Beethoven's Wig 2 was released in 2004, Perlmutter appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, and his two albums took over the #1 and #2 spot on Amazon's Hot 100 Sales Chart simultaneously. While Perlmutter had not originally conceived of Beethoven's Wig as a performing group, the reception that the albums received convinced him to put together a touring group to perform with orchestras. The group feaured Elin Carlson, soprano; Susan Boyd, alto; Jonathan Mack, tenor and Jon Joyce, bass. A breakthrough came in May 2006, when Perlmutter and Beethoven's Wig performed to a sold out audience at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
In 2005, Perlmutter released "Beethoven's Wig: Read Along Symphonies," a children's book illustrated by Maria Rosetti. Then in 2006, he released his first concept album, "Beethoven's Wig 3," in which each song featured lyrics set to a classical composition highlighting a different instrument. On the album Perlmutter also began experimenting with the form of a number of classical pieces. He took extremely short excerpts and wrote what were, in essence, little poems set to music. Some, such as an excerpt from Saint-Saëns "Carnival of the Animals," which highlights the xylophone, were as short as ten seconds. For this work Perlmutter received his third Grammy Nomination.
In 2008, he released Beethoven's Wig 4, another concept album in which each song featured lyrics for classical pieces written for dances and marches. In this album he expanded the reach of previous Beethoven's Wig albums by including pieces by American composers Scott Joplin and John Philip Sousa. Perlmutter co-produced the album with Michael Geiger, a bass in the Los Angeles Opera, who has also sung on three of the Beethoven's Wig albums. Beethoven's Wig 4" brought Perlmutter his fourth Grammy Nomination. In 2011, the first “Beethoven’s Wig Songbook” was published by Alfred Music Publishing. The songbook is collection of all the songs from the first Beethoven’s Wig album in a piano/vocal edition for pianists of early intermediate level and above.
To date, the Beethoven's Wig series has won a record 46 National Awards. Perlmutter continues to perform with his group of four Beethoven's Wig singers. Hailed as opening the door to "serious music" in a way that's fun, Beethoven's Wig is a popular attraction not only with symphony orchestras, but also with college and university ensembles. When they perform at educational institutions the group also offers master classes.