Vegetables and all that jazz

This item properly belongs somewhere other than in a food safety blog. However, in the spirit of the festive season, I couldn’t resist submitting it.

I saw a concert advertised while I was in Hong Kong. There are lots of concerts there, but this one particularly caught my fancy. An Austrian orchestra was to perform a fusion of the most diverse music styles: contemporary music, beat-oriented House tracks, experimental electronic, free jazz, Noise, Dub and Clicks'n'Cuts, etc. on instruments made of fresh vegetables.

“The ensemble overcomes preserved and marinated sound conceptions or tirelessly re-stewed listening habits, putting its focus on expanding the variety of vegetable instruments, developing novel musical ideas and exploring fresh vegetable sound gardens”.

Apparently, the group would play carrot flutes, pumpkin basses, leek violins, eggplant clappers, cucumberophones, celery bongos and numerous other vegetables. The instruments were made by the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra before each performance and were to be cooked in a soup afterwards and served to some members of the audience. (I know that being a musician is a poorly paid profession, but surviving on Rhythm and Gruel is a tough life).

If you think that this article might be a Christmas Con(cert), go to the orchestra’s website and watch their U-Tube video: http://www.gemueseorchester.org/

Happy Christmas, everyone,
John Brooks.