Rainer Hersch blends comedy and classical music in symphony appearance

Whether Rainer Hersch should be considered a comedian or a conductor is the ultimate chicken-or-egg question.

The British guest conductor and comedian at Modesto Symphony Orchestra’s “Comedy Meets the Symphony Orchestra” show June 5 is decidedly both.

“Imagine a doctor who lives in a remote part of the world. Has to drive around to get to see their patients. He or she is at a dinner party and is asked, ‘Are you a doctor or a taxi driver?’ The doctor says, ‘I’m a doctor.’ And they say, ‘What about all this time you spend in the car?’” he said. “So when people ask me about classical music and stand-up, I say those interests absolutely go hand in hand to me.”

Hersch has made a name for himself bringing laughter to the traditionally staid world of classical music. In fact, he said the often buttoned-up world of Bach and Beethoven is a “perfect vehicle” for comedy.

“The great subjects for comedy are the subjects that have a taboo about them or a mystery about them,” he said in a phone interview from the road in Florida. “In talking freely about it, then you are answering people’s concerns or things they find difficult as well. The fact that classical music takes itself so seriously makes (it) a prime subject for having fun with it.”

Still, Hersch does have a reverence, and deep background, in both arenas. He grew up playing piano while drawing inspiration from comics like those in the Monty Python group. Later, when he went to college, he carried on his parallel interests, writing comedy and studying conducting privately. He earned his degree in, interestingly enough, economics.

In 1996, he wrote his first musical stand-up show.

“That’s when the two very disparate worlds came together,” he said. “Instead of doing taxi driving by night and doctoring by day, I did them both.”

Since then, Hersch has taken his unique mix of comedy and classical music to venues across Europe and the United States. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival and Johann Strauss Gala and with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Tasmanian Symphony.

He also has developed a one-man tribute show to perhaps the most famous classical music comedian of all time, Victor Borge. Hersch is often compared to Borge, and while he respects his predecessor, he said their styles are nothing alike.

“People require a point of reference. If you stand on stage and do something with music and you’re funny, you’re Victor Borge,” he said. “His style was based in vaudeville and variety. My style was developed in the era of stand-up comedy.”

For his show with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Hersch will lead a program filled with some of classical music’s most beloved and recognized pieces. They include Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” He said the use of such well-known works is intentional because he isn’t just playing to the musical elite.

“I’m interested in actually making people laugh. And the starting place is with material everyone knows,” he said. “But also, most of the pieces are very well known because they’re great music.”

He said guesting with orchestras, and getting them into a more comedic mindset isn’t as hard as one might imagine. He said his job is to bring forth unusual arrangements and highlight the comedy within each show. But in the end his main goal is not to musically educate the audience, but just to ensure they have an enjoyable evening.

“Everyone recognizes that in my core I love the music,” he said. “It’s for people who really know this music and people who have no idea. So then I have to make that work for both. I honestly hope people just have a really fun time.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Rainer Hersch blends comedy and classical music in symphony appearance."