A Day in Flanders and Swann
I love Michael Flanders and Donald Swann, the erudite, witty, clever, sophisticated and quirky British songwriter-performers, whose West End and Broadway revues, At the Drop of a Hat and At the Drop of Another Hat, brought them to fame. I wish there was more video of them, but alas it's far too limited, though I've posted some here. It's odd, since of of what video exists comes from a CBS special that was recorded live from their second show above. So, why only a smattering of video rather than clips of the entire broadcast, I have no idea. But I'm at least glad for what little exists on film.
Here's one of the few, their "Song of Patriotic Prejudice." It's not among their best, but still a lot of fun. And as I said, you takes what you're lucky enough to gets. Michael Flanders is the fellow with the beard and wheelchair, and Swann is the quietly maniacal one at the piano.
(Incidentally, apropos of nothing, Swann was indeed a very accomplished composer and on his own, after Flanders had passed away, he wrote a song cycle of music composed to the poems that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, called "The Road Goes Ever On." I haven't heard it performed, but have the sheet music, and have done the best I can to play at least some of it. That "best" is a paltry effort, but it beats nothing, though not by much.)
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