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Orchestra accepts triple-dog dare
Spice with some spicy music
orchestrapeppers
Each member of the Danish National Orchestra pops a chili into his or her mouth, chews like mad then continues on with the piece for another 3.5 minutes. - photo by Courtesy: YouTube
Martha Ostergar
KSL
Updated: Nov 5, 2014, 9:30 PM
Published: Nov 5, 2014, 7:57 PM

TRIPLE-DOG-DAREVILLE — I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food. I prefer to both taste my food and keep my sweating to a minimum while eating.
But there are those who enjoy having fluids stream out of every pore and every facial orifice as they eat their meals: the spice lovers, the whole chili pepper eaters, the hot sauce connoisseurs. (You know who you are.)
Then, oh, then, are the professional masochists — those who cannot rest until they’ve tested their spicy limits seeking out hotter and hotter peppers.
Enter Chili Klaus, a self-described chili pepper enthusiast from Denmark. He somehow convinced the Danish National Orchestra to eat the hottest of the hot chili peppers while playing “Tango Jalousie” by Danish composer Jacob Gade as some sort of sick experiment.
According to Klaus’ Facebook page, the orchestra members each ate one of the three hottest chili peppers currently known to man: the Carolina Reaper, the Ghost Pepper and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Blend.
In the first part of video, Klaus directs the orchestra sans chili peppers, likely for a comparison and contrast effect. At about the 1:30 mark, each member pops a chili into his or her mouth, chews like mad then continues on with the piece for another 3.5 minutes.
Pure muscle memory and staunch professionalism hold the musicians together as they cry, sweat, grimace and excessively wriggle in their seats as they play. It is equal parts painful and amazing to watch.
The collective groan at the end of the piece coupled with intense and desperate body language really brings home the pain these musicians endured while maintaining a professional sound to their music.

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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot
Martha Ostergar
KSL.com
Updated: Dec 30, 2018, 5:00 PM
Published: Dec 29, 2018, 1:57 PM

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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