{{Short description|Austrian musical ensemble playing instruments made from vegetables}} {{more citations needed|date=December 2014}}
thumb|The Vegetable Orchestra, July 2015 thumb|The logo of Das erste Wiener Gemüseorchester, featuring a vegetable trumpet used by the group
'''The Vegetable Orchestra''' (also known as '''{{lang|de|Das erste Wiener Gemüseorchester}}''', '''The First Vienna Vegetable Orchestra''' or '''The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra''') is an Austrian musical group who use instruments made entirely from fresh vegetables.
== History ==
The group was founded in February 1998 in Vienna<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2016/09/vegetable-orchestra/502256/ |title=This Austrian Band Makes Music With Vegetables |last=O'Sullivan |first=Feargus |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=29 September 2016 |language=en |access-date=2019-06-29 }}</ref> and consists of ten musicians,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190311-viennas-unpredictable-vegetable-orchestra |title=Vienna's unpredictable Vegetable Orchestra |last=Stein |first=Eliot |website=www.bbc.com |date=2019-03-12 |language=en |access-date=2019-06-29 }}</ref> a cook, and a sound technician. All of the members of the ensemble are active in various artistic areas<ref name=":0" /> (for example trained musicians, sound poets, sculptors, media artists, designers, and architects) and have worked together conceptualizing and carrying out their project.
The interdisciplinary approach is a crucial factor in researching and further developing vegetable music. The intention is to create a sonorous experience which can be perceived with all senses.
Musical concepts of the Fluxus movement, for example compositions from John Cage<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://happymag.tv/meet-the-vegetable-orchestra-the-austrian-band-who-play-instruments-made-entirely-from-veggies/ |title=The Vegetable Orchestra, the band who play instruments made from veggies |date=18 September 2017 |language=en-US |access-date=2019-06-29 }}</ref> could be considered as a source of inspiration for the unique orchestra. Their distinctive repertoire also seems to have deep roots in sound art in addition to experimental and electronic music because they play unheard-of interpretations of Igor Stravinsky, the German electronic band Kraftwerk,<ref name=":1" /> or the Austrian band Radian as well as their own compositions. All of the pieces feature various forms of graphical notation and are exclusively composed for live performance.
=== Members ===
The ensemble consists of Jürgen Berlakovich, Verena Fuchs, Susanna Gartmayer, Barbara Kaiser, Matthias Meinharter, Jörg Piringer, Ingrid Schlögl, Ulrich Troyer, Stefan Voglsinger, and Martina Winkler.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vegetable Orchestra |url=https://www.vegetableorchestra.org/about.php |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=The Vegetable Orchestra official site |language=en }}</ref>
== Instruments == The instruments are made of carrots, celery, peppers, squash, zucchini and other raw vegetables prior to the performances. Their sound is amplified with the use of special microphones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/vienna-s-vegetable-orchestra-is-more-than-just-a-memora-1798252325|title=Vienna's Vegetable Orchestra is more than just a memorable gimmick|last=Blevins|first=Joe|website=News|date=27 September 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-29}}</ref> The leftover vegetables and off-cuts are cooked into soup that is served to the audience after the performance.<ref name=":0" />
As of March 2019, since the band's inception, more than 150 vegetable instruments had been designed,<ref name=":1" /> including carrot xylophones, radish bass flutes, pumpkin drums, leek violins, onion maracas, and many others.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
== Influence == The group performs and average of 20-30 shows a year and have toured Europe, the United States, and Asia,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kcrw.com/music/articles/the-vegetable-orchestra-of-vienna |title=The Vegetable Orchestra of Vienna |date=2015-01-21 |website=KCRW 89.9FM {{!}} Music, NPR News, Culture Los Angeles |language=en |access-date=2019-06-29}}</ref> playing gallery openings, exhibitions, community events, and headlining their own shows.<ref name=":0" />
They received a Guinness World Record for "Most concerts by a vegetable orchestra", for 77 performances by a group of musicians playing with instruments constructed out of vegetables, having performed in venues worldwide from April 1998 to September 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2015/10/world-vegetarian-day-ten-absolutely-meat-free-world-record-achievements-398911 |title=World Vegetarian Day: Ten absolutely meat-free world record achievements |date=2015-10-01|website=Guinness World Records |language=en-GB |access-date=2019-06-29}}</ref> According to the BBC, they inspired the formation of similar ensembles like the London Vegetable Orchestra and the Long Island Vegetable Orchestra.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/nyregion/long-island-vegetable-orchestra.html |title=Cue the Carrots! Strike Up the Squash! |last=Correal |first=Annie |date=2017-08-15 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-06-29 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== Discography == === Albums === * ''Gemise'' (1999) * ''Automate'' (2003) * ''Remixed'' (2008) * ''Onionoise'' (2010) * ''Green Album'' (2018)
''Gemise'' means ''Gemüse'' in Bohemian dialect. In Vienna at the time of the Austria-Hungary monarchy, a cooking homehelp or housekeeper often came from Bohemia and contributed to Viennese cuisine until today. ''Automate'' is certainly a play on words with tomate (= tomato). The core of the portmanteau word of ''onionoise'', ...ionoi... is a palindrome.
The second part of Gemise is named ''Ogludschda'', which is Viennese dialect for Abgelutschter, or English sucked off, in the second meaning–in German–for a music piece which has been played too often.<ref>[https://www.amazon.de/Das-erste-Wiener-gem%C3%BCseorchester-Gemise/dp/B01LZRHRGR Das erste Wiener gemüseorchester (Gemise)] amazon.de, retrieved 2020-10-21.</ref>
=== EPs === * ''Remix Trilogy (Volume One)'' (2004) * ''Remix Trilogy (Volume Two)'' (2005) * ''Remix Trilogy (Volume Three)'' (2005) * ''Remix Conclusion'' (2008)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|The Vegetable Orchestra}} * {{Official website|vegetableorchestra.org}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM1EjIDLMLY The Vegetable Orchestra Literally Plays with Their Food] – YouTube video published by Great Big Story * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH4m5U78JYk Who says you can't play with food? The Vegetable Orchestra at TEDxVienna] – YouTube video published by TEDx Talks
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vegetable Orchestra, The}} Category:Orchestras from Vienna Category:Musical groups established in 1998 Category:Vegetable organizations Category:Musical instruments by material