A viola being played. Photo credit: Toolmantim
When Slovakian violist Lukas Kmit performance was interrupted by a member of the audience’s mobile phone ringtone he did more than tut or frown disapprovingly. Quick-thinking Kmit bit back at the nuisance maker by improvising around Nokia’s signature ringtone (which anyone who ever watched Trigger Happy TV will know only too well). Initial suspicions that the YouTube clip might be a sneaky piece of guerrilla advertising from the telecommunications firm have been discounted and the video has raced to over 1.2 million views – more than most viola recitals score on the web.
“Classy, clever and ever-so-witty, it’s probably the most popular YouTube video involving classical music for years“, said Huffington Post, which pointed out that “it should be remembered that the Nokia ringtone – also known as Gran Vals – is actually a piece of classical music itself, originally written by Spanish classical guitarist Francisco Tarrega in 1902.”
