The story is set in the distant future, in the year 2743 (735,022,381,604 Tuesdays from the show's release in 1994) in a city called New Vienna. It follows a talking piano named Oscar, who leads a rebellion against the world's evil dictator, Thaddius Vent, who has banned all music. Oscar and his fellow musical instruments conspire against Vent and his henchmen, Lucius and Tank, as well as his soothsayer, Goodtooth, who constantly spouts his catchphrase, 'You screamed, master!'. Oscar's voice was provided by Dudley Moore. Other members of the orchestra included Monty the violin, Trevor the tuba, Sylvia the flute, and Eric the triangle. Based on an idea by Jan Younghusband, Oscar's Orchestra was designed to inspire children with the delights of classical music, incorporating famous orchestrated works from great composers like George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Frédéric Chopin in each episode. The episode titles always continue the musical theme, such as 'Oscar Cracks A Nut' and 'Bach To The Future'.