Zappa
If you know much about Frank Zappa you probably know a famous story: in the 1950s Frank Zappa was 15 and obsessed with French composer Edgard Varèse. As a birthday present his mother allowed him to call the composer long distance in New York City—he wasn't home but they did talk later.
Zappa is perhaps even better known for his personality as an iconoclast than for much of his music, and many listeners, including me, have probably never heard most of the pieces performed at this show including well-known works like "Dog/Meat" and "Peaches en Regalia."
The eight Zappa pieces were a mixed bag. Many are only a couple of minutes long, a sign of pop song brevity translated to composed, scripted large-scale work. My favourite was "The Girl in the Magnesium Dress," which included a lot of tuned percussion. The final piece, "G-Spot Tornado," was performed with two dancers, which added real joy and vibrancy to the work. (I think this was new/original choreography.) I'd love to see even more multi-disciplinary additions to a performance like this one.
The two Varèse pieces were dissonant and unexpected—a new way of using sound a hundred years ago. They were captivating and well-played.
John Oswald's new piece, a commission and world premiere, had its moments, especially when it was most dense and chaotic and required a second conductor. But the musical jokes were glib rather than playful.
The program was performed by Vancouver's Turning Point Ensemble, sometimes as a large group and sometimes in very small configurations. I did like the spareness of the small groups. This combination of not-often performed work showed progression and influence in classical new music.
Two encores was surplus to requirement.