Orchestral Maneuvers
Frank Zappa's Orchestral Works
Featuring
The London Symphony And Royal Philharmonic,
The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra,
Ensemble InterContemporian,
Art Laboe's Original Sound Orchestra
With Various Card Carrying Members
Of The Musicians Union (L.A. Local),
As Well As Volunteers From
The Mount St. Mary's College Orchestra,
All Reconstructed
(And In Some Cases Deconstructed)
In A Brand New Project/Object
No. #3 in a series
Friday, July 10, 2009
Featuring
The London Symphony And Royal Philharmonic,
The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra,
Ensemble InterContemporian,
Art Laboe's Original Sound Orchestra
With Various Card Carrying Members
Of The Musicians Union (L.A. Local),
As Well As Volunteers From
The Mount St. Mary's College Orchestra,
All Reconstructed
(And In Some Cases Deconstructed)
In A Brand New Project/Object
No. #3 in a series
Friday, July 10, 2009
About The Music
The FZ project/object series goes even deeper into his extensive songbook, focusing this time on the majestic works he wrote for orchestra, an under appreciated corner of his musical brilliance.
If you've been following this short series, then you already know the drill ---- conceptual continuity, virtual razor blades, disclaimers, etc. --- so there's no need for me to lay it down one more time. Along the way, there's also been a lot of great music from Frank, and these orchestral pieces are no exception. From what I gather, Zappa was never fully satisfied with the end product of his attempts at working with large orchestras (and he's worked with some of the best!), apparently finding fault with their lack of understanding in interpreting his music, as well as what he considered "sloppy" mistakes that came from seasoned musicians who were considered to be members of prestigious ensembles. It wasn't until he collaborated with The Ensemble Modern in 1992 for 'The Yellow Shark' that he finally felt his classical compositions were properly perceived and executed. Of course that project was also completed just shortly before his untimely death. It's possible then that he may have simply been too sick to really care about flaws anymore and therefore embraced the results, imperfections and all. In facing imminent death, there's little time for rectifying past errors when more pressing matters are at hand. His earthbound days were sadly running out, so why fret over things that couldn't be changed? But oddly, I've neglected to include any of those specific 'Yellow Shark' performances in this collection. Don't ask me why. I don't know the answer.
One of the things that Zappa's orchestral creations frequently demonstrate, particularly those from '200 Motels,' are excellent examples of his conceptual continuity. In the mix below, you'll notice several musical themes that are repeated throughout multiple compositions. Upon hearing these, you might simply accuse Zappa of recycling his material under different names. However, that would not only be a wrong accusation, but also missing the point entirely. Just as jazz musicians frequently quote from other song sources within their extended solos, Zappa has liberally quoted (both compositionally and improvisationally) from his own songbook throughout the entirety of his career. As a part of his organic approach, he'd frequently reference previous songs to weave passages from them into his new ones, and in the process create another thread in his much touted 'conceptual continuity.' Listen closely, and you'll hear additional connections to some of the other material I've featured previously.
If you've been following this short series, then you already know the drill ---- conceptual continuity, virtual razor blades, disclaimers, etc. --- so there's no need for me to lay it down one more time. Along the way, there's also been a lot of great music from Frank, and these orchestral pieces are no exception. From what I gather, Zappa was never fully satisfied with the end product of his attempts at working with large orchestras (and he's worked with some of the best!), apparently finding fault with their lack of understanding in interpreting his music, as well as what he considered "sloppy" mistakes that came from seasoned musicians who were considered to be members of prestigious ensembles. It wasn't until he collaborated with The Ensemble Modern in 1992 for 'The Yellow Shark' that he finally felt his classical compositions were properly perceived and executed. Of course that project was also completed just shortly before his untimely death. It's possible then that he may have simply been too sick to really care about flaws anymore and therefore embraced the results, imperfections and all. In facing imminent death, there's little time for rectifying past errors when more pressing matters are at hand. His earthbound days were sadly running out, so why fret over things that couldn't be changed? But oddly, I've neglected to include any of those specific 'Yellow Shark' performances in this collection. Don't ask me why. I don't know the answer.
One of the things that Zappa's orchestral creations frequently demonstrate, particularly those from '200 Motels,' are excellent examples of his conceptual continuity. In the mix below, you'll notice several musical themes that are repeated throughout multiple compositions. Upon hearing these, you might simply accuse Zappa of recycling his material under different names. However, that would not only be a wrong accusation, but also missing the point entirely. Just as jazz musicians frequently quote from other song sources within their extended solos, Zappa has liberally quoted (both compositionally and improvisationally) from his own songbook throughout the entirety of his career. As a part of his organic approach, he'd frequently reference previous songs to weave passages from them into his new ones, and in the process create another thread in his much touted 'conceptual continuity.' Listen closely, and you'll hear additional connections to some of the other material I've featured previously.
To break up the 70+ minutes of seriousness that largely prevails here, I've included a few non-orchestral pieces within the set simply as a form of relief from the heaviness (or "heavyosity" as my Brooklyn-bred neighbor might say) of the works that I've chosen to showcase. In closing, as has been the case with the previous Zappa project/objects I've presented, please don't lose sight of the fact that I am merely a devoted messenger delivering Frank's genius in a shiny new package. And as with those said mixes, please play this one loud, and often.
Orchestral Maneuvers
1.) Semi Fraudulent/Direct-From-Hollywood Overture
2.) Regyptian Strut
3.) Duke Of Orchestral Prunes
4.) Duck Duck Goose (Excerpt)
5.) Sad Jane, First Movement
6.) Touring Can Sure Make You Crazy
7.) Would You Like A Snack?
8.) Redneck Eats (Excerpt)
9.) Sad Jane, Second Movement
10.) Naval Aviation In Art
11.) Bogus Pomp, Pt.1
12.) Down In De Dew
13.) Bogus Pomp, Pt.2
14.) Run Home Slow Theme
15.) Run Home Cues, #2
16.) Mount St. Mary's Concert (Excerpt)
17.) Take You Clothes Off When You Dance
18.) The Perfect Stranger, Pt.1
19.) Centerville
20.) The Perfect Stranger, Pt.2
21.) Mysterioso
Source material for 'Orchestral Maneuvers' comes from the following:
200 Motels (1971)/Orchestral Favorites (1979)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 (1983)
Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger (1984)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 (1987)
The Lost Episodes (1996)/Läther (1996)
and incidentals from various FZ recordings
Please be certain to visit 'The Vault' for much more Birds With Broken Wings content.
The London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1 (1983)
Boulez Conducts Zappa: The Perfect Stranger (1984)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 2 (1987)
The Lost Episodes (1996)/Läther (1996)
and incidentals from various FZ recordings
Please be certain to visit 'The Vault' for much more Birds With Broken Wings content.
Posts
2 Responses:
Happy to see the series continues... summer = gooood!
Another excellent installment. Dare I say it? The Zappa foundation ought to let you do this for their archival release series--- it is indeed an audio critical biography of one of America's greatest composers. Huzzah!