Norrlandsoperans Symfoniorkester in Umeå, Sweden continues to pick up works from the Frank Zappa "songbook". On October 22 the orchestra (under the baton of Rumon Gamba) will perform Zappa plus music by Edgard Varèse, John Adams and Igor Stravinsky.
Updated Oct. 27, 2009: The Radio Dupree staff enjoyed the radio broadcast but unfortunately the orchestra did not perform Dog Meat and Revised Music. The scores arrived too late so the orchestra did not have enough time to rehearse them properly. We got Peaches twice instead. The concert was sold out and got very good reviews in the local press.
Updated Oct. 8 & 22, 2009: Swedish Broadcasting (Sveriges Radio) plans a live broadcast of the concert nationwide on the radio channel P2 this evening, or maybe only a part of it (if so, we hope for the Zappa part).
Here are the links!
Read more about the concert here (Swedish).
Listening links - streaming live:
Windows Media high
Windows Media low
Real Audio
On Air 7.00 - 10.30 pm Swedish/Central European Time. Check what time that is where you live using http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?sort=1
The programme:
Varèse: Octandre / Adams: Eros Piano / Stravinsky: Scherzo a la Russe / Zappa: Naval aviation in art, Revised music for low budget orchestra, Dog breath variations / Uncle Meat, G-Spot tornado, Peaches en regalia, Be-Bop Tango
The orchestra has performed Zappa's work before. A member of the Radio Dupree staff recalls an evening with Dog Breath Variations on the repertoire, and a whole bunch of Zappa pieces were performed at the Umeå Chamber Music Festival in 2003.
3 comments:
Are these pieces shaping up to be 'the' classical repertoire for Mr. Zappa? Seems like there is room for orchestras to mix it up a bit more, although it's great see it getting played.
The exceptions here may be the two pieces Naval Aviation In Art and Revised Music For Low Budget Orchestra. Those may not be among the Zappa top 10 when orchestras choose to perform his works.
...but I agree with you. It's pretty much the same pieces that are picked. I would also like to hear some wild and different arrangements of Zappa's music. /Siggy, Radio Dupree
The Dog Breath Variations/Uncle Meat seems to be one of the most popular Zappa pieces among symphony orchestras and other ensembles of the world of classical music. www.zappa.com has a list of all different orchestras that are performing FZ music this fall, and four out of six will perform "Dog Meat". First there is Meadows Wind Ensemble (Dallas, Tx Oct 16), then The Symphony Orchestra of the Norrlandsopera (Oct 22), The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces (Oct 30) and Toronto Philharmonia (Jan 23).
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