Frank Zappa - Total Immersion - Barbican Centre, London
This day-long celebration promised 'Total Immersion' into Frank’s often-overlooked work as an accomplished composer of classical music. It may have been bright and clear outside in the urban oasis of London’s Barbican, yet within the walls of the sprawling arts centre, Frankophiles were drenched by cascades of dense, obtuse, playful and evocative music and inundated by sounds majestic and alien.
Following a screening of Alex 'Bill S' Winter revelatory, nuanced and poignant documentary, the afternoon and evening orchestral performances combined pieces from those whose work informed and inspired Frank, including pieces by Stravinsky, Varèse and Webern.
An arresting version of Zappa's own 'The perfect stranger' (originally commissioned by the highly influential Pierre Boulez) as well as excerpts from the revered 'Yellow Shark'.
Online Playback
Audio excerpts from the two performances (‘Zappa: The Yellow Shark’ - The Guildhall’s Ubu Ensemble and ‘Zappa Goes Large’ - BBC Symphony Orchestra) will feature in ‘Radio 3 in Concert’ on Friday 25 March at 7.30pm in ‘Total Immersion: Frank Zappa’. It will also be available until 24th April 2022 via the BBC Sounds portal.
The full video performance of ‘Zappa Goes Large’ was broadcast as a paid live-stream event and is still available to subscribers this week.
The feature-length (2h3m) documentary ‘Zappa’ is available on BBC iPlayer.
