Edgard Varèse

 As usual, I can’t really add anything more about this great composer that hasn’t already been written. For that matter, I know precious little about his life. One wonders (not having read any biographies about him) if his personality matched how severe he looked! He was one scary-looking dude! I know he was part of the avant-garde school of music from his native country of France. He moved to the United States in the early part of the 20th Century – specifically to Greenwich Village, New York (where else, right?). More specifically to 188 Sullivan Street.

To think of all the times I was right nearby shopping at Second Coming Records and I never knew! His wife Louise lived there until her passing in 1987. Edgard Varèse himself left the planet in 1965. But, as he himself put it, “The present-day composer refuses to die!”

My exposure to Edgard Varèse was a direct result of having read that very quote on the sleeve of early Mothers of Invention albums. Once I heard Edgard Varèse’s music it was very clear where Zappa got his inspiration (at least a good chunk of it). My good friend Mike and I tracked down the Columbia double-LP set of the Robert Craft recordings reissued in the early 70s – it looks like this:

Far out stuff! Especially coming off those vinyl platters with the “serious”, grey Columbia Masterworks labels. Technically, Mike bought the LP and I made a cassette copy (which I still have). Though I’ve picked up many other recordings of Edgard Varèse’s music, the renditions on that double LP remain favorites. Here are some other records……………..

This is the famous EMS 401 LP from 1950. I got it as part of a freecycle haul years ago and while it’s not in the best of shape it’s still pretty cool. It is a pretty rough and tumble sounding recording though. I think this was the first commercially available sound recording of Varèse. In the late 50s, the Robert Craft renditions came out, the first one with a cover like this:

I found the mono version of this record for $1 at a Goodwill last year. Okay, not exactly free, but still awesome.

After Mike and I scored the double LP, I located this record in the stacks at the local library. Years later I got my own copy in mono. Really powerful version of Arcana right there!

This album featuring Ameriques came out around the same time as the Arcana record. Funny how the cover art is so similar! Coincidence? Heh!

Here’s a Quadraphonic record of some Varèse pieces. As it happens, I do have the equipment to decode the quad information accurately. Haven’t done that yet, but had to have the record for when the urge hits. And that’s an important admission. Edgard Varèse isn’t “anytime” listening. Have to be in the right frame of mind, but when that urge hits, there’s nothing else like it!

Two years ago, there was a two-night mini-festival of Edgard Varèse at Lincoln Center. Since I won the World Cup pool that year (go SPAIN!) I got tickets for me and Mike and we ended up at the second night when the larger orchestral pieces were performed. ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PERCENT UTTERLY FLIPPING BRILLIANT is what it was to hear this music played with precision, ferocity, virtuosity and VELOCITY that night. If they did that every year, I would go every year. Hope I get to hear some live performances of Varèse at least once more before I split the planet myself.

No matter what some folks think about Frank Zappa, he did the “serious music world” a real SOLID one through his constant advocacy of the music of Stravinsky, Webern, Nancarrow, Varèse and other favorite modern composers. It’s a little known fact that Zappa’s last recording project featured his favorite Varèse compositions performed by the Ensemble Modern under his own direction. The project, which included a film, was even titled “The Rage and the Fury” and it’s DONE, just waiting to be released. As of last summer, Gail Zappa typically, cryptically announced plans to release this project as she put it “by the end of the Mayan calendar”. Isn’t that in 2012? Well, if true – I’m psyched!

Oddly enough, as prolific as Zappa was in his lifetime, his hero was the exact opposite. So, you can get all the Varèse compositions on one two-disc CD set these days. One I’ve heard that is pretty good is this one:

 So, I named my blog after a Varèse composition. It’s only fitting that I post a clip of it here:

I have other posts about Edgard Varèse planned for the future. His influence continues to be felt in modern music and not just through the Frank Zappa connection, though certainly Zappa's enthusiasm has helped to keep interest in Varèse's music alive. As folks continue to debate the nature of music it would be helpful to recall the other Edgard Varèse quote : "Music is organized sound!" Happy listening!