Zappa's Classical Music

Classical Zappa

Zappa's strong curiosity about modern classical music started while he read a LOOK journal article about the Sam Goody record shop chain that lauded its capability to sell an LP as obscure as The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Volume One.The post described Varèse's percussion composition Ionisation, done by EMS Recordings, as "a weird jumble of drums and other unpleasant sounds". Zappa made the decision to look for Varèse's music. After seeking out over a year, Zappa discovered a copy (he noticed the LP because of the "mad scientist" looking picture of Varèse on the cover). Not having enough cash with him, he asked the salesman to sell him the record at a reduction.Thus started his lasting enthusiasm for Varèse's songs and that of other contemporary classical composers.

Pierre Boulez stated in Musician magazine's posthumous Zappa tribute article that Zappa "was an exceptional figure because he was part of the worlds of rock and classical music and that both types of his work would survive."

Zappa's classical albums:

Orchestral Favorites

London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. I

London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II

Boulez Conducts Zappa

The Yellow Shark 

Frank Zappa :

"I'll tell you what classical music is, for those of you who don't know. Classical music is this music that was written by a bunch of dead people a long time ago. And it's formula music, the same as top forty music is formula music. In order to have a piece be classical, it has to conform to academic standards that were the current norms of that day and age..."