Frank Zappa’s 70th Birthday Celebrated at the Roundhouse in London

The Roundhouse, one of London’s premiere performing arts venues and cultural landmarks, celebrates the 70th birthday of Frank Zappa with a weekend of concerts and events from November 5 to November 7. Included in the weekend festival are three concerts, a film screening, and several artist talks, featuring Gail Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, the London Sinfonietta, and the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Kicking the weekend off on November 5, the London Contemporary Orchestra performs several Zappa works following a talk by Gail Zappa introducing his musical world. The works performed will be a selection from Zappa’s album, The Yellow Shark, including G-Spot Tornado, The Dog Breath Variations, Get Whitey, and Be-Bop Tango.

On Sunday, November 7, the London Sinfonietta performs the UK Premiere of Zappa’s The Adventures of Greggery Peccary, featuring Kwame Kwei-Armah as the character of Greggery. They also will perform Revised Music for Low Budget Symphony Orchestra, along with Pierre Boulez’ Mémoriale and Edgard Varese’s Octandre.

In addition to these two performances at the Roundhouse, a third evening at the Royal Academy of Music completes this celebration of Frank Zappa’s 70th Birthday in London, with a concert of new transcriptions of his music alongside several instrumental favorites. The new transcriptions have been made by Philip Cashian, Head of Composition at the RAM, along with his current students. The concert will be performed by the RAM’s Manson Ensemble, conducted by Franck Ollu, who performed with Ensemble Modern on the original Yellow Shark album.

All performances will be filmed by the Roundhouse broadcast team and will be broadcast live at www.roundhouse.org.uk. Audio recordings will be overseen by Grammy Award-winning engineer, Frank Filipetti.

Frank Zappa Composer Profile.

For a complete overview of the Roundhouse’s Zappa Celebration, and to purchase tickets, visit roundhouse.org.uk/frank-zappa.

For all the latest news and updates on all things Frank Zappa, go to zappa.com.

G-Spot Tornado
transcribed for orchestra by Ali N. Askin (1992)
1(pic).1.1(Ebcl).bcl.1(perc ad lib.)-2(perc ad lib.).2(2.pic tpt).2(perc ad lib.).1(perc ad lib.)-3perc-gtr.mand.hp.cel.pno-2vn.va.vc.elec db
5'

The Dog Breath Variations/Uncle Meat
for chamber orchestra
transcribed by Ali N. Askin (1992)
1(pic.afl).1(ca).1.bcl.1.cbsn-2.2.2(1ttbn.2btbn).1-3perc-mand.banjo.hp.cel.pno-str(2.1.1.elec bass.no db)
6'

Get Whitey (1992)
for orchestra
1(afl).1(ca).1.bcl.1(cbsn)-2.1.1.btbn.1-3perc-gtr.mand.hp.pno-str
7'

Be-bop Tango
for chamber orchestra
transcribed by Ali N. Askin (1992)
pic.1(afl,clav).1(marac).1(tri).tsax(cym).1(jingle bells)-2.2.1.btbn.1-3perc-gtr.mand.hp.pno-2vn(1.agogo 2.vibraslap).va(metal guiro).vc(large guiro).db(small cym)
4'

The Adventures of Greggery Peccary
transcribed by Ali N. Askin (2009)
for male voice, 2 actors, narrator and orchestra
1(afl.pic).1(ca).1(ebcl).bcl(tensax).-2(1.,2.pictp.flghn).1.1-3perc(xyl, b.d, cym, vib, tembl, dinner gong, bend gong, 2tam-t, s.d, cast, ratchet, tom-t,chimes, pop gun, 3 typewriters w/ high bell, tub bells, tamb, glsp, jaw bone, bell tree, flexatone, mar)2kybd-mand.2gt.hp-2.2.2.e bass
25’

Revised Music for Low Budget Symphony Orchestra
for orchestra
transcribed by Ali N. Askin and Bruce Fowler (1992)
1(afl).1(ca).1.bcl(tsax).1-1.1.flugelhn.1.1-3perc-egtr.ebgtr.mand.hp.pno-2vn(elec vn).2va.2vc
8'

Pierre Boulez
Mémoriale ( ... explosante-fixe ... Originel) (1985)
for flute and 8 instruments
hn(2), vln(3), vla(2), vc(1)
7’