Varese: Intégrales; Ionisation

1. Arcana, for orchestra
Composed by Edgard Varese
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Zubin Mehta

2. Intégrales for winds & percussion
Composed by Edgard Varese
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Zubin Mehta

3. Ionisation, for 13 percussion instruments
Composed by Edgard Varese
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble
Conducted by Zubin Mehta

4. Concerto for Four Percussion Soloists and orchestra
Composed by William Kraft
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with William Kraft , William Kraft , Forrest Clark , Charles DeLancey , Walter Goodwin
Conducted by Zubin Mehta

5. Contextures: Riots - Decade '60 Riots-Decade '60
Composed by William Kraft
Performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with Charlotte Sax
Conducted by Zubin Mehta

Tracks:

Tuning Up
Amques (Original Version)
Po ectronique
Arcana
Nocturnal
Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Orchestral Version)

Tracks:

Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Original Version)
Offrandes: Chanson de laut
Offrandes: La Croix du Sud
Hyperprism
Octandre: Assez lent
Octandre: Trvif et nerveux
Octandre: Grave - Animt jubilatoire
Intales
Ecuatorial
Ionisation
Density 21.5
Drts: 1st Episode
Drts: 1st interpolation of organized sound
Drts: 2nd episode
Drts: 2nd interpolation
Drts: 3rd episode
Drts: 3rd interpolation
Drts: 4th episode
Dance for Burgess

Amazon.com essential recording

For a composer who is (now) recognizably part of the 20th-century classical canon, the French émigré Edgard Varèse's output was astoundingly meager. Just 15 compositions from his entire life (he destroyed the compositions from his early years, and was a merciless editor of his own material in general) made it out to the listening world. Varèse was caught in the chasm between the music of yesterday and the music of tomorrow: scoring music for modified theremin, steamboat whistles, or air sirens, all balanced with the force of a large orchestra; writing pieces based on the flows of water and wind because that's what shapes the earth; using the concepts of chemical reactions and specific gravity as a basis for his music. Using extremes of contrast, dissonance, and variety in sound, Varèse's pieces had power in the way he attacked and shaped the sound he imagined. From Ionisation (1929), scored almost entirely for unpitched percussion, to the electronic-only, three-dimensionally produced Poeme Electronique (1958), he's provided a foundation that many genres, musicians, and composers were to build from not only for the next 40 years, but inevitably beyond. --Robin Edgerton

Customer Reviews:

Superb with just one reservation.......2006-11-10

This complete works of Varèse, superbly performed and recorded, is a fine accomplishment. My only disappointment was its version of Poème Elèctronique being the sole representation of that ground-breaking work that still holds up for me today as one of the finest pieces of electronic music yet created. It is interesting to be able to hear the version in this collection, which appears to be a loving restoration of what must have been primarily the raw, performing version, to be further enhanced during its performances in a very large space? What I miss in the present version is the more clearly heard textures of its huge sound palette; the resonant and often humerous interplay between them, and its dramatic sweep as it was presented on a sparcely documented stereo mix that first appeared on a Columbia Records LP, later reissued on a CD, now out of print. That one is surely more like an actual performance, presumably mixed to re-create as well as possible then what it might have sounded like over its four hundred loudspeakers in the Philips Pavillion. I hope there will be further reissues. To me the CBS version's drama and energy are more like that of the performances of the other pieces in this wonderful Complete Works set. -Curt Wittig

Go ahead, test your intelligence..........2006-06-18

Frank Zappa used to play Varese to test the intelligence of his friends, and most of them used to look at him like he was "out of his f---ing mind" as he put it. As a major Zappa fan, I bought this compliation, and I love every minute of it. This 2 CD set contains all of Varese's work (needless to say, Edgar wasn't very prolific). You really hear Varese's influence in Zappa's work. Some favorite pieces are Deserts, Poem Electronique, and Un Grand Sommeil Noir (Original Version). Varese's music reminds me of universes being created, in all their violence, beauty, and glory. Instruments crashing down upon one another. This music is reminiscent of Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh and his orchestral work especially. Varese is one of the great American composers, like Aaron Copland, John Cage, and Conlon Nancarrow. Superb....

The definitive recordings........2005-11-09

Riccardo Chailly once said Varèse was going to be the Brahms of the XXI Century. I really don't know if he will be right or wrong, specially because of the very conservative auditoriums we have all around the world, but it should be this way, as the french composer has died too many years ago and his music should be understood but most of the public. It's sad to know that composers, like the own Mahler said, use to be years, decades, even centuries in advance to the general public .

Anyway, it's very important for the popular knowledge of this composers to have recordings like this, in which everything works perfectly as if it was a clock. After many years having some good recordings conducted by Boulez (Sony) and Nagano (Erato) mainly, we have now the possibility of listening one of the most musical and technical orchestra & baton of this time: The Concertgebouworkest and Riccado Chailly.

Most of the versions in this 2CDs set are the best I know, specially the orchestral works, played with conviction and precision by the Concertgebouworkest, an orchestra that had some problems with Mr.Chailly when they begin to play this, for them, `rare' music. The way Arcana sounds its incredible, full of power, mistery and perfection, the performing of Ameriques is breathtaking and I can only compare it with the truly outstanding version by Pierre Boulez with the CSO for DG. Deserts is a new dimension in Chailly's hands, really terrible and full of dark emotions.

Of course, there are little things that could be a bit better, like the Spanish sung in Ecuatorial, better sung in Nagano's version, but generally the performing is marvellous and the instrumental and ondes Martenot's playing in this piece is perfect in Chailly's version.

The ASKO Ensemble versions are outstanding too, showing a very modern Varèse. The performing of Ionisation, that great jewel, listened with a good Hi-Fi system is a experience not to be lost.

The recordings are very good, not outstanding, as it sounds like distant sometimes, but clear and with good definition, of course better with good electronics.

Booklet and presentation of the box is marvellous too; as it has to be in real event in recorded music in the last decades.

Sound Splitting Music.......2002-06-25

First, let me state that I am a long-time Varese fanatic. I first heard Ionisation live at a contemporary music concert in my town when I was 12, and I was hooked. I immediately bought the old Robert Craft double album on Columbia and played it until there were scratches on the scratches. So I was overjoyed to see a modern "complete" recording with up to date sonics. For the most part, I haven't been too disappointed with the performances either.

Chailly is great on much of this music. Ameriques and Arcana are sonic extravagazas. And this is the best recording I've heard of Nocturnal and Ecuatorial. Chailly does a good job with the chamber pieces of the 20s and 30s, though I agree with other reviewers, Boulez is much clearer on Ionisation. Chailly misses some of my favorite parts, and I find it hard to hear the first snare drum theme. (I'm also quite partial to Craft's version, but I don't think it's available anymore.)

I also must add to the chorus of exceptions on the questionable material. The orhestrated version of the solo song has no place on this CD. It doesn't sound like Varese, more like Debussy, and though the song is quite impressionistic, I think we presume too much to orchestrate it and pass it off as "complete" Varese. And neither Tune Up nor Dance for Burgess really add much to our understanding of Varese, and are of questionable value. I suspect that Varese would have destroyed them completely had he been able. Much better to have a recording of the revised version of Ameriques. The revision is so extensive, that a side by side comparison would be illuminating.

All in all, I like this CD. Chailly's take on Varese is big and passionate, something that I think both Boulez and Craft miss. Abravanel comes close to this passion, but Chailly wins because of the gorgeous sonics. I highly recommend this CD to those interested in exploring the unique sound world of Varese.

An aural knockout.......2002-02-01

Here are two discs with some of the most exciting 20th-century music around. Chailly and the Concertgebouw give definitive readings of Varèse's complex pieces, some written for a huge orchestra, and recorded in typically opulent London sound.

My favorites are, without a doubt, "Ameriques" and "Arcana," two explosive showpieces that will give your sound system quite a workout. But far from being merely loud, the scores have many beautiful textures (including quiet ones) scattered throughout the orchestra, and Chailly captures much of the glittering detail.

I even like "Tuning Up," which may seem like a less substantial work to most ears. To be fair, if the piece is not the last word in Varèse's imagination, it is clever enough for its short duration, and as with everything on this disc, the orchestra sounds superb and totally undaunted. Their virtuosity is both satisfying and thrilling, especially in such seldom-performed music.

Make sure your neighbors are away before turning up the performance of "Ameriques," though - the last few pages will blow your roof off.

Tracks:

Ionisation
Ameriques
Density 21.5 For Solo Flute
Offrandes For Soprano: A) Chanson de La-haut
Offrandes For Soprano: B) La Croix du Sud
Arcana For Full Orchestra
Octandre For Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Double-bass: I. Assez lent
Octandre For Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Double-bass: II. Tres vif et nerveux
Octandre For Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Double-bass: III. Grave
Integrales For Small Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

It's OK..........2006-02-09

I can see that Frank Zappa would have been inspired by this music. As a longtime Zappa fan, I can hear plenty in Zappa's music that was modeled after Varese. Still, Varese's pieces on this CD are hardly monumental or awe-inspiring, and this seems to be the kind of music that very much depends on how it's played and interpreted. You don't get much better than Pierre Boulez; if it was, for example, me conducting an ensemble in performing Varese's work, nobody would listen. So it seems that it's not as much the music as the performance. And that Varese cannot be credited with.

definitely NOT Louie Louie.......2005-09-11

This album (CD) made it into my collection the same way as a few others who've commented here. One day after listening to Lumpy Gravy I was at the record store holding this CD in my mitts wondering if I really wanted to subject myself to one of Zappa's major musical influences.

This is music either for someone who knows a lot about the structure of sound and can appreciate it for that reason or someone who gets bored listening to the same sort of thing all the time and enjoys variety. This is not what most people would consider the easiest "stuff" to listen to. It has an overall disonance to it that many would consider an assault on their senses. At the same time it also has a mathamatical structure to it that makes it obvious to even the most musically uneducated dullard that this is unique, well thought out sound. To be honest I'd have to admit to not understanding much of this CD but it certainly is interesting and different. Arcana, for instance, reminds me a little of something Gustov Holst might have written if he had been spending time with Carlos Castenada. The entire CD takes the listener through a range of emotions that might go from sombre and desolate to momentarily uplifted likely ending up somewhere between confused and perhaps violated... maybe even satisfied.

This is NOT the sort of thing I could listen to all the time but when the mood strikes there isn't a rendition of Louie Louie that is going to hit the spot that this will. Recommended for someone with a musically adventurous disposition.

Incredible........2004-05-26

This is one of the finest set of recording of the Varese repetoire ever made. The french performances are particularly well done with right degree of ensemble and tone required of this difficult music.

The Octandre is especially good with super attacks from all players...not for the faint of heart.

absolute craziness!.......2002-04-06

I purchased this cd after reading Frank Zappa's audobiography, where he pays homage to the great Varese for inspiring him. I can see where Varese had an influence on him. This is a strange but good collection of pieces conducted by Boulez, who also worked with Zappa on "Perfect Stranger". If you like Zappa then you will probably appreciate this album. Varese was a very talented composer and this album proves it. Ionization alone proves it, but the rest of the disc is great also.

impeccable chaos.......2002-03-02

This disc doesn't contain all of Varese's music, but it comes close at 77 minutes. Varese was not nearly as prolific as he was creative! The first recorded Varese I heard was on the VoxBox (called "Ionisation"), and five of the pieces found here are also on that disk, conducted by Cerha. What a contrast! Cerha presents Varese delicately, transparently, without passion. The advantage is that the instruments are clearly delineated. But you are left wondering what the fuss is about -- it doesn't sound very radical. Boulez emphatically captures the chaos, the energy, the alien-ness of Varese! Of course the overall impact is heightened by the inclusion of "Ameriques" and "Arcana," two 20-minute pieces for full orchestra that are bigger and louder than anything included on the VoxBox. The production value is superb -- sharp and clear -- and the packaging is faultless as well. In short, if you only had one recording by Varese, this would be an excellent choice. If you like this, by all means look for Xenakis' "Orchestral Works and Chamber Music" on Col Legno. Varese is a key influence, especially the composition "Arcana"!

Ionisation: Music of Varèse, Penderecki, Ligeti

Average customer rating:

great sample of 20th century modernism!
Varese was the first record Frank Zappa ever bought.
Take your bottle of aspirin; you'll need it
One of recorded music's greatest bargains!
Most perfect recording of Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures

Ionisation: Music of Varèse, Penderecki, Ligeti

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Xénakis: Pléïdes
Luigi Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz, for Soprano, Piano, Orchestra & Magnetic Tape (1971-72) / ...sofferte onde serene... For Piano & Magnetic Tape (1976) / Contrapunto dialettico alla mente, for Magnetic Tape (1968) - Maurizio Pollini / Claudio Abbado
Varèse: Arcana; Intégrales; Déserts
Varese: Arcana; Ameriques; Ionization; Offrandes; Density 21.5; Octandre; Integrales
Varèse - The Complete Works / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra · Asko Ensemble · Chailly

ASIN: B000001K4Z
Release Date: 1996-07-09

Tracks:

Integrales For Small Orchestra And Percussion
Offrandes For Soprano And Chamber Orchestra: Chanson de la haut
Offrandes For Soprano And Chamber Orchestra: La croix du sud
Density For Flute
Octandre For Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Horn, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone And Double Bass (Assez lent; Tres vif et nerveux; Grave)
Hyperprism For Small Orchestra And Percussion
Helmut Reissberger: Ionisation For Percussion Ensemble Of 13 Players
'Emanationen', For 2 String Orchestras
Sonata For Cello And Orchestra
String Quartet No. 1 (1960)

Tracks:

Stabat Mater
Miserere
Miniatures For Violin & Piano (1959)
Aventures-Nouvelles Aventures, For 3 Singers & 7 Instrumentalists: Aventures
Aventures-Nouvelles Aventures, For 3 Singers & 7 Instrumentalists: Nouvelles aventures
Aventures-Nouvelles Aventures, For 3 Singers & 7 Instrumentalists: Volumina (Original Version 1961-62) - Dedicated To Hans Otte And Karl-Erik Welin
Aventures-Nouvelles Aventures, For 3 Singers & 7 Instrumentalists: Etude No. 1 'Harmonies' (1967) - Dedicated To Gerd Zacher

Customer Reviews:

great sample of 20th century modernism!.......2001-08-27

Just as I was familiar with Gyorgy Ligeti's music because of "2001," I was familiar with the name Varese through Frank Zappa long before I learned much of anything else about 20th century composition. It wasn't until this disc, though, that I finally heard Varese's music. Frankly it took several listens before I really heard it -- I didn't find it as immediately compelling as, say, Carter or Ligeti. But give it time, and you can hear why such uncompromising later radicals as Xenakis considered Varese to be absolutely pivotal in developing a new language of space, rhythm and intensity. "Ionisation" for percussion is the culminating piece here, complete with sirens! I wish Varese had been more prolific, and realized his "vision" more fully with electronics.

I'm not sure what the logic was of including Penderecki and Ligeti with Varese, but the music is great! Penderecki's instrumentation is conventional compared to Varese, and the music is somber and tragic, with bursts of terrifying dissonance. The string quartet is splendid. Then comes Ligeti with music first for vocals, and then for organ, and any previous concept of music is out the window. I can't help but laugh at "Adventures"! Here is an excerpt from the equally amusing liner notes on Ligeti by Dr. William B. Ober: "...Ligeti's "Poeme Symphonique"..., certainly atonal, directs the 'listener' to meter without distracting his ear by melody or harmony... [H]e escapes the solecism of structural coherence, enabling the 'listener' to concentrate on texture."

I was led by this disc to seek out more 20th century music. It serves as an excellent bargain introduction, and I'm now discovering how right Stravinsky was to emphasize the importance of multiple interpretations of compositions, so it's great to eventually duplicate some of these pieces on other recordings.

Varese was the first record Frank Zappa ever bought........2001-08-26

This is a personal note, not a review. I am only just now buyng this CD. My interest is in tracing the influences on Frank Zappa. In his autobiography, Zappa explains that a Varese album, "The Complete Works of Edgard Varese, Volume I," was the first record he ever bought while still a teenager in El Cajon, California. He talks of the profound affect it had on him and often credited Varese on his album covers in the 60's and 70's. I find Zappa's music rich, deep, and incredibly original -- as well as funny. The pieces in his album, "Hot Rats," give evidence of a composer able to find inspiration in doo-wop, dada, rock, and, apparently, Varese.

Take your bottle of aspirin; you'll need it.......2000-11-08

I figured I would find at least one interesting and LISTENABLE piece of contemporary music on this value priced two cd set so I bought it. Boy, was I wrong! This is some of the most annoying, nerve deadening music (I use that term loosely) I have ever heard. The Ligeti organ piece sounds like someone pulling the plug on an electric organ as it slowly dies out. The Varese pieces are just unlistenable. Penderecki is praised by a number of modern music lovers but I could not find one redeeming fragment in the works contained here. The liner notes show how far gone contemporary music has gone. They appear to be a veiled apology for the crimes committed here. The author of them seems to make one excuse after another for why these pieces will appeal to so few people, as if that was something to be proud of. If composers of "serious" music don't care if their music has an audience, that's fine with me. Perhaps, in their minds, having people who actually enjoy their music is a sign of failure or serious miscalculation on their parts. They can all join the list of contemporary poets who are writing for no one but other contemporary poets as no one bothers with them either. I just do not believe that this music will survive the decades to come. No one even listens to it or buys it now. Farewell, and good riddance!

One of recorded music's greatest bargains!.......2000-02-03

I bought this recording because I was looking for a sound version of Varese's Ionisation. What I got was a wonderful version, perhaps the best, plus an additional 125 minutes of incredible 20th Century music! This bargain-priced two-disc set surveys three of the previous centuries most exciting composers, Varese (French), Penderecki (Polish), and Ligeti (Hungarian). All works share one thing in common, they are all extraordinarily ground-breaking compositions. From the intense percussion of 'Ionisation', the tense, paranoid strings of 'Emanationen' and vocal extremes of Ligeti's 'Adventures' to the quiet beauty of Penderecki's 'Stabat Mater' and 'Misere', this recording covers a lot of compositional territory. And thankfully it provides great notes to help you along the journey. Now that we've left the 20th Century behind, perhaps its finally safe for the world to explore its fine music. Mahler's outstanding, but aren't we ready to move on?

Most perfect recording of Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures.......1999-06-22

The Varèse has been never recorded better than with "die reihe". The most perfect recording of my "Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures" is on "Vox Box" says György Ligeti

Average customer rating:

Music of Edgar Varèse

Manufacturer: One Way Records Inc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Octets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Ionisation
Density 21.5
Integrales
Octandre
Hyperprism
Poeme Electronique

L'Oeuvre de Edgar Varèse, Vol. 2: 1925-1961

Average customer rating:

L'Oeuvre de Edgar Varèse, Vol. 2: 1925-1961

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000005E4F
Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

Densit1.5 (For Solo Flute)
Ionisation
Ecuatorial
Nocturnal
Intales
Drts

Amazon.com

Varese's musical aesthetic is so uncompromising, so extreme, that listeners tend to sharply divide themselves between fervent admirers and equally vociferous detractors. One of the finest aspects of Kent Nagano's performances of the music is his unwillingness to apologize for it; he lets the music speak for itself in its clumsy, brilliant grandeur. The result is perhaps the definitive recording of the French modernist's work to date. --Joshua Cody

Live 3: Edgard Varèse (Intégrales / Ionisation / Déserts / Poème électronique) - ASKO Ensemble

Average customer rating:

Live 3: Edgard Varèse (Intégrales / Ionisation / Déserts / Poème électronique) - ASKO Ensemble
Edgard Varèse (Composer) , Cliff Crego (Conductor) , and ASKO Ensemble
Manufacturer: Attacca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003D76
Release Date: 1992-09-02

Average customer rating:

An intriguing disc

Varese: Intégrales; Ionisation

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000042DU
Release Date: 1997-07-15

Tracks:

Arcana
Integrales
Ionisation
Concerto For Four Percussion Soloists And Orchestra: I. Recitativo quasi senza misura
Concerto For Four Percussion Soloists And Orchestra: II. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Four Percussion Soloists And Orchestra: III. Cadenza con variazioni
Contextures: Riots - Decade '60: I. Adagio, II. Prestissimo
Contextures: Riots - Decade '60: III. Con calore
Contextures: Riots - Decade '60: IV. Presto, V. Molto adagio

Customer Reviews:

An intriguing disc.......2001-03-01

The Varese pieces on the disc are essential in the collections of anybody interested in 20th century concert music; inevitably they won't be to everyone's taste, but I find them immense fun and very dramatic, as well as being Seminal Artworks (with all the usual modernist pomp, etc.) Those familliar with Varese might be interested to compare this recording to the Boulez recordings; in places Mehta conjures an almost Shostakovichian sound from snare, xylophone and wind passages! Also, the strings in Arcana retain a certain romantic expressiveness in this recording, jarring when set against the angular, spare writing for Vareses' favoured winds and percussion. The Kraft is an excellent coupling; adapting Shoenbergian and Varesian techniques into his own style, he retains a melodic lyricism, but also, unsually for a disciple of these composers, incorporates a Beethovian sense of political and social commentary. There are interjections from a Jazz band, and a moving elegy to Martin Luther King in the finale of the second Kraft work on this disc. Mehta's direction is perhaps better suited for this composer than for Varese, although I have heard no work by Kraft conducted by anyone else. Sound is digitally remastered from analogue, and as a result, bright clear and present, if a little brittle. The LAPO play well throughout, with a few out of tune notes in the extreme top woodwind register.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Blue Marble [Import]

Forqueray: Livre de Clavecin de Madame Forqueray

Edith Piaf

Music: 20 Christmas Favorites

Finelines [Import]

Dumb, Pt. 2 [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]

Family Affair, Vol. 2: Live at Radio City Music Hall [Live]

Earl Wild Plays Brahms & Liszt

Early Hits of "The Tennessee Plowboy"

Canta a Pablo Milanes

Five Fathoms [CD-single] [Import]

Fifth Anniversary Phonograph Record [Import]

Exposure [Import]

Passions: Baroque & Renaissonce Duets

Silence Is Easy