Classical Selection: The Dissonant Classics that Informed and Inspired Zappa (2-CD)

by Frank Zappa / Various Artists

A man of hugely eclectic tastes, Frank Zappa was a lover of everything from Doo-Wop to Heavy Metal and from Jazz-Funk to New Wave. Indeed a radio show he produced for the BBC in 1980 found him playing records by Edgar Varese and Igor Stravinsky, representing his love of modern classical music. Featuring nineteenth and twentieth century mavericks as diverse as Wagner, Holst, Ravel, Boulez, Stockhausen, Schoenberg, Penderecki, Harry Partch and John Cage - in addition to the aforementioned Stravinsky and Varese - this collection illustrates the impulse for many of Zappa's own compositions and as a guide to the music Frank Vincent took to his heart and cherished throughout the major part of his tragically short life. Including fully illustrated 16 page booklet with extensive notes by music historian Derek Barker, this delightful package finally reveals what it was that informed so much of Frank Zappa's extraordinary music.