A giant pop symphony by the American Frank Zappa is finally to receive its British premiere more than 40 years after the original was cancelled because of obscene lyrics.
The Southbank Centre is bringing together the vast forces required to perform 200 Motels, the music originally heard in a surrealist musical film made by Zappa with the British film-maker Tony Palmer, loosely based on the story of life on the road as rock musicians.
Gillian Moore, the Southbank’s head of classical music, said the planned Royal Albert Hall premiere did not go ahead in 1971 because of concerns over obscenity fuelled by the way Zappa’s Mothers of Invention band had behaved during filming.
And she said: “The reason why it’s not been done since in the UK is the sheer complexity of putting it on.”
It will now be performed during The Rest is Noise festival of 20th century music alongside performances including Minimalist masterpieces by Steve Reich and Philip Glass which the Americans will attend.
All are part of the new classical music programme for 2013/14 which also includes Royal Opera House music director Antonio Pappano conducting star tenor Joseph Calleja in the Verdi Requiem and conductor Claudio Abbado’s first UK appearance with his new Orchestra Mozart.
And the artist Martin Creed who famously won the Turner Prize with a light switching on and off joins top living composers in being asked to write new music for the Royal Festival Hall organ which will finally return to work next year after a £2.3 million nine-year restoration.
Creed, a musician hitherto best known for expletive-fuelled punk performances, is currently studying Bach to rise to the challenge.
“He’s very interested in the organ - it floats his boat. And he’s really interested in the mathematical aspects of Bach,” Professor Moore said.
Composers including John Tavener, Peter Maxwell Davies, the Master of the Queen’s Music, and Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy have also been commissioned.
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Their works will be premiered as part of a Pull Out All the Stops festival to celebrate the organ which was at the heart of the Festival of Britain plans and sparked a new wave of organ building.
