Early Varèse Recordings

These were among the first recordings of Edgard Varèse's iconoclastic music. They were made under his supervision in 1950 by a small New York label. Although the cover says this is Volume 1, it actually is the only volume issued.

If you haven't heard Varèse's music, think of the sonorities Stravinsky unleashed in The Rite of Spring and Petrushka, and then use those sonorities as the basis of a musical syntax. That will give you some sense of Varèse's sound world.

And as C.J. Luten noted in American Record Guide: "Other key points, it seems to me, are his music’s continual suggestion of the characteristic sounds of city life (that the composer says 'have been all our lives a part of our daily consciousness') and its close affinity with primitive expression."

In truth, although Varèse was certainly considered "out there" in his day, he was in a sense a forerunner of trends to come, and composers of timbre-centered music have become more common and influential since his time.

The record did get warily positive reviews. The acute critic-composer Arthur Berger wrote in Saturday Review: "The ingredients [of Varèse's music] are pure rhythm and color, organized astutely in terms more realistic on paper than to the ear... To my ears 'Intégrales' is like an obstinate wisp of blues reflected in one of those distorting mirrors in amusement parks. Like most of his music, it points to a sensitive ear and enormous knowledge of what instruments can do, and EMS did full acoustic justice to these gifts. Any work of Varese is intriguing indeed on first acquaintance, but shock is not, as it would seem, its aim. There is no doubt of its sincerity, and it is a pleasure to see this sincerity rewarded by some recognition at last."

The performance on the record were praised by the critics. Conducting was Frederic Waldman. The flute piece "Density 21.5" was performed by René Le Roy.

One person who was strongly influenced by Varèse was the late rock musician Frank Zappa. He wrote an article for Stereo Review in 1971 where he talked about his quest to find a copy of this very recording and to get in touch with the composer. It's an amusing article and some of it may actually be true, so I've included it in the download. My real reason for bringing it up is because it demonstrates just how difficult it was to get recordings of rare music until fairly recently. The wonders of the internet!

Zappa's article also mentions that the LP was considered a sonic spectacular in its day, although in truth some of the seemingly spectacular quality was produced (as it often is) by a strong bias towards the presence region. I have compensated for that bias, and the results, while still sounding vivid, are now more full bodied.

REMASTERED VERSION - APRIL 2024