the divertimento ensemble

1998/11/07, the Divertimento Ensemble performed Frank Zappa's Yellow Shark Suite. The concert also got broadcast on Italian FM radio RAI-3.
2007/10/01, the Ensemble performed Zappa's 'G-Spot Tornado'. Broadcast on November 18 2007 on Italian radio.

http://web.tiscali.it/divertimentoensemble/

the Divertimento Ensemble, cond. Sandro Gorli

• 1998/11/07 concert 'piccolo teatro di catania', catania, italy
  • dog breath variations * uncle meat * outrage at valdez * III revised * the girl in the magnesium dress * bebop tango * ruth is sleeping * none of the above * questi cazzi di piccione * get whitey * g-spot tornado
  • broadcast on italian radio RAI 3
  • a 41-minute recording of this radio show circulates

Monday Oct. 1st, 2007 - 7:30 pm - Auditorium di Milano  - Milan, Italy

Divertimento Ensemble - Pierre-André Valade, conductor

• Mauricio Kagel - Ludwig van (Tribute to Beethoven)

• John Cage - Seven

• Aldo Clementi - Informel 2

• Bruno Maderna - Serenata per un satellite (version by Claudio Ambrosini)

• Stefan Wolpe - Chamber Piece n.1, Chamber Piece n.2

• Frank Zappa - G-Spot Tornado (Arrangement by Ali N. Askin)

Here's some extra info on the 1998/11/07 performance, as put together by Bengt:

from N-Lite:

Divertimento Ensemble - Yellow Shark
7-Nov, 1998, Piccolo Teatro di Catania, Catania, Italy

The performance of the "Yellow Sark" by the Divertimento Ensemble contucted by Sandro Gorli, was kept very close to the original scores of the piece and to Ali Askin's arrangements and instrumentation, nonwithstanding a very few minor "mistakes", probably due to the lack of familiarity with FZ music of some of the musicians.

In an interview after the concert the maestro Sandro Gorli has descibed his experience of trying to rent the scores and the arrangements from the ZFT as having been "terrible".

"We started 2 years ago with the idea of performing Zappa music and so we personnaly contacted his wife to check the possibilty to have the ensemble perform it as prestigious theatres like La Scala di Milano, in Roma, in Catania and Perugia. Also to have an idea of the costs to organize the concerts and the number of musicians that were to be involved. The firts reply was "we don't give out the music. Any good orchestra director would understand everthing just listening to the record".

"Eventually the intervent of Erich Lohner, who knew the Divertimento Ensamble, "unfreezed" things. Still we had to pay 10 million (Lire) in advance for three shows, which is very unusual, you usually pay after receiving the muisc, and had to wait more than two months to receive them... the cost of renting the music scores was about 3 times as much as usually requested by composers like Luciano Berio's publishers.

Usually its enough to mention it to the publishers and they're more than happy to send you the music in vision. Many of them just give it for free even if they want them back afterwards, but, in this case I had to risk myself, not knowing if and when the music would arrive... I understand that they try to protect Zappa's music by all those jackals interested in just using his name to make concerts, but they should also understand that there are people seriously interested in his music. They did about everything to discourage us..."

The first concert, held in Catania, was broadcasted by the italian FM Radio RAI-3.

This introdution was freely edited and translated by DK No. 20 the italian FZine by N-Lite

-- info: Bengt