Varese MP3

Another fine Other Minds MP3, from the Internet Archive, at archive.org. It’s a 1973 KPFA broadcast of a 40th anniversary segment on early electronic composer Edgar Varese‘s historic percussion piece, Ionisation, which famously included a siren in its score. Nicolas Slonimsky, best known for his biographical dictionary, talks about the debut, which he had conducted all those many years prior. Slonimsky is perhaps best known to rock fans as a friend of Frank Zappa in Zappa’s later years; a mutual respect for Varese’s music was a cornerstone of their friendship, and a major inspiration for Zappa’s classical works. The hour-long file is only downloadable via FTP, but the site provides clear instructions; just search for “varese ionisation.”