Francesco Zappa [Import, Limited Edition]

Frank Zappa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 4, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: Vido Arts
• ASIN: B00006JL97
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,346,050 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Opus I: No. 1, 1st Movement : Andante

2. Opus I: No. 1, 2nd Movement: Allegro con Brio

3. Opus I: No. 2, 1st Movement: Andantino

4. Opus I: No. 2, 2nd Movement: Minuetto Grazioso

5. Opus I: No. 3, 1st Movement: Andantino

6. Opus I: No. 3, 2nd Movement: Presto

7. Opus I: No. 4, 1st Movement: Andante

8. Opus I: No. 4, 2nd Movement: Allegro

9. Opus I: No. 4, 2nd Movement: Minuetto Grazioso

10. Opus I: No. 6, 1st Movement: Largo

11. Opus I: No. 6, 2nd Movement: Minuet

12. Opus IV: No. 1, 1st Movement: Andantino

13. Opus IV: No. 1, 2nd Movement: Allegro Assai

14. Opus IV: No. 2, 2nd Movement: Allegro Assai

15. Opus IV: No. 3, 1st Movement: Andante

16. Opus IV: No. 3, 2st Movement: Tempo di Minuetto

17. Opus IV: No. 4, 1st Movement: Minuetto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone, but if you can click with it, sublime., October 21, 2005

By 

Dave McElfatrick (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Francesco Zappa (Audio CD)

Yes, Zappa did indeed do some strange things. People who enjoy only the latest pop singles on the radio would be quick to dismiss this as childish nonsense, or something that "sounds like a hoover advert."

They're truly missing out.

If you can open your mind to it a little, Francesco Zappa could very easily become one of the most treasured albums in your collection. Its one of the more obscure items in the Zappa catalogue- there's no rock, no contemporary or freeform jazz, no avant guarde... only 18th century chamber music. Sounds a bit weird and frightening? Don't let that put you off at all.

As mentioned elsewhere, this was written not by Frank but by another composer who lived in the 18th century named Francesco Zappa. I have to say myself the man was a genius. As they are presented here, his compositions were rich in texture and full of melody and structure. FZ's renditions using his trusty synclavier are full of clarity and really quite soothing. Don't expect anything other than soft electrical sounds here. No percussion, no guitars, nothing other than the synclavier. I'd daresay its probably FZ's softest release. If you're a FZ novice looking for a good FZ album to begin your collection with then I wouldn't recommend this. I'd recommend one of his more contemporary classics such as Hot Rats or Joe's Garage.

If you're debating as either a FZ fan or just someone looking for something different, a listen to this album will create images in your mind and take you to a much more pleasant place. Truly, for me it is the ultimate stress-reliever. Francesco Zappa will make you forget every worry you had prior to putting it in the player, and will leave you smiling without a care in the world.

Like I said before, it IS an acquired taste, but if you're the type of person who wants some easy-listening, beautiful, absorbing stress-relief in their music collection then this will fit the bill perfectly. Truly a theraputic, uplifting and wonderful experience.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good background music, March 12, 1999

By 

Kurt A. Schluter (Maine, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Francesco Zappa (Audio CD)

This CD is a good introduction to Zappa for classical music fans. I've played it in the background for dinner parties and love it when someone asks what it is!Frank Zappa!? That's my cue to educate them and possibly play the "London Symphony Orchestra" CD or even better; "The Yellow Shark". I love all of Zappa's music but I have a special fondness for jazz("The Grand Wazoo") and classical ("Orchestral Favorites"). By the way, Francesco Zappa is a real composer way back. He was a cellist and these pieces were written for the cello.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A curiosity, August 27, 2010

By 

Michael Schell (www.schellsburg.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Francesco Zappa (Audio CD)

Let's face it, this album would be of trivial interest if the performer was ANYONE else. Even so, I value it mainly as a "breather" while I spend a few weeks traversing the whole of Zappa's "official" recorded output. Just to reiterate (since a few reviewers seem to have drifted in from the peanut gallery), there really was an obscure namesake Italian baroque composer whose music is rendered here by the more familiar Zappa on the Synclavier. Basically this album is Switched-On Bach, but instead of Bach you get a selection of keyboard and trio sonata movements from an also-ran Corelli.

I'd ordinarily say this album is for Baroque music specialists, since that's the style period to which the music belongs. But Francesco Zappa actually flourished in Haydn's time, so his music in addition to being obscure was also about half a century behind the times. Otherwise this CD is just for completists of the other, more recent, Zappa.