Zappa.com

This is an excerpt of a TV-documentation about Boulez where he speaks about FZ. I went to work and constructed a little clip for the tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrQ6_gd2yYQ


Speaker: "...excursions, not only in art and poetry. Boulez also seeked the experiment with strange musical contemporarys like FZ. Their common CD "Boulez conducts Zappa" is something like a crossover between popular and serious music."

Boulez: "Zappa was a big exception in the realm of popular music. I am always open and curios on strong personalities. When Zappa came to me and asked me to play something of his, I said: 'Of course, that interests me'. When I decided a program with his works, I have also chosen pieces of Charles Yves and Elliot Carter. I did that consciously to show the audiences, that I not only wanted to blend a little bit of pop into serious music. I wanted to confront this division of music, which Zappa himself considered very serious, with a prestigious and more intellectual composer like Elliot Carter and Charles Yves, an exception in the american world of music.
Two exceptionals and one pylon(???).
I considered Frank Zappa througout seriously, incidentally I met him everytime when I visited LA and we had spent an evening together. He explained me his plans for the future, which he just achieved before he died."

Warning/Guarantee: This tranlation is better than babel-fish could, even it is not perfect. BUT there is one word, I couldn't understand, I guess they left it in french. Maybe someone can help, especially a person who lives IN FRANCE.

_________________
god, what a cheap bubble machine!!!

My girlfriend and I heard "pylône" as well... I wonder what this means

Pylons are flanking towers on either side of an entrance door or gateway, orig. in Egypt and Greek architecture, but commonly used to describe anything that looks like this:





Obviously he's thinking of Carter and Ives as kinda 20th-century contemporary classical mainstream, sideflanked by more non- (or cross-)idiomatic figures like FZ.

I think (know) that Pierre was saying "a Pillar" which holds everything up. As apposed to a "Pylon" which is something that signals things or holds up electric cables....

Hope that helps you all!

_________________
"You can fly like a Penguin when you're dealing with Turkeys."

Yeah, think you got it!

Thanks so far!
Next question would be: what does he mean calling Elliot Carter a pylon or pillar?
It seems that he just used the architectural meaning of the word as a metaphorical term for Carter, who has a fixed position in the musical world ("prestigious and more intellectual") against the two more freefloating and excentric exceptions (FZ, Yves). Thanks for the suggestion and the drawing, Buffalo (actually he talks about two exceptions and one pylon, your answer works well anyway).

_________________
god, what a cheap bubble machine!!!

I Haven't watched the youtube clip 'cause I remember seeing this interview on...uh...3sat (?) some 3 or 4 years ago. Didn't you quote him as saying 2 exceptionals (Ives & Carter) and 1 pylon (Zappa)? Think I gonna hit the Play button now...

What Boulez was saying is that in his "American" programs he used three major composers Yves and Carter as a sort of house and Zappa as a Pillar holding up the lot. Boulez is very full of himself and as such his reference to the three must be taken as "they're good, but i'm much better".

_________________
"You can fly like a Penguin when you're dealing with Turkeys."

He's a sane guy. He wouldn't possibly be talking trash like this

watched the interview -- Now - he's talking of Zappa and Ives as 'outsiders' and Carter as a Pylon (in the sense of 'landmark') in contemporary classical music , the German voice-over being a very close translation of the original French -- He's referring to Zappa coming from the POp (sic ) world and to Ives as being an exceptional case in early 20th century American classical, having little support and an overall low acceptance by his more established contemporaries (= like minds? )

Carter had great support by Boulez himself, from the 50s on - he must be well over 100 now, no?

Maybe Zappa was Pierre Boulez Food & Shelter
from over obsessing in one particular modern musical structure
for too long.

Not calling Boulez' commentary French Taunting
but that whole "I'm Much Better"
could be said for lots of French Social Commentary so
there is no need to isolate PB as an arrogant Fetche Le Muche.

French Taunting - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs

_________________
Trendmonger's Moment Of Clarity

FZ "Read It And Weep"
April 17,1981

Frank Zappa left the ZFT in Control of his Vaults and Artistic rights.
We the fans are not in control. We have a choice to use our eyes and ears or read it and weep.

Whät?

[I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to Trendmonger's ballyhoo, and there's not even a 'pylon' in it]

And lotsatimes, they’re absolutely right

I like how you have copyrighted this little sketch Buff

_________________
"drums are too noisy, 'n you've got no corners to hide in"

Interesting interview...interesting interpetatons.

French being my mother tongue and the interview being straightforward (not possibly leading to misinterpretations),
i can say you are spot on with your explaination.
PB is using "pylone" in the sense of "supporting column", Carter being the backbone of his concert.