Frank Zappa – Hot Rats og andre skadedyr
Description:
Frank Zappa's Hot Rats -and other pests.
A concert with music by Zappa, Reich and Rachmaninov - with a brand new choreography by Kompani Haugesund!
Frank Zappa is not just a cult figure – he is one of the great musical cross-connectors of the 20th century. With his feet equally planted in contemporary music as in rock, blues and American satire, he built a universe that unites extremes and generations. Today he appears almost more relevant than ever: uncompromising, boundless, and always witty and insanely precise.
During PODIUM – Fartein Valen International Music Festival 2026 we enter the core of this universe, where Ian Anderson presents a brand new arrangement of Zappa's iconic album Hot Rats (1969). Here Zappa truly cultivates his fascination with advanced rhythms, play with form and meticulous studio art.
We are also incredibly excited to present a brand new choreography by Kompani Haugesund! This time over Steve Reich's iconic Drumming.
Program:
Frank Zappa: Black Page
Festival musicians.
Steve Reich: Drumming
Dance by and with Kompani Haugesund.
Miguel Perez Inesta, Magnus Boye Hansen, Nikolai Matthews and Mathias Halvorsen.
Sergei Rachmaninov: Suite for two grand pianos
Joachim Carr, Ben Kim
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (arr. Ian Anderson)
Miguel Perez Inesta, Magnus Boye Hansen, Nikolai Matthews and Mathias Halvorsen.
Ian Anderson – known for his adventurous reconstructions for Wooden Elephant, where he has covered everything from Björk to Miles Davies – now tackles Zappa for the first time. Here, the album is taken down to an acoustic level: precise, tight – and with all the devilish energy intact.
Zappa's bridge into contemporary music, especially his close ties to Pierre Boulez, rings clear in this version. The chamber format allows the structure, rhythms and little musical quirks – those that often hide deep in studio recordings – to come to light.
On stage is a team of the festival's own musicians – top international and Norwegian performers who meet in a playful, risk-taking Zappa laboratory.
This is music without pretension: wild, virtuosic, thought-provoking.
The concert is part of PODIUM – Fartein Valen international music festival.
NOTE: Festival passes do not grant access to this concert.
