Category: Exotic and High Art
George Barati: Honolulu Symphony conductor… and perhaps exotica composer?
Did Maestro George Barati dabble in composing exoticaesque pieces? This bio seems to indicate he may have:
As a composer, George Barati wrote fine music in a modern European tradition. During his stay in Hawaii, he studied native melodic and rhythImic patterns of exotic South Sea islands, and these found reflection in some of his works of the period.
Barati, a 1965 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, conducted the Honolulu Symphony during the period that saw Statehood and the rise/fall of Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Augie Colon, The Tropicals, Gene Rains, Alfred Apaka and other exotica artists. Barati’s HSO tenure lasted from 1950-1968, so it seems entirely possible that he could have done some exotica orchestrating, arranging, or composing.
Please comment if you are familiar with any George Barati works that are exotic in instrumentation, melody, nuance, rhythm, etc…
Exotica Meets Art Music: Varese’s “Poeme Electronique”
What influence did exotica have on art music?
“Poeme Electronique” was the world’s first multimedia installation piece. It was written for, and performed at, The Phillips Pavilion of the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. Edgard Varese provided the audio for the installation; visuals (colored light and film projections) were designed by Iannis Xenaxis. Interestingly, though it is said that the audio and visual were developed independent of one another, both incorporate elements of exotica prevalent in pop-culture of that time (Martin Denny’s Exotica record was re-recorded for stereo that year).
In addition to the obvious visual elements, like the startling flashing images of Easter Island moai at 4:18 and 4:19, there are many aural elements that almost seem snipped from exotica records. What do you see or hear in Poeme Electronique that reminds you of exotica? Or is it a “feeling” or “vibe” you get from the experience that’s related to exotica?