Steve Smith on "Ionisation"

"Nicolas Slonimsky, the historian and composer to whom Varèse dedicated 'Ionisation,' showed that the piece adhered to conventional sonata form, with two principal themes, contrasting subjects and sections of development and recapitulation. But Varèse’s use of timbre, texture and density, rather than melody and harmony, as organizational tools pointed the way toward more radical future propositions like musique concrète and electronic music. … Devotees come in two main species: percussionists … and fans of the iconoclastic rock guitarist and composer Frank Zappa, who was transformed by a youthful encounter with a Varèse LP … into a zealous torchbearer. … 'My first experience with Varèse was an old recording of ‘Ionisation,’' Pierre Boulez says in 'The One All Alone,' a 2009 Varèse documentary by the director Frank Scheffer. … 'And of course, I mean, it was like an object coming from Mars.' … The demands made by Varèse’s music, meanwhile, dramatically raised the bar for virtuosity among percussionists, as evidenced by outstanding modern recordings of the piece by the New York Philharmonic with Mr. Boulez … and the Asko Ensemble" ("Into the Music," New York Times, 7/18/10).