This composition was written by the composer and musician Frank Zappa after being commissioned by the oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau to write music for the documentary of the same name that was broadcast in 1990.
The documentary is about the oil tanker Exxon Valdez that ran aground in Alaska in 1989, leaking millions of gallons of crude oil and becoming a major ecological and environmental disaster.
The work was written as a synclavier piece that lasted for around 15 minutes and appeared on Frank Zappa’s orchestral album The Yellow Shark in 1993 where it is performed by Ensemble Modern. The piece has been described as relaxed and the conductor Peter Rundel called it a ballad. It was later released in 1997 on the Frank Zappa album Strictly Genteel.
Frank Zappa and Ensemble Modern recordings
Barking Pumpkin 8122-71600-2 (The Yellow Shark)
Sources:
- https://www.zappa-analysis.com/outrage-at-valdez.htm
- https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Outrage_At_Valdez
- https://www.donlope.net/fz/songs/Outrage_At_Valdez.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cousteau
- https://www.discogs.com/master/47696-Zappa-Ensemble-Modern-The-Yellow-Shark