In an interview with the composer Ken Ueno a few years ago, we got to chatting about his awesome work Zansetsu, which involves extended vocals, amplification, and Pop Rocks. I recall asking him what would happen to the work should the world’s supply of the essential candy run out, and if my memory has filed his answer away correctly, he suggested that he would supply a recipe and that the performer could make his own as part of the work’s performance practice.
For those who would like to get a head start on this project, I came across this recipe for the sugary treat today. I do not believe Ueno specifies a flavor, but I have to believe that a touch of, say, wasabi might change the tenor of the resulting performance.
Listen to Ueno perform the piece (original flavor) here. Pop Rocks become an audible player in the aural narrative about a third of the way into the piece and die a slow, crackly death.