Erik Satie

[Mirror Image]

Historically, Satie was very important and a big influence on other French composers of the day, but his music isn't remotely interesting at least to me.

[George]

For the piano music one cannot over recommend Jean-Joel Barbier.

Have you heard both of these issues?

En Blanc et Noir (Jean-Joël Barbier) [2005]

Œuvres pour Piano (Jean-Joël Barbier) [1985]

I am curious if one sounds any better than the other. They have the same tracklisting.

[Drasko]

It is not - I repeat, it is not - with the Capitole Toulouse that Markevitch recorded Parade, however. It is with the Kolner Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester: a most un-satiesque of name, if you want the honest to goodness truth on the matter.

Markevitch's studio recording of Parade is with Philharmonia (acceptably satiesque name for an orchestra in my opinion) for EMI, now on Testament. Koln recording is just one of many live Markevitch recordings of the piece from various radio archives, where German radios seem most diligent -  there are also recordings with Berlin Radio Orchestra on Urania, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg on EMI ...

[George]

What I have are the 4cd box released by Accord/Universal in 2002, and volume one of the earlier Accord series, released in 1990. One cannot compare the two as the box set was recorded between 1969 and 1971, while the white covered Accord CD was recorded in 1963. I prefer the earlier recording.

Thanks.

I haven't seen the 1963 recording anywhere. Can you tell which works are on the CD?

[George]

I've had to go to the other side of the world to find where to copy and paste the listings:


1 - Prélude De La Porte Héroïque Du Ciel 
2 - Poudre D'or 
3 - Aperçus Désagréablex 
4 - En Habit De Cheval 
5 - Heures Séculaires Et Instantanées 
6 - Cinq Nocturnes 
7 - Premier Menuet 
8 - Fête Donnée Par Des Chevaliers Normands 
9 - Passacaille 10 - Songe Creux
10 - Songe creux 
11 - Prélude En Tapisserie 
12 - Nouvelles Pièces Froides 13 - Deux Rêveries Nocturnes
13 - Deux rêveries nocturnes 
14 - Préludes Flasques "pour Un Chien" 

(volume 4, not 1)

Thanks very much. 

[The new erato]

Not very illuminating, but just to make you envious; I visited Satie's birthplace and home in Honfleur this summer! 

[jowcol]

Historically, Satie was very important and a big influence on other French composers of the day, but his music isn't remotely interesting at least to me.

I don't think Satie knocked them out of the park as consistently as a Debussy or a Ravel, and I've had trouble getting through all of the "complete piano music", but there are some works of his (mostly solo piano) that I love to distraction. As a personality and mentor, I find him fascinating.

But, as they say, YMMV.  (Your mileage my vary...)

[SonicMan46]

Well might as well bring this thread TTT! 

Several days ago, I received the 5-CD box of Jean-Yves Thibaudet's performances of Satie's Piano Music - this morning listening to the final discs; in the past I've had only single & double-CDs of many of the older (and some newer) performances of these works, so wanted to give a more recent and complete set a try.  My past experience w/ Thibaudet was his single-disc release of some of Satie's more popular works which I've enjoyed for years; now I've culled out many past CDs in my collection, and just have the 2-disc set below w/ Reinbert de Leeuw, an interpretation that stands alone (and one that I do like).

Satie's piano music is quirky, varied, and with a scale of listening patience that has a wide range for me at least; many of the works are calm and beautiful, and others more raucous, angular, and dynamic, so I can take him in both large and small doses (reflecting the thoughts from the previous post here).  Overall, this is quite a good set offered at a bargain (at least on the Amazon MP), well packaged (5 discs in a 2-CD jewel box), and with decent liner notes.  For a rather fun review, see the attached 2004 comments of Jerry Dubins which appeared in Fanfare - so looking forward to some updated posts to this thread - 


 

[Sergeant Rock]

For a rather fun review, see the attached 2004 comments of Jerry Dubins which appeared in Fanfare - so looking forward to some updated posts to this thread - 

Thanks for Dubins review, Dave.

Sarge

[Brian]

From stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt's Twitter account:
"Satie playing in this cafe. I've got stuff to do but now I want to sit with my coffee & look tragic."

[Mirror Image]

I'm not sure this is the proper thread for this, but does anyone have any recommendations for Satie's solo piano music? Thanks in advance.

[Luke]

I'm not sure this is the proper thread for this, but does anyone have any recommendations for Satie's solo piano music? Thanks in advance.

Sorry if this is a late response, I haven't read on and seen if anyone else has answered this yet, and maybe you are already satisfied, but I have to say this:

de Leeuw, de Leeuw, de Leeuw. His discs of the early piano music are one of my favourite recordings of anything ever (and don't worry about missing the later stuff, with the exception of the wonderful Nocturnes it works better in the flesh than on CD). De Leeuw is slow, hypnotically, flagrantly and fragrantly slow, with the most incredible inner poise and pace I have ever heard, anywhere. It's an extreme recording, highly atmospherc, not to all tastes, but even though I have lots of Satie recordings and play all the music myself too, I never listen to anyone else. If possible get the 3 disc + free DVD edition which includes a ravishing disc of Satie songs (also by far the best recording I've heard of them, and I have a few). The Three Early Songs, hardly recorded, only recently added to IMSLP (thank goodness - http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a1/IMSLP92029-PMLP189356-Satie_-_3_M__lodies_de_1886__voice_and_piano_.pdf) are exquisite, wonderful gems in the Gymnopedie/Gnossienne line, and to me it is as if they crystalise the one whole facet of the French melodie tradition (Faure, Debussy, Ravel etc) in three wondrous miniatures.


To me, that set is one of the central treasures in my collection.

[Sandra]

The Three Early Songs, hardly recorded, only recently added to IMSLP (thank goodness - http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a1/IMSLP92029-PMLP189356-Satie_-_3_M__lodies_de_1886__voice_and_piano_.pdf) are exquisite, wonderful gems in the Gymnopedie/Gnossienne line, and to me it is as if they crystalise the one whole facet of the French melodie tradition (Faure, Debussy, Ravel etc) in three wondrous miniatures.

Wow! I listened to these and watched the score several times. They are really beautiful! Easy to sing (even I could sing them with my extremely modest French) but very elegant and pretty. The piano accompaniment couldn't be any simpler. It just harps out chords. So anyone singing these could easily accompany herself.

[Muzition]

I find an odd thing about Satie and Debussy.  People tend to like either one composer or the other, but not both.  People tend to be a "Satie person" or a "Debussy person."

Does anyone else seem to see this, or is it just my imagination?

[karlhenning]

Satie's music is so peculiar, once you have absorbed it the music of others becomes too foreign for your nervous system to absorb.

Oh, I doubt very much that this is the case.

[snyprrr]

why am I bumping?

[snyprrr]

just something besides the Brian Thread,... ahhhhhhhh

[snyprrr]

why am I bumping?

... I keep asking myself...

[snyprrr]

Who likes de Leeuw here? Is he really really slow and meditative?

[Karl Henning]

Who likes de Leeuw here? Is he really really slow and meditative?

Sorry if this is a late response, I haven't read on and seen if anyone else has answered this yet, and maybe you are already satisfied, but I have to say this:

de Leeuw, de Leeuw, de Leeuw. His discs of the early piano music are one of my favourite recordings of anything ever (and don't worry about missing the later stuff, with the exception of the wonderful Nocturnes it works better in the flesh than on CD). De Leeuw is slow, hypnotically, flagrantly and fragrantly slow, with the most incredible inner poise and pace I have ever heard, anywhere. It's an extreme recording, highly atmospherc, not to all tastes, but even though I have lots of Satie recordings and play all the music myself too, I never listen to anyone else. If possible get the 3 disc + free DVD edition which includes a ravishing disc of Satie songs (also by far the best recording I've heard of them, and I have a few). The Three Early Songs, hardly recorded, only recently added to IMSLP (thank goodness - http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a1/IMSLP92029-PMLP189356-Satie_-_3_M__lodies_de_1886__voice_and_piano_.pdf) are exquisite, wonderful gems in the Gymnopedie/Gnossienne line, and to me it is as if they crystalise the one whole facet of the French melodie tradition (Faure, Debussy, Ravel etc) in three wondrous miniatures.


To me, that set is one of the central treasures in my collection.

(I like de Leeuw, too, only Luke is far more eloquent here.