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Satie through His Writings

Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Satie. Today, his copious, playful and highly idiosyncratic writings, which present a kaleidoscopic panoply of absurdist wit and humour.

Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Satie. Today, his copious, playful and highly idiosyncratic writings, which present a kaleidoscopic panoply of absurdist wit and humour.

Satie鈥檚 writings: there are the texts he set to music; texts which he specifies are 鈥渘ot to be read aloud鈥; bits of copy he wrote for bizarre adverts in his local newspaper; the publications of his private church; letters to friends 鈥 and enemies 鈥 some 400 of them; and strangest of all, thousands of beautifully calligraphed 鈥減ersonal advertisements鈥 鈥 little cards, discovered amidst the chaos and squalor of his room in the humdrum Parisian suburb of Arcueil after his death, carefully stored in old cigar-boxes. Many of them depict means of transport: five-masted schooners, streamlined 鈥淭ransaerial鈥 liners, elaborate gliders 鈥渕ade of steel鈥, magnificent airships 鈥 each describing, as Satie authority Ornella Volta put it, 鈥渆lements of a looking-glass world鈥.

Premi猫re pens茅e Rose+Croix
Alexandre Tharaud, piano

Messe des pauvres (Kyrie eleison)
Choeurs Ren茅 Duclos
Jean Laforge, chorus master
Gaston Litaize, organ
Pierre Dervaux, conductor

Quatre Ogives
Jeroen van Veen, piano

The Dreamy Fish
Aldo Ciccolini, piano

Avant-derni猫res pens茅es
1. Idylle, for Claude Debussy
2. Aubade, for Paul Dukas
3. M茅ditation, for Albert Roussel
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Sonatine bureaucratique
1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Vivache
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Mercure 鈥 鈥楶oses plastiques鈥 in 3 tableaux by Picasso
New London Orchestra
Ronald Corp, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow

59 minutes

Music Played

  • Erik Satie

    Premi猫re pens茅e Rose+Croix

    Performer: Alexandre Tharaud.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI : HMC-902017.18.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • 40.
  • Erik Satie

    Messe des pauvres (Kyrie eleison)

    Performer: Gaston Litaize. Choir: Rene Duclos Chorus. Conductor: Pierre Dervaux. Conductor: Jean Laforge.
    • EMI : czs762877-2.
    • EMI.
    • 7.
  • Erik Satie

    Quatre Ogives

    Performer: Jeroen van Veen.
    • BRILLIANT : 95-350.
    • BRILLIANT.
    • 10.
  • Erik Satie

    The Dreamy Fish

    Performer: Aldo Ciccolini.
    • EMI : CDC7497132.
    • EMI.
    • 4.
  • Erik Satie

    Avant-derni猫res pens茅es

    Performer: Jean鈥怸ves Thibaudet.
    • DECCA: 4736202.
    • DECCA.
    • 30.
  • Erik Satie

    Sonatine bureaucratique

    Performer: Jean鈥怸ves Thibaudet.
    • DECCA: 4736202.
    • DECCA.
    • 33.
  • Erik Satie

    Mercure - 'Poses plastiques' in 3 tableaux by Picasso

    Orchestra: New London Orchestra. Conductor: Ronald Corp.
    • HELIOS : CDH-55176.
    • HELIOS.
    • 11.

Broadcast

  • Thu 29 Apr 2021 12:00

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