Erik Satie is well-known amongst listeners – at least for one or two works. Gymnopédie no.1 has at least 198 recordings currently listed in the Arkiv Catalogue. Less rarely, a Gnossienne or two are heard on Classic FM. Beyond that, this enigmatic composer is still relatively little known.
Looking at Satie’s opus list reveals
his interest in a wide range of musical genres, stretching from the large
scale, but delicate, Socrate to several songs each lasting less than a
minute. There were also ballets, incidental music, a small number of purely
orchestral compositions, many songs and a vast array of piano music.
This present CD is precisely what it says. An Entertainment. It features a variety of piano pieces, songs and even readings. But it is more than an entertainment: it serves as an excellent introduction to the composer’s achievement. I do not think it necessary to examine every track What I will say is that not all of Satie’s music is whimsical or humorous. His unfortunate (perhaps) habit of attaching absurd titles to serious music hides the essentially significant nature of many of his compositions. Secondly his “deceptively simple” musical style often obscures considerable depth and subtlety which slowly reveals itself to the listener. And thirdly, he was the ultimate anti-Wagner composer. Gone were the five-hour operas: in were the tiny miniatures, often epigrammatic in scale. Lastly, it must be remembered that he had a great influence on Claude Debussy and French composers between the two World Wars including Les Six.
Sister and brother, Meriel and Peter Dickinson have presented a wide range of Satie’s music on this album. This extends from the pot boiler Gymnopédie no.1 mentioned above, through some cabaret songs and piano pieces such as Je te veux, Le Piccadilly and the lovely song Tendrement to the intimate beauty and perfection of the Trois mélodies dating from 1887.
It is important to recall that Satie’s
songs range from the café or music hall style to splendid and often moving examples
of French Mélodies. All are represented here. They are too little known, even
to lovers of French chanson.
Of considerable interest are the
readings taken from Satie’s diaries and writings. These are full of eccentric
charm and wit.
For the record, this present CD is a substantially augmented reissue of the old Unicorn album (RHS 338) originally released in 1975. It is based on the Dickinson’s highly regarded live concert performances given during the 1970s with great success. It is fair to say that Satie was a bit of a closed score back then. So, these Entertainments must take credit for making him a household name – even if a little limited in popular repertoire.
As an aside, it is well known that John Cage devised a recital of Satie where he played Vexations some 840 times. Despite its musical worth it is heard only once here. That said, on the original vinyl LP it was the last track. By a sleight of hand, the record producer allowed the last chord to be on a “locking groove”, thus technically allowing it to repeat for ever – in homage to Cage!
The rewritten liner notes are excellent. They give all the information that one could wish for. Alas, the song texts are given only in French. Meriel Dickinson’s charming mezzo soprano is consistently good, with clear diction. This is coupled with her brother Peter’s precise and responsive piano playing all invested with the appropriate amount of humour and seriousness.
It is up to the listener to decide if Erik Satie was a genius, a charlatan, had his tongue firmly in his cheek, or was just plain bonkers! Listening to this fantastic CD will tend to suggest the composer was a bit of each!
Track Listing:Erik SATIE (1866-1925)
Le Piccadilly: Marche (1904) *
Trois mélodies (1887
Gnossienne no.2 (1893) *
Hymne: Salut Drapeau! (1891)
Pièces froides no.2 (1897) *
Tendrement (1902)
Poudre d’or* (1900-01)
From Geneviève de Brabant (1899-1900)
Gymnopédie no.1 (1888) *
Vexations (1893) *
Trois mélodies (1916)
Chanson (1887)
Chanson médiévale (1906)
Reading: Satie’s Self Portrai
Le Piège de Méduse (1913) *
Quatre petites mélodies (1920)
Reading: A Musician’s Day
Trois poèmes d’amour (1914)
Reading Satie’s Fakes
Ludions (1923)
Reading: In Praise of Critics
La Diva de l’Empire
Je te veux (1897)
Piano Solo *
Meriel Dickinson (mezzo soprano), Peter Dickinson (piano)
Rec. 6 October 1975, All Saints Church, Petersham, Surrey (Unicorn Album) plus other venues/dates
HERITAGE HTGCD 171
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