Composer of the Week - Erik Satie (1866-1925)

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Donald Macleod explores five aspects of Satie

This week, Donald Macleod looks at Satie as a trailblazer and humourist as well as his penchant for composing in threes, his copious, playful and highly idiosyncratic writings and his serious side.

Music featured:

Trois Gymnopédies (No 1, Lent et douloureux) Trois Sarabandes (No 2) uspud – ballet chrétien (3rd act) Le piège de Méduse Relâche – ballet instantanéiste Vexations (très lent) Embryons desséchés (No 1, ‘d’Holothurie’ – Allez un peu) Parade (ballet réaliste) Sports et divertissements La Belle Excentrique – fantaisie sérieuse Cinéma – entr’acte symphonique de Relâche (reduction for piano duet by Darius Milhaud) Les trois valses distinguées du précieux dégoûté Pièces froides Choses vues à droite et à gauche {sans lunettes} Trois Gnossiennes Trois mélodies Trois Morceaux en forme de poire, for piano 4 hands Première pensée Rose+Croix Messe des pauvres (Kyrie eleison) Quatre Ogives The Dreamy Fish Avant-dernières pensées Sonatine bureaucratique Mercure – ‘Poses plastiques’ in 3 tableaux by Picasso Cinq Nocturnes Socrate (Pt 1, Portrait de Socrate) Socrate (Pt 2, Les Bords d’Illissus) Socrate (Pt 3, Mort de Socrate) ‘Les Anges’ (Trois mélodies)

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Barstow

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Erik Satie (1866-1925) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vgtw

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Published on Friday, 30th April 2021.

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