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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