Erik Satie / Aldo Ciccolini - "Piano Music of Erik Satie, Vol. 3" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1968 (Angel Records)

The composer, Erik Satie, was a goof-ball.  On the other hand, his music isn't.  Probably one of the most enjoyable music from the 20th century has come from this eccentric figure.  Again, this was music that was married to our family wall paper.  I was pretty much raised by the album cover with the portrait of Satie by Picasso.   Perhaps one of the great album covers of all time!  The trio of recordings performed by Aldo Ciccolini of him doing Satie's music is a landmark recording.  Volume one is very much the hits.  Volume 2 is the b-sides, and Volume 3 is for the fans.   This is a great collection, for one, it's the more obscure music by Satie.   In a sense, it's going to the closet and cherry picking the pieces.  

Satie was fortunate to be in the right place and history.  His contemporaries from Debussy to Francis Picabia were his partners in crime.  The music on Volume 3 is from 1887 to 1913.  One of the great things about this album, besides the music (of course), are the liner notes.  François Lesure had put together specific writings by Satie on some of the pieces here.  As well as commentary by Lesure which puts the whole package into a perspective of time and place. 

One can take one work by Satie, which is fine and dandy, but it's a better ride to get all of his music.  Such an exceptional artist, and a witty and of course, a bizarre sense of humor.  Satie had one foot in the 19th century, but his other foot was clearly planted on the 20th side of the world.  Aldo Ciccolini does the great composer extremely well. 

Richard Strauss/Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George Szell, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra - "Four Last Songs" LP, Vinyl (Angel Records)

Not a bad find for $1.99 at Amoeba Music in Hollywood.  At this point in my life, I know very little about classical music.  My main gateway to that world is Glenn Gould.  Which I suspect is a perverse entrance to 'long-hair' music.  This year, and due to classical music selections in various used record stores, I'm finding a lot of great sounds.   Richard Strauss "Four Last Songs" was totally unknown to me, except for David Bowie's love for this music.   If Bowie loved it, then I'm going to listen to it.  I don't have the actual recording that he had, but the Elisabeth Schwarzkopf / George Szell version is a wow. 

Strauss wrote the "Four Last Songs" as a parting gift or a reflexion on approaching death.  Goth classical?  No, not exactly.  Three of the songs have text by Hermann Hesse.  They're simple, but with stark imagery of time passing, and the moment when peace arrives.  It's not a downer but emotionally charged, with a profound sense of soul.  Which comes to Schwarzkopf's voice which is amazing.  A stunning looking woman, with a beautiful voice, what can go wrong?  Well, she does have a murky relationship with Hitler and company, that is similar to the relationship between Leni Riefenstahl and the Nazis. Nevertheless, a fascinating biography that needs to be read by me (and you).  Still, her singing is a perfect element in the cocktail of Strauss's music with the addition of Szell's orchestration.  

The flip side is five additional songs that are just as great as "The Last Four Songs."  Strauss was one of Glenn Gould's favorite composers, and now hearing this album, I need to explore this composer's music.  And oddly enough, Gould recorded some of Strauss's songs with Schwarzkopf, that apparently didn't go well.   It makes my head explode thinking of those two in the same room.   Sony put out a CD of those recordings, but I haven't had the chance to locate the CD, but it is on YouTube. Also, I suspect that I'm going to purchase more versions of Strauss's "Four Last Songs" in the very near future.   Any recommendations?

John Cage/Steve Reich/Michael Tilson/Ralph Gierson - "Three Dances & "Four Organs) Vinyl LP (Angel Records)

I had this vinyl album when it first came out in 1976.  I lost it over the ages, but recently found it at my local record store 'Rockaway' on Glendale Blvd.  It's a fascinating to hear these two very different pieces on one album. "Four Organs" is what it is - four electric organs playing the same notes over and over again, with maracas keeping the beat.   Written in 1970, the cords get longer, as the beat stays consistent.  It's meditative, but also really captures the listener's attention.  For me, I love the sound of the electric organ and having four of them going on the same time, is my vision of aural bliss.  This is the original recording of this work, played by Michael Tilson Thomas (a big figure in Los Angeles classical world), Ralph Gierson, Roger Kellaway and the composer himself, Steve Reich.  There is a much more recent version of this work, and when I have time, I will compare the two. 

Side one belongs to John Cage. Thomas and Gierson on two amplified prepared pianos, and it's intense.  Cage wrote this piece, "Three Dances" in 1944, and it is punk like in its attack on the altered pianos. It's beautiful, yet very foreign sounding.  The interesting point here is that Cage looked beyond the piano keyboard to find or make new sounds out of the standard instrument.   Very rhythmic, with layers of sound on top of it.   To meditate and reflect.  The duo that never gets old. 

Aldo Ciccolini /Erik Satie - "Piano Music of Erik Satie, Vol 1" Vinyl Album

Aldo Ciccolini / Erik Satie – Piano Music of Erik Satie, Vol. 1

Vinyl LP Stereo, 1968

Angel Records

There are a handful of records (and we will get to all of them in this blog) that I was raised up with. So in a sense Aldo Ciccolini's recordings of Erik Satie's music are very much part of my DNA. I remember lazy warm afternoons at Beverly Glenn house and having this album at full volume in my parents' mono one huge speaker system. The house was basically a shack in the canyon between the Valley and Beverly Hills. The fact that this particular album had a Picasso portrait on its cover and a Jean Cocteau drawing on the back, pretty much made this album the soundtrack of my parents1960's boho life. 

 The melodies are so seductive, it has reached a large audience in the mid- to late 20^th century. It is the sound of reflection, even though Satie was a total nutter with an incredible sense of humor. Nevertheless I can't help to think of my childhood when I hear this album. Or when I see the Angel record label I immediately think it is this album. One time in my life I thought Angel Records only issued one title in their catalog and this is it! Alas, I was wrong, but whenever I play this album I do think of the past.