Philip Corner - "Satie Slowly" CD, Album, 2014 (Unseen Worlds)

Erik Satie is very much in my DNA.  I was raised with his music due that my parents played the Aldo Ciccolini recordings of Satie's music, especially volume one, that was released by Angel Records, with the Picasso portrait of Satie on its cover.   There are many other versions by different pianists making Satie's piano music, but I was devoted to only the Ciccolini recordings.  Due that they are the best?  Or just out of brand loyalty?  For whatever reason, I could never get fully behind other's interpretations of his piano music, I think at the time 'why bother?'  Recently I got Philip Corner's collection of Satie piano music called "Satie Slowly," and it enchanted me from the very first note to the last in this double CD set.

"Satie Slowly" can mean Corner is playing the notes and melody in a steady slow pace, or it can expect to enjoy the music on one's own natural slow pace.  Nevertheless, there is something organic about Corner's approach to Satie's music, that is never fussy, and the melodies ring out slowly like peeling a juicy orange and making sure not to have any moisture from the fruit land on your white pants.  Each cord he plays on the piano has a slight echo that rings to the next note, and it's a subtlety that is small in comparison of playing something significant, but the spacing allows the essence and beauty to come out of its music. 

A mixture of nightclub cabaret and reflection, this is where Satie lives, and Corner plays his music in the sense of grace, humor, and the essence of everyday life coming and going.   It makes sense that Corner is also a visual artist as well as a member of Fluxus, an art movement that is hysterical and serious at the same time.   These piano recordings, at this moment, are my favorite Satie performances.  I want to thank Alejandro Cohen of The Dublab Creative Cultivation for turning me on to this double-CD set.  It's marvelous. 

Erik Satie/Reinbert De Leeuw - "Vexations" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1983 (Philips)

Not the easiest piece of music by Erik Satie to find, especially on vinyl, still, this is one of the remarkable works that came out of the 19th-century.  Music historians think that Satie wrote"Vexations" in either 1893 or 1894, but no one knows for sure.  At times, seen as a joke, or at the least, exposing Satie's sense of humor.  The piece as it is written or notated is that the theme is played 840 times, which in theory, can last for 24-hours if one performed this work in a live setting.  John Cage did that and organized the first public performance of "Vexations" in 1963.

There are only a handful of recordings of "Vexations," and easier to find on CD. Perhaps that is the best medium because a CD can last for 80 minutes.  I have some of those recordings, but I'm a fan of Reinbert De Leeuw's recording of "Vexations" which lasts 26 minutes on each side of the album.  The music was recorded in 1975, and this edition of the LP was released in 1983.  I'm not sure about this, but I suspect that this may be the first recording of "Vexations."  It's a work of mystery, with no real notes from Satie, except that it should be played 840 times, and there is no mention or instructions beyond the score itself.

For me, "Vexations" is a haunting yet beautiful piece of music.  I love Satie's work, but I think "Vexations" is his masterpiece.   Simple, yes, but an exquisite melody that when played over and over again it puts me in a state where I can both think or concentrate on a work of writing (my main occupation) as well as drift off to the melody of "Vexations."   One can look at it as a Fluxus aesthetic, or a joke, but the truth is, this is remarkable music.   Sometimes a joke can expose the inner-beauty of a work of art.   

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. 

Erik Satie/Alan Marks - "Vexations" CD Album, 1990 (Decca)

This piece of music by Erik Satie is one of keen interest.  To quote the liner note:  "It consists of a single page of music, only three lines long, and its full duration is calculated to be a whole day and night."   This, of course, is a masterpiece.  Satie wrote "Vexations" in 1893, yet it took John Cage to give the music its world premiere in 1963.  Cage did an 18-hour performance of the piece using various pianists throughout the day and night.   Which in theory, the piece should last for 24-hours, but alas economics and intensity of the promoters of such a work would be a great challenge.  "Vexations" is made for the CD format.  A regular 12" vinyl usually lasts for 40 minutes, but a CD can last for 80 minutes, and you don't have to change sides, like what you have to do with vinyl.  Still, to be true to Satie's vision, it would take 21 CDs to complete the official work.  Us Avant-Garde fans are waiting for the boxset.  

The late pianist Alan Marks did a 70-minute version, and as far as I know, this 1990 release is the first recording that lasts that long.  There was a vinyl edition made by another artist, and recently there is a recent CD by Stephane Ginsburgh which is one hour and nine minues long.  Nevertheless, all the versions I have heard (Ginsburgh and Marks) are exquisite.  

Whatever Satie meant this piece to be a joke or a serious statement on an aesthetic and the philosophy, we may never know.  The truth is this piece of music is one of the great ambient works on disc/CD.  I play Marks/Vexations to stamp out the world outside my head.  It's a perfect time length to focus on either the music or if you are doing some writing or creative work.  I can imagine just playing the music while you're mopping the floor would be OK as well.  Yet, the piece due to its length is a very demanding work.  For the musician, it must be either a sense of hell or enlightenment. For the listener, it is music that draws you into its world.  There are pieces like "Discreet Music" by Eno that is furniture or wallpaper music, but there is something more demanding in "Vexations."  Perhaps the live aspect that the work lasts so long with a living musician actually following the instructions of the pace, which is slow, or just how one can take so much repetition in a work of aural art.   For me, it's music that makes me both focus on the music lines, but also clears my head to focus on my writing.  It's crucial work.   Joke or art, or both, Satie's "Vexations" is one of the great wonders on this planet. 

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.