The Magic of Satie

Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Artist), Erik Satie (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Erik Satie
• Audio CD (September 10, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000665EW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,996 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Don't judge this splendid disc by its silly title. Jean-Yves Thibaudet has put together an imaginatively programmed and gorgeously played Erik Satie recital that is certain to acquire reference status alongside the classic Satie recordings by Aldo Ciccolini, his one-time mentor. The difference lies in Decca's far superior sonics, and Thibaudet's warmer, more robust piano sonority. He imbues the music with subtle dynamic gradations and varied articulations that keep Satie's sparse textures vibrant and fresh, without any of the posturing and willfully slow tempi favored by several Satie specialists. Thibaudet cleverly separates the three famous Gymnopédies and intersperses them between brooding works like the Gnossiennes, upbeat, dry-witted selections ("Jack in the Box" and "La Belle Excentrique," along with some fascinating world premieres). And it's refreshing to hear the cabaret song "Je Te Veux" so seamlessly phrased, as if vocal chords had temporarily replaced the piano's hammers. Simply a joy. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite... simply...a joy!, January 8, 2003

By 

A Reader (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Magic of Satie (Audio CD)

Extraordinary, eloquent, intimate and impassioned performances. Each time I listen, I get taken deeper into Satie, yes, but also into *music* itself. Satie's music is really meant for the performer (note his comments on the score), intimately.

I also think Satie used it as map & vehicle rather than as destination. (I used to refer to - and prefer - Aldo Ciccolini while reading the score. Thibaudet has provided a whole new landscape to fit the map.)

Although Satie said his music should be performed "so that no-one listens to it," I think he was actually trying to get to us in the same way that admonishing someone to not think about elephants has the opposite effect.

Thibaudet's interpretations are a joy to listen to, to pay attention to. (And I thought I knew Satie...!) Whether taken as seriously as a mating dance, or as playful as one, there is a profound sense of intimacy here.

If your impression of Satie is that he wrote "furniture music" long before Muzak - sounds to provide a background while you eat or chat or have drinks, or shop at Nordstroms - then this recording may reawaken you. Thiba breathes new life into Satie, new levels: it seems to take one into deeper realms of consciousness, toward thoughtless contemplation.

(And I learned that "'Gnossienne' refers to the 'Crane Dance' performed in the labyrinth of the palace of Knossos [Gnossos] in ancient Crete." ...Now, is that provocative?)

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new standard for Satie, December 24, 2002

By 

greg taylor (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Magic of Satie (Audio CD)

Like many others, I discovered the music of Satie upon hearing the recordings of Aldo Ciccolini. As mentioned by Distler above, Thibaudet studied with Ciccolini although they apparently never worked on Satie's music together. No matter. This is a wonderfully recorded and played selection of Satie's music. Satie's music is unique- he is one of those musicians who seemed determined to not sound like anybody else. At least, that I know of. In spite of that, he is one of the most accessible of modern composers because of his melodicism.
I have listened to many performers play some of these pieces and Thibaudet is the best I have heard since Ciccolini. The only thing that keeps me from recommending this CD without reservation is that Thibaudet plans to release a box set in the near future that will contain all of Satie's piano music. If you are an obsessed completist like myself that is something to really look forward to.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful simplicity of Satie's piano music, September 20, 2007

By 

Amy - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic of Satie (Audio CD)

The French composer Erik Satie had a reputation in his lifetime of being an eccentric. Stravinsky later described him as the oddest person he had ever known. His music was very influential on other french composers Debussy and Ravel. For most of Satie's life he earned his living as a cafe pianist playing for very little money. Satie lived a life of extreme simplicity. He lived in a very small room with only a chair and table and it is said he stayed warm in the winter by filling bottles with hot water and putting them under his blankets when he slept. Satie wrote for the theatre, mostly for dancers. His piano pieces have a simplictity and harmonic originality. The pieces often come with titles or instructions that no other composer has ever done. The Gnossiennes which means mysterious one, suggests the world of Minoan Cnossos and the labyrinth, while the score, written without bar lines, includes bizarre instructions to the player. Such as to play from the tip of the thought, on the tip of the tongue, without pride, and with healthy superiority. These eccentric directions are visible only to the pianist. Next are the three Gymnopedies. Satie got the title from the festival dance of naked boys in ancient Sparta, were written in 1888. The first and third of the group were later orchestrated by Debussy. In their solemn simplicity they mark the path that French music was to take for future composers. This is an excellent compilation of Satie's best known piano works by one of the best French pianists Thibaudet. These wonderful pieces are emotionally complex, managing to be humorous and sad at the same time. My favorites on this album are the Gnosiennes 1-6. Especially the first one, which almost moves me to tears every time I hear it.