Customer Reviews

The Magic of Satie

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?)

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.

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.

I heard Yves on NPR talking about Satie and this album. Satie was a very eccentric genius, that wrote short little stories along with the notes in his music. When I heard Yves reading one of these stories along with the musical composition I was blown away. I realized that this was an artist that can breathe life into his music. This is very minimalistic music that is deceptively complex. My favorite part about this disk is how much feeling and expression is in each song. I recommend this to anyone that loves classical piano.

This album offers both first time recordings and a high quality, warm sound that may help you to feel Satie's free-from-tricks music. As it says in the booklet, you don't need to be a virtuoso to play Satie but you have to understand the certian state of mind. The Magic of Satie is probably the best choice for both old and new Satie listeners.

This music is haunting and soothing all at the same time. I played it during my mother's 76th birthday in my room. Our friends could hear it from my room and inquired about what was I playing. Their remarks were that they loved the soothing essence of this music. My nephew even crawled into my bed to go to sleep when the party was ending. He said the music was so relaxing (he is 9 years old). Excellent music and executed magnificently by Jean-Yves Thibaudet!

I spent a lot of time listening to sound clips to decide which Satie CD to buy. Some of the other ones I listened to had too much background noise or were too mechanical. I love the eb and flow that Thibaudet adds to the piano music. It is gorgeous!

I deeply recommend this CD, it is magical as its title!
Your can really feel Thibaudet's great sensibility.
If you like piano, you will love Satie through this grate performer!

I love Satie's piano music and this is gorgeously played and fantastically recorded. Buy it as fast as you can!

Satie's compositions are eclectic and captivating. But the mastery of Jean-Yves Thibaudet brings them to life. His measured performance of each piece speaks to his patience at conveying a interpretation of Satie that is, in my opinion, without equal. I like Satie's music, but I suggest Jean-Yves' rendering makes it even better.