Customer Reviews

Satie: The Early Piano Works

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Reinbert de Leeuw is the most original piano interpret I have ever heard ! His versions of Eric Satie's famous Gymnopedies are unique, because his plays them so slowly that it is sometimes difficult to recognise them; you re-discover them as you hear him play. This is the perfect approach to play some famous pieces people have heard so many times in a refreshing way. Of course, this is different from the "classic" way to play Satie, as Philippe Entremont did in a definitive way. But Reinbert de Leeuw is really original : it is the slowest interpretation of Satie's pieces. There is a few seconds silence between each note. Reinbert de Leeuw has recorded Satie's pieces twice : his first attempts in the 70's (in ADD) were even slower than the recent (DDD), all made for Phillips. The 1998 Phillips 2 CDs package contains the slowest versions.

Most performers approach Satie's pieces as if they are merely charming miniatures. By taking extremely slow tempi - we are literally talking half speed of what others do - Reinbert de Leeuw brings out the mystic qualities of the piano pieces. These performances are unlike anything you'll hear.

Satie wrote in a variety of styles. Much of his later work (including most of the work with the humorous titles) amounts to a burlesque of salon music of the day, and tends to be charming, often affecting, but on the light side. (There are exceptions, of course, such as the Nocturnes.)

The early pieces grouped on these 2 CDs (which include the famous Gymnopedies) are in a different league. They come from a period in which Satie seemed to be working through spiritual issues, and some were written specifically for the mystical Rosicrucian Order. Satie was pushing the envelope in terms of structure and harmony (although the harmony was not dissonant, but, instead, quite similar to Debussy's experiments of roughly the same time). The music can be repititious (not unlike chant) but with subtle variations (as if a distant--and early--cousin of minimalism). Most of it tends to be meditative and quiet, relatively uncomplicated, and, in that sense, anti-virtuosic. (I should add that the Gymnopedies were among the less experimental pieces of that time, although compared to, say, Saint-Saens, they were revolutionary in their simplicity.)

I became familiar with Satie via Aldo Ciccolini's ground-breaking series of 30 years ago or so. There, as in most Satie compilations, the early work was mixed in with the later work, which had the effect (for me, at least), of causing me to not quite "get" the early work. (Ciccolini's later set devoted an entire CD to the early work, under the "Mystic Works" rubric, as I best recall, but the piano sound was very disappointing, and Ciccolini was not particularly "mystical" in his approach to the work.)

Reinbert de Leeuw's approach is either revelatory or terribly dull, depending upon who's listening. I love it. I think he's the first pianist to effectively reveal what unique and potent music this is, in part by simply slowing it down. He has a beautiful sounding piano to work with (superbly recorded), and he revels in that beauty, to our benefit. Yet I don't think the slow speed is such an issue that the listener loses track of the architecture of the pieces. It just gives you time to listen.

A less patient listener who likes lots of musical activity and excitement will not like these CDs. A listener attracted to music on the meditative side, such as chant, or the Debussy Preludes, will probably really enjoy this. For me, at the end of a long day, this is like a warm bath for the brain. And, it's easy on the pocketbook. (This two-fer contains all, or most of, the music that used to occupy 3 CDs.)

Reinbert de Leeuw has taken these works of Satie into a new dimension. I will compare it with the help of the lyrics of the song "Slow Hand" (Pointer Sisters) .
"I need a lover with a slow hand, I need a lover with an easy touch".
That's what Reinbert de Leeuw does. Slow and unhurried, Satie can be experienced to its full. A truly wonderful experience. It comes very close to love-making .

I'm sorry but my taste varies from the other reviews here. I actually like Satie's pieces as little classical miniatures. That is why they are so charming. I do not like waiting several seconds for the next note and not being able to recognize which piece I'm listening to because it is hanging in the air like a zen koan. While I agree that Leeuw's avant garde interpretation brings out mystical qualities, they are of the same sort as listening to water drops from a faucet. I can meditate on that but would I want to? I gave it 4 stars because what he does, he does very well in his own weird minimalist way. Would I buy the recording again if I had the choice? Not!

Those who want the full gravity of these pieces, especially the haunted "Gnossienne," can live dangerously and try Dutch pianist Reinbert de Leeuw. He has the full measure of the score with a slow and somber reading, not depriving the music of its gravity; sample the Gnossiennes especially. Some may find his "Gymnopédie" slow beyond tolerance.

I only wish that there were more recordings easily available of de Leeuw's readings of Satie. This set is just beautiful, perfect, crystalline. Even if you aren't normally a lover of European classical musics, and even if you have an intuitive or even principled distaste for grandeur (Beethoven, Mahler) or charm (Mozart) or importance (Schoenberg), I almost guarantee that these particular recordings of Satie will remain maximum-rotation material. RdL's recording of the VEXATIONS are great, too, though I am not sure they ever made it to CD, weirdly. As of this writing, this Philips 2cd seems to be out of print, which is a shame. Snag it while it's still cheap, in case it doesn't get reissued, in this age of filesharing! A must-own, not just a must-hear.

Reinbert de Leeuw slow and unhurried makes this just a joy to listen to.
Slowing things up gives you a chance to stop and smell the roses as it were.
From my Middle aged prospective it's essential Satie done right!!
If you want something to relax to this is it....if your into fast hurried Piano this isn't for you.

This set can be had for a real bargain and it's worth every penny.

Pure and simple

Many pianists have recorded these tracks, and this collection provides a comprehensive view of Satie at a slow pace similar to the soundtrack of Diva. If you like these tracks played at a long, drawn out pace, this is a great performance. Personally, the versions that are played faster do not have the melancholy emotion that these songs can bring out.