Recommendations, suggestions on a Complete Satie's Piano Music

[Joe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8fzMBnUoZc

Very interesting. I see by comparison that Austbo, for one, "does" something with this piece in particular, but I find Ausbto's logic (or "logic") compelling and/or attractive, while also responding to the more or less a-rhetorical rhetorical approach of Barbier.

Barbier's Satie is sprightly. His version of the first Gnossienne (also search-able out-able on YouTube) is very dance-like. My fandom is growing.

[Д.Д.]

Barbier is on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/5VZsO3MrhfLyhw2s1dbQVR and

I listened to it, good. I liked John White better, but Barbier is good too. Still, de Leeuw is the one for me.

Yes, I used to have Pascal Roge's Satie, hated it (and his Debussy too).

[mikeweil]

Reinbert de Leeuw makes me yawn ...

[JSngry]

Only have/know the Ciccolini (wasn't that a Chico Marx character, or Chico Marx himself? Did you ever hear them both play a piano in the same room at the same time?). but Mike's fully committed advocacy (a drummer will know certain things to be true that maybe not the rest of us immediately do) coupled with Joe's YouTube pointings got me off the schnide and onto the buying, that's for sure. Amazon Sellers have new copies for less than used, so hi Erik, welcome to Taxes.

[Kyo]

The musically best, by measures, IMHO, is Jean-Joel Barbier - his teacher was a person who had experienced Satie himself playing his piano pieces, he gives a less aesthetically refined look on the music, it has a stark quality making it sound as bold today as it must have to his contemporaries.

Thanks for the recommendation! Just ordered a very affordable used copy from priceminister.com.

[Larry Kart]

Only have/know the Ciccolini (wasn't that a Chico Marx character, or Chico Marx himself? Did you ever hear them both play a piano in the same room at the same time?). but Mike's fully committed advocacy (a drummer will know certain things to be true that maybe not the rest of us immediately do) coupled with Joe's YouTube pointings got me off the schnide and onto the buying, that's for sure. Amazon Sellers have new copies for less than used, so hi Erik, welcome to Taxes.

You must mean this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAVguiMA5Uk

Love the way Fred and Ginger get almost savage at the 1:12 mark.

[Stefan Wood]

Damn it. Listened and Ciccolini gets kicked to the curb. Ordered this set.

[soulpope]

I make statements like this only when I am truly convinced - as I said I grew up with Ciccolini's Satie recordings, and loved them, then read Satie's letters and writings and said to myself, this man was clearly more than a bit eccentric, so his music should sound at least a bit like this. Then I heard about Barbier, found one CD, listened, shook my head in disbelief and hunted for all the other CDs - but this new box sounds much better. Barbier's teacher was someone personally acquainted with Satie. With all other pianist it sounds like elevator muzak to me.

Another fact that set me to thinking about Ciccolini's Satie was that his Debussy sounds rather bland. It's a pity that Satie never made any Welte-Mignon or other mechanical piano recordings - I have such made by Debussy and Ravel and their playing is much more personal than any other recording I have heard. Much like the music of a jazz painist-composer sounds different when played by himself.

The Barbier CD-Box arrived today and due to time restricitions I could only give it an earfull.....the most striking aspect is the harshness, not to say bulkiness not witnessed before in a Satie interpretation....very intriguing for sure....look forward to hear the complete set later...reiterating my thnx for subject recommendation !!!

Edited July 2, 2014 by soulpope

[mandrill]

Those who prefer their Satie slow cooked, will be well served by a chef extraordinaire Ulrich Gumpert.

[mikeweil]

I agree: If I needed a very slow version, I'd take Gumpert.

[JSngry]

I make statements like this only when I am truly convinced - as I said I grew up with Ciccolini's Satie recordings, and loved them, then read Satie's letters and writings and said to myself, this man was clearly more than a bit eccentric, so his music should sound at least a bit like this. Then I heard about Barbier, found one CD, listened, shook my head in disbelief and hunted for all the other CDs - but this new box sounds much better. Barbier's teacher was someone personally acquainted with Satie. With all other pianist it sounds like elevator muzak to me.

Another fact that set me to thinking about Ciccolini's Satie was that his Debussy sounds rather bland. It's a pity that Satie never made any Welte-Mignon or other mechanical piano recordings - I have such made by Debussy and Ravel and their playing is much more personal than any other recording I have heard. Much like the music of a jazz painist-composer sounds different when played by himself.

The Barbier CD-Box arrived today and due to time restricitions I could only give it an earfull.....the most striking aspect is the harshness, not to say bulkiness not witnessed before in a Satie interpretation....very intriguing for sure....look forward to hear the complete set later...reiterating my thnx for subject recommendation !!!

Yeah, I've been hitting this one all week...the word "bracing" keeps coming to mind, as in WHOA! Like, out of nowhere, didn't see that coming STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Fun rides, these are (keeping in mind that for me, "fun" simply means getting fully engaged without explicitly either asking for it or trying to).

Another "thank you" to Mike, for real!