Five CDs collecting Erik Satie's complete piano works is an occasion to celebrate under any conditions. The set is played with a just-right balance of whimsy, drama, and starkness by Jean-Pierre Armengaud. And there's a bonus. At first glance, the 100-page accompanying booklet is nothing too special--a timeline, notes in three languages, etc. But upon looking closely, you discover that the liner notes are exceptional and fascinating, with such spare nuggets as Satie's description of himself as a phonometrographer, a composer whose "scientific thinking dominates" his creative process. Also present are Satie's own written comments on many of the recorded pieces, nuggets of wisdom and fancy that rely profusely on visual and sensory imagery, aligning the composer with not only late-19th-century French poets, but also Impressionist painters and surrealist visionaries.
Armengaud, who's written his own book on Satie (in French), manages splendid efflorescence on the first CD (Famous Pieces) and the last (Works for Piano Duet, with Dominique Merlet), and he takes a funnily melodramatic approach to the second CD, Humorous Pieces (containing gems like "Floppy Preludes--for a Dog" and "Sketches and Irritations of a Fat Figurine"), all of which teeter and lilt with delighted looseness and retain a crisp edge. The remaining discs are Mystical Pieces and the crown jewel of the bunch, Surrealistic and Childish Pieces. Satie's ability to depict motion and space is unmatched on the latter set of works, with feints and jabs of spirited playfulness alternating with warpy, balletlike episodes that benefit deeply from Armengaud's interpretations. They're warm and crafty at once. Can Satie be taken at his word on any of his notes and descriptions of these works? Perhaps and perhaps not, as he was equal parts surrealist, childlike tinkerer, metaphysical scientist, and whimsical dramatist. --Andrew Bartlett. Shop Amazon - Top Rated in Musical Instruments
TRACK LIST:
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 1. Trois Sarabandes: No.1 |
| 2. Trois Sarabandes: No.2 |
| 3. Trois Sarabandes: No.3 |
| 4. Allegro |
| 5. Six Gnossiennes: No.1 |
| 6. Six Gnossiennes: No.2 |
| 7. Six Gnossiennes: No.3 |
| 8. Six Gnossiennes: No.4 |
| 9. Six Gnossiennes: No.5 |
| 10. Six Gnossiennes: No.6 |
| 11. Cold Pieces: Airs That Chayse Away: No.1 In A Very Unusual Manner |
| 12. Cold Pieces: Airs That Chayse Away: No.2 Simply |
| 13. Cold Pieces: Airs That Chayse Away: No.3 Invitingly |
| 14. Cold Pieces: Crossed-Up Dances: No.1 Give It A Good Look |
| 15. Cold Pieces: Crossed-Up Dances: No.2 Go On |
| 16. Cold Pieces: Crossed-Up Dances: No.3 Again |
| 17. Petite Sonate |
| 18. Next To Last Thoughts: No.1 Idylle, A Debussy |
| 19. Next To Last Thoughts: No.2 Aubade, A Paul Dukas |
| 20. Next To Last Thoughts: No.3 Meditation, A Albert Roussel |
| 21. Nocturne No.4 |
| 22. Nocturne No.5 |
| 23. Nocturne No.6 |
| 24. Trois Gymnopedies: No.1 |
| 25. Trois Gymnopedies: No.2 |
| 26. Trois Gymnopedies: No.3 |
| Disc: 2 |
| 1. Tendrement |
| 2. Gold Dust |
| 3. Le Picadilly |
| 4. I Want You |
| 5. The Dreaming Fish |
| 6. Fant Valse |
| 7. Valse Ballet |
| 8. Jack In The Box |
| 9. Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.1 Voice Within |
| 10. Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.2 Cynical Idyll |
| 11. Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.3 Dog Son |
| 12. Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.4 With Friendiness |
| 13. Genuine Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.1 Severe Reprimande |
| 14. Genuine Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.2 At Home Alone |
| 15. Genuine Floppy Prlds - For A Dog: No.3 Only A Game |
| 16. Shrivelled Embryos: No.1 A Holothurian's |
| 17. Shrivelled Embryos: No.2 An Edriophtal |
| 18. Shrivelled Embryos: No.3 A Podopthalmian's |
| 19. Old Finery, Old Armour: No.1 At The Gold Merchant's |
| 20. Old Finery, Old Armour: No.2 Dance in Armour |
| 21. Old Finery, Old Armour: No.3 The Defeat Of The Cimbri |
| 22. Chapters Turned In All Directions: No.1 The Chattering Wife |
| 23. Chapters Turned In All Directions: No.2 The Bearer Of Heavy Stones |
| 24. Chapters Turned In All Directions: No.3 The Regrets Of Those Unable To Get Out |
| 25. Bureaucratic Sonatina |
| 26. Sketches And Irritations Of A Fat Figurine: No.1 Turkish Yodel |
| 27. Sketches And Irritations Of A Fat Figurine: No.2 Thin Dance |
| 28. Sketches And Irritations Of A Fat Figurine: No.3 Espanana |
| Disc: 3 |
| 1. The Puppets Dance |
| 2. Medusa's Trap: Quidrille - Valse - Not Fast - Mazurka - Quite Lively - Polka - Quadrille |
| 3. Automatic Descriptions: No.1 On a Ship |
| 4. Automatic Descriptions: No.2 On A Lantern |
| 5. Automatic Descriptions: No.3 On A Helmet |
| 6. Times Of Day, Then And Now: Venomous Obstacles |
| 7. Times Of Day, Then And Now: Morning Light From Noon |
| 8. Times Of Day, Then And Now: Stampeding Boulders |
| 9. Children Smalltalk: The Bean King's War Chant |
| 10. Children Smalltalk: What Little Princess Tulip Says |
| 11. Children Smalltalk: The Almond Chocolate Waltz |
| 12. Childish Scenes: Little Prld To Start The Day |
| 13. Childish Scenes: Lullaby |
| 14. Childish Scenes: The Grand Staircase March |
| 15. Troublesome Trifles: Being Jealous Of One's Friend With A Big Head |
| 16. Troublesome Trifles: Eating His Bread And Jam |
| 17. Troublesome Trifles: Taking Advantage Of His Having Corns To Steal His Hoop |
| 18. A Daydream Of Pantagruel's Childhood |
| 19. New Cold Pieces: On A Wall |
| 20. New Cold Pieces: On A Tree |
| 21. New Cold Pieces: On A Bridge |
| 22. Passacaille |
| 23. Three Distinguished Waltzes Of A Jaded Dandy: His Figure |
| 24. Three Distinguished Waltzes Of A Jaded Dandy: His Monocle |
| 25. Three Distinguished Waltzes Of A Jaded Dandy: His Legs |
| 26. First Minuet |
| 27. Sports Et Divertissements |
| 28. Music For The Filmed Entr'acte Of The Ballet 'Relache' |
| Disc: 4 |
| 1. Gothic Arches: No.1 |
| 2. Gothic Arches: No.2 |
| 3. Gothic Arches: No.3 |
| 4. Gothic Arches: No.4 |
| 5. Prld To The Heroic Door Of Heaven |
| 6. Rose-Croix Processional Music: Entry Of The Members Of The Order |
| 7. Rose-Croix Processional Music: Entry Of The Grand Master |
| 8. Rose-Croix Processional Music: Entry Of The Grand Prior |
| 9. Quatre Prlds: A Noble Damsel Feted By Norman Knights - 11th Century |
| 10. Quatre Prlds: Prld D'Enginhard |
| 11. Quatre Prlds: First Prld For The Nazarene |
| 12. Quatre Prlds: Second Prld For The Nazarene |
| 13. The Son Of The Stars: Prld To Act I: La Vocation |
| 14. The Son Of The Stars: Prld To Act II: L'Inititiation |
| 15. The Son Of The Stars: Prld To Act III: L'Incantation |
| 16. Gothic Danses: For A Great Sorrow/In Which The Fathers Of The Most Venerable And Most Holy Church... |
| 17. Tapestry Prld |
| 18. Ornate Secular Verses |
| 19. Nocturne No.1 |
| 20. Nocturne No.2 |
| 21. Nocturne No.3 |
| Disc: 5 |
| 1. Parade: Prld Du Rideau Rouge/Prestigidateur Chinois - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 2. Parade: Petite Fille Americaine/Rag-Time Du Paquebot - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 3. Parade: Acrobates/Ste Au Prld Du Rideau Rouge - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 4. Trois Petites Pieces Montees: De L'enfance De Pantagruel (Reverie) - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 5. Trois Petites Pieces Montees: Marche De Cocagne (Demarche) - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 6. Trois Petites Pieces Montees: Jeux De Gargantua (Coin De Polka) - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 7. En Habit De Cheval: Choral - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 8. En Habit De Cheval: Fugue Litanique - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 9. En Habit De Cheval: Autre Choral - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 10. En Habit De Cheval: Fugue De Papier - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 11. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: Maniere De Commencement - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 12. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: Prolongation Du Meme - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 13. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: I. Lentement - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 14. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: II. Enleve - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 15. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: III. Brutal - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 16. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: En Plus - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 17. Trois Morceaux En Forme De Poire: Redite - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 18. Apercus Desagreables: I. Pastorale - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 19. Apercus Desagreables: II. Choral - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 20. Apercus Desagreables: III. Fugue - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 21. Fant Serieuse: Marche Franco-Lunaire - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 22. Fant Serieuse: Grande Ritournelle - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 23. Fant Serieuse: Valse Du 'Mysterieux Baiser Dans L'Oeil' - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 24. Fant Serieuse: Grande Ritournelle - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
| 25. Fant Serieuse: Cancan Grand-Mondain - Jean-Pierre Armengaud/Dominique Merlet |
For Detail
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