Erik Satie(1866-1925)
       Piano Works

The enigmatic and eccentric Erik Satie was an innovative composer, being
a forerunner of minimalism and particularly interested in the field of
harmonics.  Mysticism also tended to play a major role in many of his
compositions.  Satie is known for all sorts of off-the-wall statements;
the one I like best is that he said something to the effect that the more
he knew about people, the more he appreciated dogs.  It's not such an
outrageous statement considering that dogs don't screw each other over.
These are the human-made discs devoted to his piano music which I will be
reviewing:

John White -------- Arte Nova 27797(1995)
Gerhard Erber ----- Berlin Classics 2126(1990)
Pascal Roge ------- Decca 410220(1984) & 421713(1989)
Aldo Ciccolini ---- EMI 67282(1966-1971)
Aldo Ciccolini ---- EMI 67260(1983-1986)
Michel Legrand ---- Erato 92857(1993)
Reinbert De Leeuw - Philips 446672(1992)
Daniel Varsano ---- Sony 48283(1979)
Anne Queffelec ---- Virgin Classics 90754(1988) & 59296(1993)
Frank Glazer ------ Vox Box 5011(1968)

For this little project, I'll be reviewing each recording in the order
listed above:

John White, Piano
Arte Nova 27797(1995)
Title: "Caresse" Piano Pieces

Program:
Leitmotiv du "Panthee"(1891)
Prelude de la Porte heroique du Ciel(1894)
Sonneries de la Rose-Croix(1892)
Gnossiennes IV & V
Four Preludes(1892)
Petite Ouverture a danser(before 1900)
Caresse(1897)
Reverie du Pauvre(1900)
Danses Gothiques(1893)
Three Preludes from "Le Fils des Etioles(1891)

The back cover of this Arte Nova disc describes Satie's piano music as
"surprisingly dreamy and bemused music by the bar pianist from Paris who
was a friend of Diaghilev, Cocteau and Picasso".  Purists would likely take
exception to this description which makes Satie sound like a 'lounge guy'
lucky to have had such artistic buddies.

Of course, the disc has the goal of presenting Satie as a sultry composer
for the salon.  These are the 'smooth sounds' of Satie, or we could also
refer to the disc as "Erik Satie Meets George Winston".  Personally, I feel
it's like cutting Satie down at the knees.

Since the production is intended as a 'Mood' disc, I can go with an entire
disc consisting of only Satie's more mellow pieces.  But Mr.  White takes
it another step further toward abuse of the composer and his music.  White
eradicates every trace of 'spunk' which resides in these mellow creations,
making them the epitome of 'smooth and dreamy'.  Respect for Satie is
totally obliterated by market-place goals.  All edge, scarcasm, satire,
and true exuberance are missing.

Although White consistently makes Satie bland, the two best examples
come from his readings of the Gnossiennes and the march-to-battle music
of the "Sonneries de la Rose-Croix".  With White there's no marching, no
battle to look forward to, nothing buy smooth and dreamy sounds.  Switch
to Ciccolini and the music has 'fizz' and is entertaining.  Ciccolini also
well recognizes the experimentation Satie was doing with harmonics and
mysticism at this early stage of his musical career.  White only recognizes
that he must make the piece float as much as possible.

Concerning the Gnossiennes, you might think that White would not tinker
with them since they already have plenty of inherent dreaminess.  However,
he feels the need to erase any connections to the 'newness' of Satie's
music; the formula for success must not allow it.

I do want to make a few things clear.  White is no 'trick' artist; he's a
respected and very busy professional housed in England.  I have trouble
understanding his desire to be part of a 'Mood' disc, but his
screwing-around with Satie's compositions is going well beyond what I feel
are reasonable boundaries.  White does play well and beautifully; the sound
is a little heavy on the bass but otherwise excellent.

Summary for White/Arte Nova:  "New-Age Satie".  If this is what you've been
waiting for, White admirably fills the bill.  If not, do yourself a favor
and avoid the disc.  At a minimum, I feel it's a waste of time.  At worst,
it represents perverse planning and execution.

Gerhard Erber, Piano
Berlin Classics 2126(1990)
Title: Erik Satie - Piano Works

Program:
Sonatine bureaucratique(1917)
Cinq Nocturnes(1919)
Vieux sequins et vielles cuirasses(1914)
Les Pantins dansent(1913)
Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois(1913)
Embryons desseches(1913)
Sarabande No. 1
Avant-dernieres pensees(1915)
Reverie de l'enfance de Pantagruel(1900)
Descriptions automatiques(1913)
Gymnopedie No. 3(1888)
Gnossienne No. 2(1890)
Trois Airs a faire fuir de "Pieces froides"(1897)

One shouldn't be skeptical of a Satie recording performed by a German
pianist on a German label.  However, Gerhard Erber's Satie does not hold
up well to the better discs of his piano music.  The notes I took while
listening are strewn with comments like, "too quick, low beauty and
mystery, generic, minimal shading and inflection, not sufficiently
luxurious, and perfunctory".  Erber plays the notes, but that's about it.

More detailed musings are below:

Sonatine bureaucratique - Satie's unique depiction of a day in the life of
a bureaucratic office worker.  Being a line of work which Satie would find
ridiculous and alien, you can begin to imagine the emotional themes that
might be found in this three movement work.  The diversity and irreverance
of Satie is very impressive as are the lilting motifs of the second
movement Andante.  Erber's outer movements are exciting but in a generic
way; he does not highlight their innovative properties nor their full range
of themes.  His quick Andante is weak on capturing the beauty and mystery
of the music.  Erber is enjoyable but not illuminating.

Cinque Nocturnes - From the last few years of Satie's life, these five
pieces take Satie back to a classical-type form.  Also, textures are stark,
mood is austere, and mysticism hangs in the air.  Some performers think
that 'sultry' is the way to approach the work, but I feel that there's
nothing sultry or salon-like in this music.

Erber is a little sultry in the "Cinque Nocturnes", and he's not very
interesting either.  When I listen to Ciccolini I hear clarity of line,
detail, wide range of dynamics, and a host of stunning phrases.  Listening
to Erber, his phrasing displays little detail and I wonder where all those
fantastic passages went to.  Erber is glossing over the music.

Vieux Sequins et Vieilles Cuirasses - Satie routinely could use 'off the
wall' pictorical themes as the foundation for his works.  The title of this
three movement work translates into "Old Sequins and Breast-plates" and
takes us from a 13th century Venetian gold merchant wallowing in his wealth
to an ancient Greek dance to a 12th century dream-battle.

I won't pretend that these three pieces are much more than 'trifles';
they don't even evoke the pictorial themes.  However, the right artist can
make the most of the music by enhancing the diversity of shading and using
attractive pacing.  That's where Pascal Roge steps in; his inflections and
shadings are just the ticket for the outer movements, while I love how he
bustles his way through the second movement which sounds like a satirical
salute to a country's flag.  At the other end, Anne Queffelec is quite
generic and uninteresting.  Erber, although much slower than Queffelec and
not as rich in tone, is also generic with minimal shading and another
reading which provides little illumination into Satie's music.

Sarabande No.  1 - One of Satie's interesting explorations of harmony,
this piece can put the listener in a trance with its mix of surprises and
sublime comfort.  De Leeuw does just that with a heavy pedal; Ciccolini
achieves similar results with a more stark presentation.  Erber is far from
being a hypnotist, because he doesn't convey much comfort and shortens many
note values.  The music needs to be luxurious as both De Leeuw and
Ciccolini recognize.

Avant-dernieres pensees - In this short three-movement work, Satie
dedicates each movement to a different composer.  Versavo sounds like he's
making a joke of it all, an approach I don't side with.  Turn to Ciccolini
and there's some meat in the music.  I particularly like the great zest
he conveys in the second movement dedicated to Dukas, and the drama he
brings out in the last movement dedicated to Roussel.  Erber is a major
improvement over Versavo; his last movement is almost as fine as
Ciccolini's.  However, he doesn't capture the alluring flow of the first
movement as well as Ciccolini, and his second movement would benefit from
a more energetic delivery.

Reverie de l'enfance de Pantagruel - Although quite short, this piece is
not a trivial morsel from Satie.  However, it's as trivial as can be in
Erber's performance.  His quick and perfunctory reading offers little of
the depth and mystery in the music.

I see no need to burden the listener with more Erber negatives, except to
comment on the Gymnopedie No.  3 and the Gnossienne No.  2.  First, I'll
never understand why an artist extracts movements from these two wonderful
Satie works.  There is a progression to each of the works which gets the
axe when pieces are presented as Erber has done.  Second, his performances
of what he does provide are nothing to write home about.  Both pieces are
played quickly with little inflection or atmosphere; the notion of time
being suspended is minimal with Erber.

Summary for Erber/Berlin Classics:  Erber's Satie is an improvement over
White's; it is at least an honest attempt to interpret the music.  However,
Erber never really enters Satie's musical world.  The disc is not
recommended.

Part 2 should take us much closer to Satie through the performances of
Pascal Roge on London/Decca whose interpretations have received highly
favorable response.  My listening pleasure will likely move up greatly
as well.  I'll just keep my fingers crossed for good luck, and I need it
after enduring White and Erber.

Don Satz
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