Satie: Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes & Other Piano Music

Featuring

Yit Kin Seow
Erik Satie

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Compositional Technique

The Trois Gymnopédies, written by Erik Satie at age 22, are named after "gymnopaedic" dances performed by naked boys at ancient Greek public festivals.

Composer Biography

Erik Satie died at 59 from cirrhosis, a result of a lifetime devoted to cognac and absinthe.

Composition History

Erik Satie was commissioned to write Sports et divertissements after Igor Stravinsky asked for too high a fee to illustrate an album of sketches.

Compositional Technique

Erik Satie's Gnossiennes often include incongruous verbal instructions to the player, such as "Interrogate," "Without pity," or "Equip yourself with clear-sightedness."

Performer Biography

Pianist Yitkin Seow was awarded a bronze medal at the 1977 Piano Competition in Tel Aviv by Arthur Rubinstein, who praised his performance of Brahms' 'Paganini Variations' as "the most wonderful" he had ever heard.

Cultural Impact

Erik Satie's concept of "musique d'ameublement" or "furnishing music" — intended as background music not to be actively listened to — was considered avant-garde and a joke in his time, but is now a common practice in public spaces and with personal devices.