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Satie falls in with the avant-garde crowd - and winds up in court.

Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of 鈥渇urniture music鈥, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions 鈥 and their peculiar annotations 鈥 were a revolution, paving the way for a new generation of musical rebels, including Les Six. He was just as odd in his day-to-day life, known for his quirky fashion and dramatic outbursts, he always kept a hammer in his pocket for fear of muggers and once even founded his own church.

In this episode, Donald finds out how Satie wound up in court, with the help of avant-garde provocateur Jean Cocteau. Together they campaign for music of 鈥渟implicity鈥, or as Satie comes to call it: 鈥渇urniture music鈥.

Enfantillages pittoresques: 1. Petit pr茅lude 脿 la journ茅e
Cristina Ariagno, piano

Descriptions automatiques
Alexandre Tharaud, piano

Parade
Nancy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by J茅r么me Kaltenbach

Musique d鈥檃meublement
Ars Nova Copenhagen, conducted by Marius Constant

Socrate: III. Mort de Socrate
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Reinbert de Leeuw, piano

Produced by Alice McKee for 麻豆社 Audio Wales & West

59 minutes

Last on

Thu 3 Jul 2025 16:00

Music Played

  • Erik Satie

    Enfantillages pittoresques (Petit prelude a la journee)

    Performer: Cristina Ariagno.
    • BRILLIANT CLASSICS : 5028421951638.
    • BRILLIANT CLASSICS.
    • 7.
  • Erik Satie

    Descriptions automatiques

    Performer: Alexandre Tharaud.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI : HMC-902017.18.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • 13.
  • Erik Satie

    Parade

    Orchestra: Orchestre symphonique et lyrique de Nancy. Conductor: J茅r么me Kaltenbach.
    • NAXOS : 8.554279.
    • NAXOS.
    • 1.
  • Erik Satie

    Musique d'ameublement

    Ensemble: Ars Nova Copenhagen. Conductor: Marius Constant.
    • ERATO : 9029598879.
    • ERATO.
    • 92.
  • Erik Satie

    Socrate (Part 3, Mort de Socrate)

    Performer: Reinbert de Leeuw. Singer: Barbara Hannigan.
    • Winter & Winter 910 234-2.
    • Winter & Winter.
    • 10.

Broadcast

  • Thu 3 Jul 2025 16:00

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