Satie Slowly by Philip Corner (Unseen Worlds, 2014)

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Erik Satie is very much in my DNA. I was raised with his music due that my parents played the Aldo Ciccolini recordings of Satie's music, especially volume one, which was released by Angel Records, with the Picasso portrait of Satie on its cover. There are many other versions by different pianists making Satie's piano music, but I was devoted to only the Ciccolini recordings. Due that they are the best? Or just out of brand loyalty? For whatever reason, I could never get fully behind other'’ interpretations of his piano music; I thought then, 'why bother?' Recently I got Philip Corner's collection of Satie piano music called "Satie Slowly," and it enchanted me from the very first note to the last in this double CD set.

"Satie Slowly" can mean Corner is playing the notes and melody at a steady slow pace, or it can expect to enjoy the music at one's own natural slow pace. Nevertheless, there is something organic about Corner's approach to Satie's music that is never fussy. The melodies ring out slowly like peeling a juicy orange and making sure not to have any moisture from the fruit land on your white pants. Each cord he plays on the piano has a slight echo that rings to the following note, and it's a subtlety that is small compared to playing something significant, but the spacing allows the essence and beauty to come out of its music.

A mixture of nightclub cabaret and reflection, this is where Satie lives, and Corner plays his music in the sense of grace, humor, and the essence of everyday life coming and going. It makes sense that Corner is also a visual artist and a member of Fluxus, an art movement that is hysterical and serious simultaneously. These piano recordings, at this moment, are my favorite Satie performances. I thank Alejandro Cohen of The Dublab Creative Cultivation for turning me on to this double-CD set. It's marvelous.