Gymnopédiste

Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of “furniture music”, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions – and their peculiar annotations – 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 explores Satie’s early life, following him from the sleepy seaside town of Honfleur, to the centre of Paris’s bohemian quarter and a club with the manifesto: “Shock the bourgeoisie!”. Along the way he meets Satie’s eccentric uncle ‘Sea-Bird’ and the mysterious ‘Monsieur Le Pauvre’.

Allegro
Alessandro Simonetto, piano

Valse-ballet
Anne Queffélec, piano

Fantaisie-valse
Anne Queffélec, piano

Chanson hongroise
Alessandro Simonetto, piano

Untitled (Première pensée Rose+Croix)
Alessandro Simonetto, piano

Ogives
Reinbert de Leeuw, piano

Sarabandes
Reinbert de Leeuw, piano

Gymnopédies
Noriko Ogawa, piano

Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & West