Best of Erik Satie
For me, the real "Best of Satie" would include at leastexcerpts from the opera Socrate and the ballet Parade. But this is anice overview of the eccentric composer's keyboard gems, culled fromKlára Körmendi's excellent Satie cycle for Naxos. Many pianiststake Satie's wistful melodic sensibility as license to let the musicwallow and droop. Körmendi will have none of that. Her sensitive,expertly colored playing brings uncommon, refreshing urgency to thefirst three Nocturnes, the well-worn Gymnopédies, and all sixGnossiennes. Moreover, she has a way of making the composer'sidiosyncratic expressive indications audible without hitting listenersover the head. The disc concludes with the Gymnopédies in theirfamiliar orchestrations by Debussy (Nos. 1 & 3) and Roland-Manuel(No. 2). The French orchestra plays rather patchily in the first butredeems itself with some very nice playing in the other two. No. 3features a lovely oboe soloist surrounded by silvery, reed-organ-likehigh strings. If you're looking for a Satie piano music start-up kit,this is the one. --From ClassicsToday.com