[Leica] OT Erik Satie

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Phil,
If you can find it there's a wonderful recording by France Clidat on 
Dutch Gramophone (CD85001).
And a rather strange recording with Michel Legrand  playing the piano 
and recitations in French by Raymond Devos (French humorist) mostly as 
voice-overs but interesting all the same. (on Erato 4509-92858-2).

Erik Satie is a wonderful start to discovering lesser known French (and 
Swiss) composers of the turn of the Century 19th -20th.
Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc (love him), Germaine Tailleferre (not 
enough on records) , Arthur Honegger (perhaps a little too modern for 
some tastes), Jacques Ibert, Georges Auric, Louis Durey.  All of them 
were around at about the same time as the more "mainstream" French 
composers Ravel, Debussy and Faure (who wrote the best Requiem ever!!).
You may also find your way to Jean Francaix who followed this "modern", 
but still recognisably musical, trend in French classical music until 
his death in 1997.

There is an anecdote (one of many) about Erik Satie: He apparently asked 
Debussy what "La Mer" was all about. On being told that it depicted a 
day in the life of an ocean, Satie replied," I particularly liked the 
bit between 3 and 4 in the afternoon"

There's also a fascinating recording on Chandos records with 2 ballet 
suites composed by about 12 French composers in the 1920s, one of which 
"Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel" is the music for a rather surrealistic 
ballet by Jean Cocteau where the main theme is what can happen when a 
photographer says "watch the birdie" while taking wedding photographs at 
the Eiffel Tower.  ( The title of the record is L'eventail de Jeanne,  # 
CHAN 8356)

There's another recording of music for 2 pianos by a selection of these 
composers performed by Eduard Exerjean and Philippe Corre including 
Darius Milhauds glorious "Boeuf sur le Toit" and "Scaramouche" , 2 
delightful cameos from Francis Poulenc and a selection of works from 
Tailleferre, Auric, Durey and Honneger
(Disques Pierre Verany PV.786091 Title Le Groupe des Six - The Six - Le 
Boeuf Sur le Toit)

Hope you find as much enjoyment in this period of French classical music 
as I do
Cheers
Douglas