Erik Satie’s influence, once barely acknowledged, has now permeated nearly every corner of modern music. Best known for the sensual simplicity of his tender Gymnopedies, such seeming naivety masked a colorful, and frequently, complex life and artistic vision. The experimental composer John Cage famously called Satie “indispensable,” citing him as a profound inspiration for his own groundbreaking work.Satie’s eccentricities were part of his charm, and this whimsy often seeped into his work. In Embryons desseches (Dried Embryos), for instance, he included absurd instructions in the score, phrases like “on the tip of your tongue” or “open your head,” as well as giving his works absurd titles like Effronterie and Prelude canin, gleefully written to deflate the precious seriousness of classical music traditions. In contrast, there are works like Pieces froides (1897) that anticipate the rhythmic minimalism of Philip Glass and his visionary 5 Nocturnes (1919), the final series of his cyclically organized piano pieces composed using a highly complex system rigorously guiding the interplay of melody (right hand) and harmonicaccompaniment (left hand). Even today, there are many surprises to be discovered in Satie’s oeuvre.This specially curated program is brilliantly realized by Christina Bjorkoe, one of Denmark’s leading musicians. Much in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with symphony orchestras, ClassicsToday praised Bjorkoe for her dynamism and passion. Her extensive discography includes critically acclaimed recordings of works spanning the piano repertoire from Beethoven to Borup-Jorgensen.

Tracklist:

1. Petite ouverture danser
2. Musiques intimes et secrtes~Facheux exemple
3. Six pieces de la priode~Effronterie
4. Pieces froides~Airs faire fuir I
5. Pieces froides~Airs faire fuir II
6. Pieces froides~Airs faire fuir III
7. trois Valses distingues du prcieux dgout~Son binocle
8. Six pieces de la priode~Profondeur
9. Avant-Dernires Penses~Idylle ( Debussy)
10. Avant-Dernires Penses~Aubade ( Paul Dukas)
11. Avant-Dernires Penses~Mditation ( Albert Roussel)
12. 5 Nocturnes~Nocturne I
13. 5 Nocturnes~Nocturne II
14. 5 Nocturnes~Nocturne III
15. Musiques intimes et secrtes~Froide songerie
16. Six pieces de la priode~Prlude canin
17. Deux rveries nocturnes~Deux rveries I
18. Deux rveries nocturnes~Deux rveries II
19. Prlude de la porte hroique du ciel
20. Six pieces de la priode~Songe-creux
21. Caresse
22. Six pieces de la priode~Posie
23. Six pieces de la priode~Dsespoir agrable
24. Musiques intimes et secrtes~Nostalgie
25. Prludes~Prlude I
26. Prludes~Prlude II
27. Prludes~Prlude III

UPC: 0636943692929
Label: Our Recordings
Release Date: 6.6.25
Format: CD