Satie - Gnossienne 1 [My perfomance]

[frankiisko]

Hi to everyone! I'd like to say i've been away during two weeks on a trip that i've made to France, that would explic why i've been inactive. But, when i've got home, i've begun very quickly to study the next piece, the "Gnossienne 1"  

It was the first of a set of 7 pieces (the last four were composed in different years) composed by the french Erik Satie.
 
The thing that attracted more my attention while I was studying this piece, was the Satie's expressivity marks on the score. In this sheet, for example, we can find expressive marks like these: "Sur la langue" (on the tip of the tongue), "Du bout de la pensée" (from the tip of the thought) or "Postulez en vous-même"(wonder about yourself). Annotations so strange like these are very frequents in Satie's pieces and there are others very more stranges. For exemple, I remember I saw in on of his works (I think it was "La piège de Méduse") the mark: "Un signe vous observe"; and the meaning of that is "a monkey is looking to you) LOL!!

I have played this piece before (five years ago) and I remembered it with affection, so I decided to make a record. The tempo is about 44bpm (Satie indicate "Lent" in his work, which means that the interpretation must to be from 40 to 60bpm) except parts in which expressive marks suggest to reduce the speed. Like for exemple "Pas à pas" (Step by step)

I hope you like my perfomance. Thank you very much!  

[birba]

He was a fun composer.  really wierd and haunting.  You played it very well.  try experimenting with the left hand.  You raise your hand after the 2nd and 3rd beat chords.  Try playing the first chord and holding it and on the second chord, much lighter, like an echo of the first, raise your hand.  It becomes one movement and much more subtle.  As it is now, it tends to destract from that haunting melody.  This is a piece that will get better with age!

[frankiisko]

Thank you very much for your opinion!! Yes, very particular character, Erik Satie xD

It's a good idea what you are posing. For the next Gnossienne be sure, I'll experiment that kind of things with my left hand. It's very interesting!

Thank you very much again and yes, this is a very expressive piece that will get better with age. But I think I didn't do it bad