Despite its technical simplicity, Erik Satie's piano music can be performed in many ways. The compositions heard here marked early appearances of what would become major trends in music of the 20th century, and the emphasis can be placed in various places. Recorded in 1990 (and reissued as an "essential masterwork" in 2009), this selection of Satie pieces touches on what pianist
Peter Dickinson called the composer's "mystical, comic, and popular veins." It was an early release in what may now be called a Satie revival, and even if
Dickinson does better with some of these "veins" than with others, the album served a lot of listeners as an introduction to Satie and is still worth considering for that purpose, especially at a budget price.
Dickinson is on solid ground with the mystical works, represented here by Le fils des étoiles (1901), a work that sprang from Satie's association with the Rosicrucian order. His meditative yet forward-moving style results in an exceptional performance of this work, and his uncomplicated readings of the familiar Trois Gymnopédies are also effective. Less successful is Le Piccadilly, which in 1900 must have been among the very first classical compositions to make use of American ragtime;
Dickinson's version lacks rhythmic liveliness. One also sometimes wants a bit more wit in the comic pieces, but overall it's probably best if the pianist stays out of the way of Satie's beyond-quirky brand of comedy, as
Dickinson does here. Still a strong basic Satie set that raises few sustained objections.