Search - Erik Satie, Maurice de Abravanel, Utah Symphony Orchestra :: Homage to Satie

Another coup for Abravanel. Nobody cleanses the palate like

Martin Selbrede | The Woodlands, Texas | 02/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's first say that I was not predisposed to like Satie, given my love for counterpoint (from Bach to Hindemith) and my respect for the nobility of the musical enterprise, as opposed to superficial fluff. So my 2,500+ collection of classical CDs is packed with "monumental" items (tons of Bruckner & Mahler versions, complete works of Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Hindemith, etc.), most of which tends toward the heavy, thick side (if not sonically, then in terms of musical values and aesthetics). But I listened to these two Satie disks totally enthralled, breaking out into spontaneous smiles at what Satie has achieved. The "breath of fresh air" that critics have ascribed to Satie's works isn't mere hype, at least insofar as Satie is accurately represented in this orchestral set list: this truly is some of the most gorgeously crafted music I've ever heard. Most of the movements are concise to the extreme (which makes Satie something of the Anti-Bruckner), but this formal structure works to the advantage of the music, where elegant ideas are presented without excessive hyper-rationalization. Even the humorous, parodistic parts of the ballets are well-crafted.



The performances are outstanding across the board. The surprise, sonically, is the virtual absence of tape hiss, and the crystal clarity of this dynamic recording. It sounds better than several hundred digitally-recorded CDs in my collection! Too bad more analog era recordings don't receive so excellent a transfer and re-mastering (none of which are even credited on this CD). The engineers were apparently humble as well as perfectionists. (If their humility was involuntary, oh well.)



If you have preconceptions about Satie's "lack of depth," etc. (as I once did), this recording will realign your priorities. Satie's depth is found in a different place. In their own way, the various miniatures he has crafted are actually as intensely packed as any Webern movement for string quartet. Satie has stripped the music back to what HE regarded as the essentials. The result, far from being stark or austere, comes across as embodying musical joy in an utterly unpretentious manner. This is a CD I will likely break out every other month just to cleanse the palate. You HAVE to respect a composer who can bring a smile to your face, and you have to respect a conductor who knows how to bring such elemental music to vibrant life as Abravanel has done here. Highly recommended."