Released by Philips on LP in 1983.
What can be said about this marvellous 3-part-miniature? That "le compositeur du musique" wanted it to be played 840 times in a row? That its enigmatic melodic and harmonic structure really gets to the listener after the umpteenth repetition? That it'll knock you out, slowly? Killing us softly, with his song?
I recommend that you listen to it as often/long as possible. Take your time, it's worth it. To me, the theme seems like some kind of interesting question which is answered by even more interesting questions, if you listen to it long enough (longer than you can stand?).
Go to sleep with it, wake up with it, or use it as an ambient soundtrack, turning the coming holidays into your own cozy Vex-mas. For hours and hours and hours and hours and hours ...
Reinbert de Leeuw is an excellent pianist - he's got "the touch", like Feldman would've said - and he's proving it here just like he did with his other Satie recordings. "Vexations" is performed 35 times here. In order to hear the piece 840 times listeners should therefore play the recording 24 times.
Don't shoot the piano player.
(1)
Addendum:
Learn all about the "Pianoless Vexations", an eight-hour performance, performed at The Sculpture Center in New York City on Sunday, June 11, 2006:
http://www.ubu.com/sound/vexations.html
Here's an excellent article by Stephen Whittington from the University of Adelaide, Australia. "Serious Immobilities: On the centenary of Erik Satie's Vexations": http://www.af.lu.se/~fogwall/article3.html
The Great Learning Orchestra from Sweden realized an orchestral marathon of "Vexations":
home.swipnet.se/sonoloco14/learning/learningframes.html
wow! cannot wait!
ReplyDeleteHello, can one of the authors from this blog please contact me? I have several albums which will be of interest to you. My email address is skiesaregreen604@googlemail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
ReplyDelete...and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...
ReplyDeleteexcited for the de Leeuw!
I've got 2 or 3 cds of Satie's piano music but I've never heard this at all. Thanks for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I've been intrigued by de Leeuw's other interpretations of Satie's work.I've heard Vexations before but never like this! Also wanted to thank you for all the great Feldman you've posted. He is another favorite of mine.Wonder what Satie would have made of Feldman's work? Hmmmmmmm.......Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteJohn V.
I'm becoming obsessed with this, every time I sit down at the computer the last two days I have to have this playing. I really wish I had an ipod for this.
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and this was the first thing I downloaded. I look forward to plundering the archives.
Thank you
a great interpretation of the vexations! surely does have 'the touch' -- i like framing as the question growing more interesting as simulated depth in a double mirror infinity.
ReplyDeleteTHAT SAID: if anyone (surely you've caught wind of these, closet-bearers?) is interested in this vexed score at its most expanded (&often deliberately without 'touch') do see the digimenta left by the PIANOLESS vexations event held last june in ny -- organized by kenny g & featuring all number of interesting ny musicians (er, poets, artists?) banging this question over it's head with everything but the ivories. from alan licht's guitar to margaret tan's toy to tianna kennedy's scratchings -- it's essential vexation.
well, on a personal aside, dear closet, i finally broke down & went rapidshare premium, so i've begun to gorge my wires w/the link album link list i'd garnered, no small number frm yr archives! -- great tnx as always!
xoxo
j.h c
Back in the 80's a coffee shop in Portland called Rimsky Korsakoffee put on a performance of this employing pianists in two hour shifts, serving only white food and encouraging people to keep their conversations as banal as possible. It was a hoot.
ReplyDeleteMore recently a friend of mine had an all night gathering in which he programmed his CD player to play a recording of vexations repeatedly until the 840 repetitions had been completed. I wasn't there for the entire thing, but probably experienced six or seven hour of it.
Thanks, I am preparing for 840 listening times, at least...
ReplyDeleteThe Stoned Flycatcher
(missing Mr Lucky, by the way..9)
Thanks for the comments. Seems that the Vexations became an instant hit among our visitors. I'll try to get another Satie LP posted before Xmas: "Socrate", in the version for 4 voices & chamber orchestra. This one got re-issued on CD some time ago, but I think my moderately-scratchy vinyl rip has some real intriguing additional charm. And the LP also features Debussy's "Chansons de Bilitis", for female speaker and an ensemble of two flutes, two harps and celesta. You'll melt away, hearing this. After 840 times, you'll think you're in heaven ...
ReplyDeleteGidouille: thanks for the story. I wish your friend had sent me an invitation.
Stoned Flycatcher: Please report when you're done. If you're still able to write then ;-)
sounds interesting...
ReplyDeletewell, on a personal aside, dear closet, i finally broke down & went rapidshare premium
ReplyDeleteJ. Henry: Sorry to read that. Hopefully that wouldn't be necessary with my blog. I know what you mean though as unfortunately most of the good blogs are still relying on Rapidshare.
I talked to H.C. Earwicker several days ago about Pianoless Vexations. Thanks for telling about it. We were already aware of this project before Vexations was posted. There are some performances I really enjoyed such as Margaret Tan on toy piano, the shamisen piece, the laptop versions, the version by Bruce Arnold Jazz Trio plus several others.
Stoned Flycatcher: Do you know what happened to Mr. Lucky? I haven't been around for a few days. I just now went to his site and there's nothing there.
I cannot believe how good this stuff is. (I.e. the De Leeuw Vexing Touch) I am Thee Total Addict of a Philips 2cd set of "Early Works" (the metaphysical stuff) played by RdL...other than those recordings and the VEXATIONS, is anyone aware of other De Leeuw Satie recordings worth pursuing? (In or out of print.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am in touch with Mr. Lucky and it seems that complications of an impersonal but irritating (for him) nature sometimes precipitates abrupt annihilation of his always-excellent blogs. I think the usual petty copyright sanctimony might be at the heart of it; but he's still sharing! FWIW.
It seems like de Leeuw's "Vexations" have become
ReplyDeletesomething like a hit here on the Closet, the download page having been accessed more than 500 times in just 12 days. Just imagine: a small army of Vexationistes, all
over the globe, possibly from Hokkaido to Hoboken...
Grasprelease!
No other known de Leeuw recordings of Satie here, sorry. BUT there is s.th. else I can, no: MUST recommend:
The complete recording of Satie's "Le Fils des Etoiles"
(1891), of which most Gymnopedistes only know the
"Trois Preludes du Fils des Etoiles". Actually, it's Satie's
longest through-composed piano piece (i.e. not counting
"Vexations"), pure 60 minutes of bliss to listen to.
EMC (see below) published the score some years ago in a new
critical edition by British composer & pianist Christopher
Hobbs, who also recorded it, and whose own works often radiate that beautiful Satie-ish simplicity.
The three "acts" of "Le Fils des Etoiles" seem like strange
collages of repetitional themes and chord progressions,
interspersed with motives from other Satie pieces. All in all, a rather unique set of celestial charms, even by Satie standards.
I'll consider posting "Le Fils" on the Closet, since promotion & distribution of score & CD are a little on the poor side, both being solely available through the all too spartanic snail order service of the EMC (Experimental
Music Catalogue):
CD - look for "EMC103":
http://www.experimentalmusic.co.uk/Experimental_Music_Catalogue/Books_and_Recordings.html
score - look for "PN0031":
http://www.experimentalmusic.co.uk/Experimental_Music_Catalogue/EMC_Piano_Catalogue.html
From the cover it looks like Satie meets Magritte. I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteRespect.
Blog on.
Peace.
Shuggiemac
In the middle 80's I had this on cassette and would listen to it endlessly (in the way you can only listen to this endlessly) while I did my school work. I looked for this a few times after misplacing the cassette and could never find it again.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!
was it that satie was intenting on to bore the bourgeoisie, back in the 1890's?...but it would be useless, as long as they couldn't knock off nothing worthy out of anything, not to mention boredom, up to nowadays. But that's not the point. XXth century music starts with satie, that's what julio medaglia says, "...is quite like Erik Satie at the closing of the XIX century, when everyone were busy writing tons of music, bewitched by romantic pathos, loose passions, while this lonely frenchman wrote his Gynmnopédies, where a few relaxed notes hang over two indefinitely repeated 7th chords, and that static monotony managed to crystalize itself in something that the scholars now consider to be the real starting gun of the XXth century music. Despite the avalanche of melodies created by the fury of cultural industry which took over this (XXth) century, Satie's Gynmnopédies are still on the top, intriguing and charming everyone..."
ReplyDeleteI am sooo keen to hear this production but it has disappeared from the link - is there any chance please that you could repost it? I would be very grateful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTokyo.
Hi! This is a fantastic post!
ReplyDeleteI'm very gratefull, and, for the record, do you speak to not shoot at the pianist in a direct reference for Revueltas role in "Vámonos con Pancho Villa" film?
please re-up download links
ReplyDeleteIt's re-upped. Enjoy.
Deletekindly re-up!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, a re-up would be great.
ReplyDeleteIt's finally re-upped. Enjoy.
Delete