Ciccolini started playing a wide range of Satie works on his programs of the 1950s, including many pieces that had been forgotten since the composer's death. This attracted attention among the musical cognoscenti in Paris, including some of the most forward-thinking musicians of the time. They recognized in Ciccolini's interpretations of Satie's works elements in keeping with current-day avant garde approaches that had been previously overlooked. Ultimately this led to a revival of Satie's music and to Ciccolini's recorded versions of it for EMI; while the earliest of these recordings have proven the best sellers over time, Ciccolini has recorded the entire keyboard output of Satie twice over. - by Uncle Dave Lewis, AMG
I must confess my ignorance with respect to Satie and his music, so this fine CD was a revelation. Satie clearly falls in the same group of "Impressionist" composers such as Debussy, but still remains an enigmatic figure, in part because of the satirical content of his music, as well as his personality. In Aldo Ciccolini, Satie had one of his foremost champions. This CD is replete with graceful, lyrical playing of Satie's works. I am truly surprised that Satie was neglected until the 1960's, when Ciccolini began championing his music. The sound quality isn't nearly as warm as earlier EMI analogue recordings, but this isn't a major disappointment in what is otherwise a splendid introduction to Satie's music. - by John Kwok, Amazon.com
Artist: Aldo Ciccolini
Album: Satie: Works for Piano
Year: 1986
Label: EMI Classics (Remastered, 2000)
Runtime: 70:57
Tracks:
1-3 Trois Gymnopédies 7:43
4-9 Six Gnossiennes 13:18
10-12 Croquis et ageceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois 3:52
13-15 Embryons desséchés 4:58
16 Sonatine bureaucratique 3:37
17-19 Avant-dernieres pensées 3:02
20-22 Céritables préludes falsques (pour un chien) 2:46
23-27 Cinq Nocturnes 12:39
28-34 Trois Morceaux en forme de poire* 12:45
35-38 La Belle excentrique 6:07
Personnel:
Aldo Ciccolini (piano)
Gabriel Tacchino* (piano)