Gymnopédies
Erik Satie
Piano Music
Aldo Ciccolini
I’ve read that Satie claims the Gymnopédies were inspired by Flaubert’s Salammbo and I’d like to believe that. I was immersed in Flaubert yeas ago and it was among the most beautifully dreamlike reading experiences I can recall – very similar to listening to Satie’s piano music.
The inspiration to dive into Flaubert head first was through a recommendation by a figure drawing instructor at the School of Visual Arts, the painter Ron Gorchov. Ron would sit in the corner reading, rarely if ever walking around to comment on our work. He had a grad student handle that. I figured – shit that’s just shit so I approached Ron one day and asked him what he was reading. “Flaubert” he answered and he continued “you should be reading Flaubert.” So I did.
Ron and I would talk about Flaubert every class and you could say, I would say I was inspired to leave SVA to a large extent by Flaubert – I enjoyed reading and talking about writing more than talking about the figures I was drawing – which eventually led me to Bennington. Anyway, all that’s to say when I listen to these pieces by Satie I’m reminded of that feeling of endless possibility, the unknown (like a dream) all tinged with melancholy. A sweet cocktail.