erik satie “42 vexations (1893)” compact disc

• 42 vexations (69:30)

sub rosa press release...

erik satie 42 vexations (1893) cd digipack + 16 pages booklet sr294 16 page booklet including cage's place in the reception of satie by matthew shlomowitz. performed by stephane ginsburgh musique d'ameublement literally, "furniture music," the phrase coined by satie in 1917, where he identifies sound as drapes, tiling, wallpaper - items belonging to the environment - and changing it simply by being in it, by actually becoming elements of the space. the idea being that, since you don't notice the sound right away, it becomes, in a sense, part of the furniture. this recording, the second installment in that series (after marcel duchamp), also involves a peculiar physical device since it calls for 840 repetitions of a single motif. satie jotted down the idea in 1893. a concept - surely; a joke - obviously; something feasible - yes, for it has been done in 1963, on john cage's impetus. john cale was one of the musicians involved: between 9 and 10 september 1963 i was one of a relay team of pianists, under the direction of john cage, who played vexations by eric satie at pocket theatre, 100 third avenue near 13th street, in 18 hours and 40 minutes. the 180 notes of this 80-second work were played 840 times. the whole thing was john cage's idea. the admission was $5, but members of the audience got a refund of five cents per twenty minutes, and those who stayed to the bitter end got a 20 cent bonus. soso, in vexations, satie will be evocated through cage. had satie envisioned playing the piece? who knows. neither do we know if duchamp's erratum musical was meant to be executed. what can be said, however, is that when played in its entirety, vexations inevitably becomes a performance for both players and listeners. an experience in repetition - repetition without the slightest variation, except for the unavoidable tempo shifts that occur over such a lengthy performance, alterations in how the piano keys are hit, in other words everything that falls within the realm of the mechanically involuntary. what would you say about a ritornello that would last between 18 and 24 hours ?