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The Prophet of Ambient Music

Elizabeth Alker explores how Erik Satie’s music continues to inspire today’s ambient and experimental musicians, presenting three new commissions made especially for Unclassified.

Elizabeth Alker presents three new commissions inspired by the music and the ideas of Erik Satie (1866-1925). Best known today for iconic, laconic piano pieces like the Gymnopédies and the Gnossiennes, Satie often entered into experimental and expansive territory. He pioneered the idea of “furniture music” - compositions that were intended not to be listened to, so paving the way for the ambient genres that have followed; and his Vexations, which lasts for hours, asks a solo piano player to play a single theme 840 times without a break.

To close Radio 3’s weekend of Satie celebrations, Unclassified presents three new pieces created exclusively for the show courtesy of Manchester’s purveyor of playful electronic music Carmel Smickersgill, Yorkshire pianist-improviser Matthew Bourne and guitarist-composer Rafiq Bhatia of Son Lux.

"Before I compose a piece, I walk around it several times, accompanied by myself.”
~ Erik Satie

Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for ѿý Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask ѿý Sounds to play Unclassified"

1 hour

Last on

Sun 29 Jun 2025 23:30

Music Played

  • Joseph Shabason

    Gymnopédie No. 1

    • Gymnopédie No. 1.
  • Brian Eno

    Music for Airports 2/1

    • Ambient 1 (Music For Airports).
    • EG.
  • Pascal Rogé

    Gnossienne No. 1

    • Satie: 3 Gymnopédies and Other Piano Works.
    • London Records.
  • Rafiq Bhatia

    Circles for Satie

    • Original commission for Unclassified.
  • Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou

    Jerusalem

    • Jerusalem.
    • Mississippi Records.
  • Sean Shibe

    Gnossienne No. 3

    • Camino.
    • Pentatone.
  • Masaé GImbayashi

    Je Te Veux

    • Je te veux.
    • Plaza Mayor Company Ltd.
  • Carmel Smickersgill

    Of Love We'll Exchange

    • Original commission for Unclassified.
  • Hiroshi Yoshimura

    Satie On The Grass

    • Flora.
    • Temporal Drift.
  • Mikado Koko

    Lotus Eater No. 1

    • Piano In A Cage.
    • Caliban Sounds.
  • Matthew Bourne

    Obelus

    • Original commision for Unclassified.
  • Starkey

    Gnossienne No.1 (Starkey Remix)

    • Re:works.
    • Decca Records.

Broadcast

  • Sun 29 Jun 2025 23:30

What is unclassified music?

What is unclassified music?

Elizabeth Alker introduces five of her favourite 'unclassifiable' pieces of music.