The Prophet of Ambient Music - Celebrating Erik Satie
Elizabeth Alker explores how Erik Satie鈥檚 music continues to inspire today鈥檚 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 Gymnope虂dies and the Gnossiennes, Satie often entered into experimental and expansive territory. He pioneered the idea of 鈥渇urniture music鈥� - 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鈥檚 weekend of Satie celebrations, Unclassified presents three new pieces created exclusively for the show courtesy of Manchester鈥檚 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.鈥�
~ Erik Satie
Produced by Geoff Bird
A Reduced Listening production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
To listen on most smart speakers just say, 鈥渁sk 蜜芽传媒 Sounds to play Unclassified"
On radio
Broadcast
- Sun 29 Jun 2025 23:30蜜芽传媒 Radio 3
What is unclassified music?
Elizabeth Alker introduces five of her favourite 'unclassifiable' pieces of music.