Erik Satie, Mark Bird & Peter Kraus - Satie for Two Guitars (2016)

After hearing Jean-Joël Barbier's recordings, French pianist Peter Kraus realized the potential of transcribing Satie's music for classical guitar. He began with "Gymnopédies" and "Gnossienne" for solo guitar. The great complexity of works like "Pièces Froids" inspired him to create transcriptions for two guitars, for which he invited his Los Angeles-based guitarist colleague Mark Bird to collaborate. The result of these experiments and revisions was the impressive album "Satie for Two Guitars."
This edition of "Satie for Two Guitars" is harmoniously complemented by a vibrant, deeply French recording of the composer's music for the acclaimed ballet "Parade." The performance is conducted by Louis Frémaux and the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo. The script for "Parade" was written by Jean Cocteau in 1916–1917 for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The costumes and sets were designed by the then-Cubist Pablo Picasso, and the choreography was handled by Léonide Massine. Audiences were outraged by Satie's score, which featured typewriters and foghorns, causing a major scandal and leading to the composer's brief imprisonment.
The program concludes with a recording of "Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear" (Trois morceaux en forme de poire), performed by Gaby and Robert Casadesus. This piece is Satie's eloquent response to a critic who accused him of musical formlessness.
"Trois morceaux en forme de poire" is a perfect example of the cinematic quality of Satie's music. It was used effectively in Terrence Malick's directorial debut, Badlands, as well as in Orson Welles's Extraordinary Stories. The Gnossienna, also performed by Johnny Mandel in Hal Ashby's Being There, also appears there. The melody of "Gymnopedia No. 1," thanks to television advertising and appearances on the soundtracks of films such as Woody Allen's The Other Woman, has become one of the most recognizable in the world.