Satie the Onion: his surreal life viewed in reverse. Donald Macleod peels off the layers, finding Satie's playfulness in full flow with works like his "Flabby Preludes for a Dog".

Erik Satie's existence was a self-consciously surreal one. He reinvented himself throughout his life, rather like a proto-David Bowie, changing his clothing, his friends, his beliefs, and his music. Though he claimed not to want to, he influenced countless others, but he had a tendency to dramatically fall out with almost everyone he was close to. This week, marking the composer's 150th anniversary, Donald Macleod peels off the layers to examine Satie's life in reverse, beginning with his significant posthumous influence and working back to the early music which is still a household name.

Prior to the first world war Satie, as yet not subject to the scrutiny of the fame he would later enjoy, wrote many series of provocative and humorous miniatures, principally for piano. Bizarrely titled and sometimes completely inexplicable, often they had a satirical purpose or a pointed personal message, such as the rather ungentle dig at his then friend Debussy intended by the "Flabby Preludes for a Dog".

Stravinsky: Waltz from Three Easy Pieces for Piano Duo
Katia and Marielle Labèque, pianos

Satie: Sports et Divertissements
Pascal Rogé, piano

Satie: Cinq Grimaces pour le songe
Maurice Abravanel, conductor
Utah Symphony Orchestra

Satie: Choses vues à droite et à gauche (sans lunettes)
Chantal Juillet, violin
Pascal Rogé, piano

Satie: Embryons Desséchés
Yuji Takahashi, piano

Satie: Trois Poèmes d'amour
Gabriel Bacquier, baritone
Aldo Ciccolini, piano

Satie: Trois Mélodies
Mady Mesplé, soprano
Aldo Ciccolini, piano

Satie: Flabby Preludes & Veritable Flabby Preludes
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Producer: Dominic Jewel. Show less