Uspud

The works that have been recorded on this double CD belong to a highly specific and yet enigmatic period of Satie’s life and work; these are works that were composed between 1891 and 1895 and that stand somewhat apart from the rest of his compositions: Le Fils des Etoiles, Sonneries de la Rose+Croix, Uspud, Danses Gothiques and Prélude de la Porte héroïque du ciel. These works are difficult to classify, filled as they are with a restrained meditative and mysterious beauty. Their title was coined by Satie himself and clearly announces the attachment to mysticism that was to preoccupy him during the 1890s. Reinbert de Leeuw has established a reputation as one of the most eloquent and persuasive conductors of contemporary music. He became well known in the 1970s for his interpretations of the piano music of Satie, but since then he has focused his energies on conducting the works of contemporary composers. With this project, which will première during the prestigious Holland Festival, he returned to his first love, Erik Satie.