May 17, 2021 marks the great and eccentric French composer Erik Satie‘s 155th birthday, so we salute him with this fine version of his compelling and mysterious Gnossienne No. 1 (originally written for piano) performed by Slovenian guitarist Karmen Štendler, who also plays with the outstanding Weimar Guitar Quartet.
This first of Satie’s Trois Gnossiennes was written in 1890, published in 1893, and has become a veritable fixture in the modern guitar repertoire over the past quarter-century, having been recorded by players such as John Williams, George Sakellariou, Candice Mowbray, Irina Kulikova, Jérémy Jouve, Elefteria Kotzia, and many others. —Blair Jackson
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