Dusted Reviews: Erik Satie – 42 Vexations (1893)
The composition, which consists of the same short phrase played on the piano 840 times, resulting in over 18 hours of proto-minimalism that might have been a joke when Satie conceived of it, but has grown, in some circles, into what might be the composer’s most notorious work. Vexations is enigmatic, to be sure: some debate whether the composition was ever meant to be performed or was simply a conceptual exercise, and conjecture remains as to whether the 840 iterations of the composition’s sole motif are necessary to its performance, or merely a suggestion from Satie.
