Speaking of Music:
Reinbert de Leeuw, 1983

Charles Amirkhanian interviews Dutch composer, pianist, and author Reinbert de Leeuw, recorded on November 10, 1983, as part of the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Speaking of Music series. De Leeuw plays and discusses the early piano music of Erik Satie, the performance of which has garnered the pianist a global reputation. De Leeuw’s particular interpretation of this music is quite different from the standard. His study of the life of Satie has given him many illuminating insights, some of which he shares in this fascinating program. De Leeuw also relates a number of amusing anecdotes about performing Satie’s “Vexation”, a work that is meant to be performed repeatedly for many hours at a time. (from KPFA Folio)