Riposte Erik Satie, a newly written piece by Mikael Strömberg, is a reinterpretation of the idea behind Erik Saties Vexations (“harassment”). “Riposte” means response, in response, attack – as a response to Satie and as a silent attack over time. Saties Vexations is considered one of the longest pieces of music in history. A performance lasts 14 or 28 hours, depending on how the composer’s notes are interpreted. And yet the piece consists of only three lines, all of which are variations on the same theme. The considerable length is partly due to the slow tempo, but above all it comes from a comment from the composer that suggests that the piece should be repeated 840 times. Continue reading →