In celebration of the centennial of composer Erik Satie’s passing, a 14-hour Piano Marathon was held at Tsim Sha Tsui East shopping mall Elements to play his one-page piece Vexations, which is intended by the French composer to repeat 840 times in succession.
As a part of this year’s French May Arts Festival, the event invited 168 pianists from different communities and backgrounds, each to perform the piece five times in relay without significant pauses in between throughout the day starting at 7am.
Each of the enthusiastic local pianists showcased their unique artistic take on the piece and the momentous relay also set a new Guinness World Record for the “Most Musicians to Play The Same Piano in Relay” – an artistic feat that pays homage to Erik Satie.
The local pianists include veteran pianist Raymond Young; Julie Kuok; Robin Zebaida; Nancy Loo and her apprentice Cedric Chan; Winner of the Schubert International Piano Competition in Germany, Shum Kinwai; Concertmaster of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Amelia Chan; IACM co-founders Alan Chu and Johnny Pun; Artist Lily Hong.
Other participants include members of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Hong Kong (MYO), teachers and students from multiple universities, secondary and primary schools, along with talented pianists from Macau and Zhuhai.
The piano marathon featured a piece taken from the repertoire of French composer Erik Satie, best known for works such as “Gymnopédies & Gnossiennes” and “Je te veux".
A pioneer of minimalism, Satie had a talent for crafting unforgettable melodies using simple notes. “Vexations”, composed in 1893, is considered one of the most enigmatic piano compositions in music history.
The score, which consists of just a single page, includes a cryptic note from Satie himself: “It is necessary to repeat this theme 840 times to grasp its true meaning.”
