If you’ve felt as though the past 16 months have given you a case of Groundhog Day, then attending this weekend’s 14-hour marathon performance of Erik Satie’s ‘Vexations’ may be just the reflective experience you need to snap yourself out of it. 

Little Chamber Music is presenting "A Vexing Time", an all-day musical event to mark the start of live music back in B.C. after the long, brutal months of the pandemic. The free, all-day event will be held on June 20 in the Celebration Hall at Mountain View Cemetery, where the public can watch the musicians play from the courtyard. This spacious location will allow audience members to keep socially-distanced as well as offer a spot to reflect on the past year and a half.  

For those who aren’t familiar with the piece, Satie’s 1893 work was never meant to be released by the composer, but was uncovered in 1949 to the delight of classical music aficionados. 

You’re probably more familiar with his three-part “Gymnopédies,” in particular the first part of the piano trilogy: “Lent et douloureux.” Musical artists have paid tribute to it — from Blood, Sweat, and Tears to Gary Numan — and it’s often used in movies and television to add an air of sophistication and whimsy (like Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums to Scott Frank’s Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit). Satie is known as the pioneer of "furniture" music, or what is known as ambient music today. It’s the type of quiet, unexciting tuneage you play while you’re closing up the café for the day, or the lo-fi playlist you put on while you study or read. Satie’s combination of minimalism with a repetitive structure was a brand-new music style: pleasant background music. 

"Vexations", however, with its minimalist nature and repeating musical theme, gives the listener a sense of unease. While there are many theories as to what inspired Satie to write the song—some claiming it was written to distract and comfort himself after an unsuccessful love affair, others believing it was his version of playing “Call Me Maybe” at all hours of the day to piss off his neighbours—the piece with its slow, hanging chords and minor keys, can evoke a feeling of frustration or restlessness in the listener. The leitmotif (or signature tune) of the song is repeated 840 times in succession, which can take up to 22 hours to finish, depending on the speed at which the performer plays. 

Little Chamber Music has decided to complete it in 14 hours. 

“We chose ‘Vexations’ as it seemed like a great reflection back on the 16 months we will have all come through together,” Little Chamber Music said in a press release for the show. “The same theme repeated over and over by an isolated performer seemed incredibly apropos, and the title itself suggests the vexing time we have all endured during COVID.” 

The event will have solo performers sharing the stage, taking turns to perform their own interpretation of the piece. Performers include Vancouver pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, co-artistic director of Blue Ridge Chamber Music Alejandro Ochoa, and opera and classical music maven Tina Chang — just to name a few.  

"A Vexing Time" has been put together to celebrate the end of streamed concerts, zoom parties, and connection through our screens, which means you won’t be able to find these performances online or over live stream, The intention was to create a space to enjoy the fleeting nature of music and to create thoughtful connection for a group. 

“The longest day of the year was the perfect date for this performance,” Little Chamber Music stated: “…which not only looks back but optimistically shows the road forward as we emerge from our isolations and begin to experience together again.”