Gymnopedie no. 1

Then, Satie’s music ushers us into a dream. Gymnopédies is one of his most well-known works. Ethereal and delicate, Satie’s Gymnopédies were originally written as slow waltzes for solo piano. The pieces were later arranged for orchestra
by Debussy. The melody moves from the flute to the oboe while the strings play softly, enhancing the piece’s dreamlike quality.

Two people appear to Orlando in a dream: Princess Sasha and the Archduke, representing the feminine and the masculine,
respectively. They both question how Orlando fits into each gender role, not recognizing them as one of their own. They’re both right and wrong. Orlando, in the centuries that follow, is sometimes a man, sometimes< a woman, trading skirts for pants according to their will, sometimes in the same day.