Some Thoughts on Playing the Organ by Willem Tanke: Bach and Indian rhythms during holidays in the Provence

20/05/2014

Bach and Indian rhythms during holidays in the Provence

Lightweight MIDI-keyboards provide excellent opportunities for practising during holidays. Playing without sound is -besides a healthy exercise in solfege which I recommend to every student- better than playing with bad sound and can be almost as great a joy as playing with good sound. Amazing that on this 49-keys instrument the manual part of every organ work by Bach can be practised! Questions to the informed reader: which piece by Bach do I play and which Indian rhythmic cycle sounds through the iPad?

About

As a classical organist I have been a prominent Messiaen and Reger interpreter since the '90s. Nowadays Bach interpretation is my main classical project. This is represented by my research "Dancing Bach on the organ". At the same time, as an improviser and a performing composer, I have been creating a new musical language which brings together musicians with avant-jazz, avant-pop, Western classical and traditional African and Asian backgrounds. I now relate this to my Bach interpretation.