Some Thoughts on Playing the Organ by Willem Tanke: Listening to the fairies with Martijn Alsters, flute, including the score

09/10/2017

Listening to the fairies with Martijn Alsters, flute, including the score

The organ has been my favourite instrument from when I was a teenager, but I always disliked the ponderosity which is generally (and unfortunately with reason) associated with organ playing.

I also react on ponderosity in contemporary classical music: the fact that naive joy of playing can hardly be found there, as if this is the new taboo. I find that quite unhealthy, if not to say pathetic, and just continue creating uncomplicated, cheerful pieces, finding inspiration in 18th century keyboard music and world music traditions.

"Listening to the fairies" is dedicated to my former organ teacher Rudi van Straten, who inspired me to start my research "Dancing Bach on the Organ" in 2017 and transfer the lightness, clarity and souplesse of my own music to Bach interpretation. It was recorded in the Grote Kerk in Breda on 10.9.2011, when the score was still not final. Therefore one may observe some small differences. Later "Listening to the fairies" became a part of the full evening project "The Enchanted Forest", see https://sites.google.com/site/willemtankeofficialwebsite/home/the-enchanted-forest

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.