Willem Tanke as an improviser and a performing composer:
Willem Tanke as an interpreter of the classical repertoire:
27/11/2017
25/11/2017
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Willem Tanke combines the organ with tabla, assimilating bird songs by Messiaen in his improvisations: Organ and tabla
He gives a 21st dimension to playing the pedals: Grand solo for the pedals
Using his expertise as a Messiaen interpreter, Tanke stretches the boundaries of avant-jazz: The Waiting Traveller
His composition Stillness suits playing with musicians from world music traditions: Stillness
He plays the Yamaha SY99 synthesizer in a new context: The Great Voyage
24/11/2017
The Enchanted Forest text
In The Enchanted Forest, a project by organist
Willem Tanke and flautist Martijn Alsters,
associative relations between sounds, images
and words replace a logical storyline. They
leave impressions which may be different
for everyone in the audience, but have a
similar basic pattern or "blueprint" in the
subconscious mind. Consequently,
The Enchanted Forest has an archetypal quality
that surpasses differences in cultural
background, race and religion. The listener
may experience a feeling of being in an alternative,
timeless world.
The Enchanted Forest has a strong message,
namely that creativity, spiritual force and
imagination can transform negative energy
into positive energy. In Madonna of the Sky,
a key movement of the project, this is represented
with the help of a passage from Ramon
María del Valle-Inclán's novel Flower of Holiness,
in which the shepherdess Adega envisions a miracle.
The music contains a rich variety of moods such as
stillness, exaltation, longing and affectionate emotion.
Forces of nature, such as may be found in a storm, are
also depicted. It is essential to recognize a mood of
childlike, naive joy of playing; a quality which is hard
to find in contemporary classical music. In this respect,
Martijn Alsters and Willem Tanke feel inspired by
18th century music, in which an uncomplicated joy
of playing was an obvious means of expression.
They relate to the 18th century in other respects
as well and present their music with depth, transparency
and accessibility.
The Enchanted Forest may be performed in small, medium
or large sized churches or concert halls, for example at a
festival or as part of an organ recital series. The duration
is approximately 58 minutes.
Voor muziekvoorbeelden zie: YouTube play list: The Enchanted Forest
In Het Betoverde Woud, een project van organist Willem Tanke
en fluitist Martijn Alsters, nemen associatieve verbindingen
tussen geluiden, beelden en woorden de plaats in van een
logische verhaallijn. Zij laten indrukken na die voor iedereen
in het publiek verschillend kunnen zijn, maar een vergelijkbaar
basispatroon of "blauwdruk" hebben in het onderbewustzijn.
Hierdoor ontstaat een grote herkenbaarheid, onafhankelijk van
culturele achtergrond, opleiding, ras en religie. De luisteraar
kan een gevoel ondergaan zich in een andere, tijdloze wereld
te bevinden.
Het Betoverde Woud heeft een kernachtige boodschap:
creativiteit, spiritualiteit en verbeelding kunnen negatieve energie
omzetten in positive energie. In het centrale deel Madonna of
the sky wordt dit duidelijk gemaakt aan de hand van een passage
uit de roman Bloem van Heiligheid van Ramon María del Valle-Inclán,
waarin het herderinnetje Adega een wonder ondergaat.
De muziek is rijk geschakeerd aan stemmingen, zoals verstilling,
vervoering, verlangen en ontroering. Ook worden natuurkrachten
uitgebeeld, zoals een storm. Essentieel is de stemming van
kinderlijke, naieve speelvreugde, een kwaliteit die in hedendaagse
klassieke muziek vrijwel niet aan te treffen is. Martijn Alsters en
Willem Tanke voelen zich hierbij geïnspireerd door 18e eeuwse
muziek, waarin ongecompliceerde speelvreugde een
vanzelfsprekende wijze van expressie was. Ook in andere opzichten
sluiten zij bij de 18e eeuw aan en presenteren zij hun muziek met
diepgang, transparantie en toegankelijkheid.
Het Betoverde Woud is geschikt voor kleine, middelgrote of grote
kerken of concertzalen, bijvoorbeeld in het kader van een festival
of een serie orgelconcerten. De tijdsduur is ongeveer 58 minuten.
Het dagblad “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" in een recensie over
de CD Imaginary Day: “Willem Tankes Musik ist Lichtjahre von jener
Behäbigkeit entfernt, die Unkundige mit dem Instrument Orgel in
Verbindung zu bringen pflegen.“ (“Willem Tankes muziek is lichtjaren
verwijderd van de zwaarwichtigheid, die leken met het instrument orgel
in verbinding plegen te brengen”)
In The Enchanted Forest, a project by organist
Willem Tanke and flautist Martijn Alsters,
associative relations between sounds, images
and words replace a logical storyline. They
leave impressions which may be different
for everyone in the audience, but have a
similar basic pattern or "blueprint" in the
subconscious mind. Consequently,
The Enchanted Forest has an archetypal quality
that surpasses differences in cultural
background, race and religion. The listener
may experience a feeling of being in an alternative,
timeless world.
The Enchanted Forest has a strong message,
namely that creativity, spiritual force and
imagination can transform negative energy
into positive energy. In Madonna of the Sky,
a key movement of the project, this is represented
with the help of a passage from Ramon
María del Valle-Inclán's novel Flower of Holiness,
in which the shepherdess Adega envisions a miracle.
The music contains a rich variety of moods such as
stillness, exaltation, longing and affectionate emotion.
Forces of nature, such as may be found in a storm, are
also depicted. It is essential to recognize a mood of
childlike, naive joy of playing; a quality which is hard
to find in contemporary classical music. In this respect,
Martijn Alsters and Willem Tanke feel inspired by
18th century music, in which an uncomplicated joy
of playing was an obvious means of expression.
They relate to the 18th century in other respects
as well and present their music with depth, transparency
and accessibility.
The Enchanted Forest may be performed in small, medium
or large sized churches or concert halls, for example at a
festival or as part of an organ recital series. The duration
is approximately 58 minutes.
Voor muziekvoorbeelden zie: YouTube play list: The Enchanted Forest
In Het Betoverde Woud, een project van organist Willem Tanke
en fluitist Martijn Alsters, nemen associatieve verbindingen
tussen geluiden, beelden en woorden de plaats in van een
logische verhaallijn. Zij laten indrukken na die voor iedereen
in het publiek verschillend kunnen zijn, maar een vergelijkbaar
basispatroon of "blauwdruk" hebben in het onderbewustzijn.
Hierdoor ontstaat een grote herkenbaarheid, onafhankelijk van
culturele achtergrond, opleiding, ras en religie. De luisteraar
kan een gevoel ondergaan zich in een andere, tijdloze wereld
te bevinden.
Het Betoverde Woud heeft een kernachtige boodschap:
creativiteit, spiritualiteit en verbeelding kunnen negatieve energie
omzetten in positive energie. In het centrale deel Madonna of
the sky wordt dit duidelijk gemaakt aan de hand van een passage
uit de roman Bloem van Heiligheid van Ramon María del Valle-Inclán,
waarin het herderinnetje Adega een wonder ondergaat.
De muziek is rijk geschakeerd aan stemmingen, zoals verstilling,
vervoering, verlangen en ontroering. Ook worden natuurkrachten
uitgebeeld, zoals een storm. Essentieel is de stemming van
kinderlijke, naieve speelvreugde, een kwaliteit die in hedendaagse
klassieke muziek vrijwel niet aan te treffen is. Martijn Alsters en
Willem Tanke voelen zich hierbij geïnspireerd door 18e eeuwse
muziek, waarin ongecompliceerde speelvreugde een
vanzelfsprekende wijze van expressie was. Ook in andere opzichten
sluiten zij bij de 18e eeuw aan en presenteren zij hun muziek met
diepgang, transparantie en toegankelijkheid.
Het Betoverde Woud is geschikt voor kleine, middelgrote of grote
kerken of concertzalen, bijvoorbeeld in het kader van een festival
of een serie orgelconcerten. De tijdsduur is ongeveer 58 minuten.
Het dagblad “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" in een recensie over
de CD Imaginary Day: “Willem Tankes Musik ist Lichtjahre von jener
Behäbigkeit entfernt, die Unkundige mit dem Instrument Orgel in
Verbindung zu bringen pflegen.“ (“Willem Tankes muziek is lichtjaren
verwijderd van de zwaarwichtigheid, die leken met het instrument orgel
in verbinding plegen te brengen”)
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13/11/2017
Programme The Enchanted Forest with flautist Martijn Alsters
There are more options, but basically the programme will be:
1. Invocation
2. Rotations
3. Wild energy
4. Thin air
5. Birds, Drums and Signals
6. Stillness
7. Listening to the fairies
8. In memoriam Claire Delbos
9. Terra ferma
10. Madonna of the sky
11. Visions
12. My friend the Indian
1. Invocation
2. Rotations
3. Wild energy
4. Thin air
5. Birds, Drums and Signals
6. Stillness
7. Listening to the fairies
8. In memoriam Claire Delbos
9. Terra ferma
10. Madonna of the sky
11. Visions
12. My friend the Indian
06/11/2017
Update programme notes The Enchanted Desert
The Enchanted Desert, for organ, flute and percussion and including dance and performance, was premiered on June 30th, 2016 to celebrate the Schnitger Dream Prize awarded to Willem Tanke in 2015.
The Enchanted Desert has a strong message, namely that creativity, spiritual force and imagination can transform negative energy into positive energy. This is represented by the metaphor of a barren desert turning into a flowering desert. Associative relations between sounds, images and titles of pieces replace a logical storyline. They leave impressions which may be different for everyone in the audience, but have a similar basic pattern or "blueprint" in the subconscious mind. Consequently, The Enchanted Desert has an archetypal quality that surpasses differences in cultural background, race and religion. The duration is about 60 minutes.
The following video shows fragments of the first performance, with Eliana Stragapede, dance; Martijn Alsters, flute; René van Commenée, performance and percussion; Friso van Wijck, percussion, and Willem Tanke, organ. Rick Kaijser made the choreography.
Photo by Guy Tal
programme notes by the composer
Part One
1. Intro consists of sparse, percussive sounds, produced by a wandering, enigmatic figure.
2. Stillness is originally a composition for organ solo, written in 1996. It expresses the emptiness of a desert; an emptiness that is nevertheless full of concentration. In January 2017, I had a vision that referred to my ancestors who during many centuries were labourers in the fields or peasants with a small piece of ground in Twente, a region in the east of Holland, bordering Germany:
Springtime. At the end of a hard day’s work a farm worker is resting a while before going home. He is leaning against a tree, his face in the late afternoon sun and his thoughts nowhere. Suddenly and for a very short time he sees Eternity. Some years later it happens again and after that never more. But the longing for it encourages him during the rest of his life and strengthens him at the hour of death.
3. Listening to the fairies was written in 2003, also for organ solo. The mood is light, easy-going and cheerful, a quality which is almost impossible to find in contemporary classical music. The improvising flautist strengthens the feeling of joy.
Video Listening to the fairies (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
4. Wild Energy is the last movement of Five Dances for organ, composed in 1997. It depicts forces of nature, such as a may be found in a thunder storm.
Video Wild Energy (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
5. Terra Ferma is a composition for alto flute by Martijn Alsters. The high sound of a bowed cymbal suggests sizzling air on a hot day. The air vibrates above the solid ground, accompanied by strange sounds of the organ that increase the concentration.
Video Terra Ferma (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
Part Two
6.The Loop Man # Ardha Jai Taal originated in 2016."The Loop Man" is a nickname which Mike Garson gave me because of the many rhythmic-melodic patterns which I composed for in particular the left hand. By frequent repetitions these patterns function as a "groove" or a "loop".They are particularly suitable for cross-overs between genres of music. The loop in this piece has 13 beats, following the example of Ardha Jai Taal, a rhythmic pattern from Indian music.
Video The Loop Man (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
7. Exaltation is like Wild Energy originally a movement from Five Dances for organ. The neo-Celtic melody came to me after watching a performance by Riverdance, an Irish dance group that was famous in the '90s.
Video Exaltation (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen,2016)
8. Howling Sands is a title which spontaneously rose up when I made this piece in May 2016, after visiting the Der Aa-church in Groningen. When I entered it as a search term on Internet, I saw to my surprise that howling sands really exist. It is a natural sound phenomenon of up to 105 dBs, lasting as long as several minutes, that occurs in about thirty-five desert locations around the world, for instance the Mojave Desert in California.
Video Howling Sands (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
9. Birds, drums and signals is the second movement of Three Light Pieces. Similar to Listening to the fairies a mood of naive, childlike joy can be recognized. The loop or groove (with a 13/8 time signature) is played by the right hand and accompanies an improvisation on the flute and a rather virtuoso part for the organist's left hand.
Video Birds, drums and signals (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
10.Terra Incognita is in line with the title the freest movement of The Enchanted Desert. Its content depends on the circumstances of the location and the moment. In Groningen it resulted in an improvisation by percussionist-composer Friso van Wijck.
Video Terra Incognita (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
Part Three
11. Grooving Angry Elephants originated in May 2016, when the magnificent trumpets of the Schnittger-organ in the Der Aa-church served as a source of inspiration. Before they sound there is a wild passage in octaves, played with a plenum of the positive. The 11/8 groove that follows, with the sound of the main organ reeds and played by the left hand, suggests the swaying back and forth of the elephant's trunk and its trumpeting. The improvising right hand expresses a feeling of rage and powerlessness. The title came to me after watching a video about hunted elephants on YouTube.
Video Grooving Angry Elephants (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
12. Madonna of the sky plays a key role in The Enchanted Desert. It refers to the Assumption of Maria, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, who was born as a Mohawk Indian, the unforgettable image of the Angel in Messiaen's opera Saint-François d'Assise in the Parisian performance in 2004 and symbols of fertility all over the world, like the bee.
Madonna of the sky suits the following passage from Valle-Inclán's novel The Flower of Sanctity very well:
(fragmento de la novela Flor de Santidad de Ramon María del Valle-Inclán)
"When Adega went up to the mountain with her sheep, she would lay herself down in the shadow of large boulders and spend many hours there, her eyes fastened upon the clouds and her young soul in ecstasy. Full of naive faith she hoped that the immense blue would tear apart, letting her see the Glory. Unaware of time, and lost in the haze of this dream she felt the burning breath of the miracle pass her face. And the miracle happened!…One summer nightfall Adega arrived out of breath at the tavern, her face transfigured."
(fragment of the novel Flower of Sanctity by Ramon María del Valle-Inclán, translated by Peter Clark)
"When Adega went up to the mountain with her sheep, she would lay herself down in the shadow of large boulders and spend many hours there, her eyes fastened upon the clouds and her young soul in ecstasy. Full of naive faith she hoped that the immense blue would tear apart, letting her see the Glory. Unaware of time, and lost in the haze of this dream she felt the burning breath of the miracle pass her face. And the miracle happened!…One summer nightfall Adega arrived out of breath at the tavern, her face transfigured."
(fragment of the novel Flower of Sanctity by Ramon María del Valle-Inclán, translated by Peter Clark)
13. Mirage - Intensity - Vision brings the third and final climax, that surpasses the two before. The first part is based on an improvisation which I played to express a storm in Henk van Ulsen's performance Job in the '90s. It also appeared with the title Breakwave on my CD Imaginary Day. The second part originates in an improvisation from the mid '80s, when I was still studying with Jan Welmers at the conservatoire in Utrecht.
Video Mirage -Intensity - Vision (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
14. My friend the Indian was originally written for a Yamaha SY99-synthesizer in 1996 and is dedicated to Rien Roggeveen and —in 2017— Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The piece evokes an image of a desert that flourishes after heavy rainfall. An indian is sitting on the ground, looking quietly around him.
Video Mirage -Intensity - Vision (version Der Aa-kerk, Groningen, 2016)
14. My friend the Indian was originally written for a Yamaha SY99-synthesizer in 1996 and is dedicated to Rien Roggeveen and —in 2017— Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The piece evokes an image of a desert that flourishes after heavy rainfall. An indian is sitting on the ground, looking quietly around him.
Photo by Guy Tal
05/11/2017
The Cave of Forgotten Sounds with Indian musicians and Bennie Maupin
As it is rather doubtful if the following will succeed I removed it from my website.
I am actually working on an ensemble version of my organ solo project Olivier Messiaen and the Cave of Forgotten Sounds, with some of the most prominent Indian musicians and Bennie Maupin. This implies mastering the technique of playing an Indian rhythmic cycle with the left hand while improvising with the right and vice versa. In the improvisations I assimilate and transform numerous atonal bird songs by Olivier Messiaen which I have been internalizing since the early '80s (Messiaen was one of the greatest composers of 20th century Western classical music and used to imitate bird song in his compositions). Combined with numerous formulae from the church modes they leave an impression of modality as seen from the perspective of the 21st century, which is what I have been aiming at in the past few decades.
The project is inspired by Werner Herzog's documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams, about the prehistoric Chauvet cave in the Ardèche in the South of France, discovered in 1994. Besides prehistoric paintings on the walls an approximately 30.000 year old flute was shown, made of the bone of a vulture and tuned according to the pentatonic system which characterises modality throughout the ages and everywhere in the world. After watching the documentary I imagined a prehistoric flutist and Olivier Messiaen imitating a bird together, the flutist on his instrument and Messiaen while writing on music sheets. When the bird flies away, the flutist and Messiaen stop their work and look at each other with a smile of satisfaction and happiness. This image stimulated me to start the project and create new music that surpasses differences of cultural background, race and religion.
The first movement establishes a spiritual atmosphere which suits the encounter of music from the East and and the West. Invocation, the beginning of the organ solo version of the project, will serve as a starting-point for a dialogue between raga Bhimpalasi, the notion of alap, Bennie Maupin's solo and my own modal style, derived from Gregorian chant with which I was raised. The organ solo version is:
Video: Invocation, version St. Stephen's Church, Nijmegen 2017
This will be followed by movements based on Indian rhythmic cycles, similar to the following:
N.B. The project is closely related to my research Dancing Bach on the Organ. For many Western classical musicians, Bach interpretation is a process of lifelong learning that is at the very heart of their musicianship. My particular concern is to transfer the lightness and souplesse of performing with tabla masters to the interpretation of organ works by Bach. With the involvement of Messiaen's bird songs the result is what I experience as a perfect symbiosis between Bach, Messiaen and playing with Indian musicians and Bennie Maupin.
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Looking forward
I removed the following from my website, had enough of all that looking back and reflecting. From now on just looking forward.
Tanke's musicianship can be understood knowing that as a teenager a favourite album of his was, besides Bach, Messiaen and Webern, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. In addition he was overwhelmed by John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and intrigued by Frank Zappa's albums, Stockhausen's Aus den sieben Tagen, a recital with Indian classical music in his hometown Hengelo and pianist Cecil Taylor.
For some decades Willem Tanke was puzzled by his musical identity, because he could not relate the nature of his own improvisations and compositions to being a Western classical organist and theorist. Only in the past few years he managed to overcome conventions of music life and integrate seemingly contradictory sides of his musicianship, knowing that they are essentially related and feeling that they make each other stronger.
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