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.
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.
Duration: about 58 minutes
Optional: Jan Dom's Wonder Circle
Wonder Circle is a moving object in the shape of a ´wandering´ giant circle made of spring steel. The visual effect is enchanting and it is almost impossible to imagine that the movement of the circle takes place in time and space. A hallucinating experience thjat surpasses reality and gives The Enchanted Forest an extra dimension: a timeless world of music and movement.
