The juxtaposition between East and West in the master works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Shirish Korde opens the listener's ears to a profound aural world, enabling fresh insight of the old and the new. It is a journey which reveals glimpses of the deep shared source of human creativity.
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..."This state of harmony is both complex and holistic, involving as it does the integration of the body, the emotions, and the mind. If we have to translate it, wu-wei is probably best rendered as something like “effortless action” or “spontaneous action.” Being in wu-wei is relaxing and enjoyable, but in a deeply rewarding way that distinguishes it from cruder or more mundane pleasures."...
"For early Chinese thinkers ... the culmination of knowledge is understood, not in terms of grasping a set of abstract principles, but rather as entering a state of wu-wei. The goal is to acquire the ability to move through the physical and social world in a manner that is completely spontaneous and yet fully in harmony with the proper order of the natural and human worlds (the Dao or “Way”)"... Edward Slingerland, author of "Trying not to Try, Ancient China, Modern Science, and the Power of Spontaneity" |
The experience of listening and playing both Korde and Bach touches on the profound and enigmatic Taoist concept of Wu-Wei, which can be translated as “not doing" or "effortless action". It presents an opportunity to aim for a state which is fresh, innocent and "effortless", almost improvised, even though both composers painstakingly notated their music - An invitation for both performer and audience to merge in a shared experience rather then analytically remaining at the periphery in our customary dualistic Western outlook.
This fascinating Eastern concept of wu-wei is the inspiration of this project. This is not a claim that we can reach this lofty ideal, which by definition cannot be "willed" into existence, but an inspiration and invitation for the performer and listener to explore and surrender together to the here and now.
This fascinating Eastern concept of wu-wei is the inspiration of this project. This is not a claim that we can reach this lofty ideal, which by definition cannot be "willed" into existence, but an inspiration and invitation for the performer and listener to explore and surrender together to the here and now.