Bach: An Arrow Splits the Forest

On November 16th 2020, I finished the Forest project. Finally, I was out of the woods. After almost six months of immersion not only in the cathedral forest but in complex, sometimes sorrowful, works by Grieg and Schumann, I had a strong desire to play Bach - something solid and grounded, jubilant and triumphant, that would match the escape from the forest. The Prelude and Fugue in D Major (48 Preludes and Fugues, Book 2) portrayed in both sound and visually (the score) this upward and outward surge.

I imagined an arrow rising like a rocket through the forest, parting and pushing the trees to the side. I imagined a spray of fireworks chasing away the green. Then, reflecting on Bach’s daily walk to the Thomasschule and Thomaskirche in Leipzig, I thought of the towering white pillars in the church that draw the eyes up to the magnificent ceiling with its sprays of red arches and gold and green rosettes. So as it turned out, despite all thoughts to the contrary, my exit from the Forest matched the first painting in the series – the ‘Eintritt’ (Entrance) painting. Arches dominate from beginning to end.