Botanica

Enter the Garden…

Botanica is a modern fantasia - a magical, immersive experience of chamber music and nature. It is a visual album and a live concert, a journey through a sound-world of lush strings and flute, set in a verdant mise en scène.

The Program

Videos

The Story

The first act of Botanica takes us through a full day in nature, much like a musical time-lapse. It opens at night, cautiously tiptoeing into the mysterious, lush Nocturne by Mel Bonis. We are then gently and whimsically serenaded into morning by Schumann’s Vogel als Prophet, and later savor an afternoon of shimmering water games with Ravel’s Jeux d’eau. The second act is a dark contrast to the innocence of the first. Comprising Strauss’ profound Metamorphosen, it serves as a metaphor for humanity’s abuse of nature. It is a grieving for what we have already lost and a reminder of what we still stand to lose. Finally, the program’s epilogue is the last movement of Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, The Fairy Garden. Its whispering opening which gradually ascends to a glorious, uplifting climax is a message of power and hope for the future.

The Concert Experience

Botanica is designed to be an immersive and flexible experience. The concerts can take place in traditional concert halls and unorthodox spaces alike, given that they can accommodate a set, or already provide the right atmosphere (such as a botanical garden). The vision’s critical requirement is that the audience members feel they are entering a different world, and that they experience a feeling awe, whimsy, magic, and surprise. Given that most concerts take place on a bare stage by performers in black suits, it’s very important to us that the audience feel invited, involved, and transported. We provide them with small pieces of set (such as flowers or electric candles) to carry with them into the space to give them a way to contribute to the experience that everyone - performers and audience members both - is having. We encourage (but don’t require) unusual seating arrangements, allowing for audience members to sit within the set, around the performers, and even move to a different seat with their set piece, thus giving the scene life and movement.