The Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) are universal.

The Five Elements find root in our ancestor’s imagination. Music, on the other hand, is a projection of the current state of the universe. This experimental concert reveals the character of the Five Elements through music. 

“Digital” is a modern technology that changes and impacts modern music. To reflect this, the concert not only includes Classical, Romantic, Baroque, but also modern music, such as Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata and Pierre Boulez’s 12 Notations, portraying how the earth nurtures and how metal malleates respectively. Wood is nature, while water and fire are fuels. In the one-hour concert, the audience are invited to observe the changes in the Five Elements and the flow of music through 10 carefully selected pieces.

Programme

Earth
Scarlatti Sonata in B minor, K.87 | Sonata in E major, K. 135

Bach Prelude and Fugue in E major, BWV 878

Metal
Boulez 12 Notations

Water
Ryuichi Sakamoto Aqua

Debussy Reflets dans l'eau (Reflections in the Water)

Wood
Teng Yu-hsien, arr. by Stephen Hough Bāng Chhun-hong (Pining for the Spring Breeze)

He Zhanhao, Chen Gang The Butterfly Lovers

Fire
Scriabin Vers la Flamme (Toward the flame), Op. 72
Liszt Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S.171