Early scientists across many civilizations believed that all things in the physical world could be connected to one of the four classical elements: earth, water, wind and fire. Eastern Asian cultures transformed this idea into a belief in the transmission of energy between elements, including wood and metal.

This concert explores the classical elements in classical music, from Igor Stravinsky’s fire to Leonard Bernstein’s water, the wood and metal used in Jennifer Higdon’s virtuosic Percussion Concerto, and Darius Milhaud’s depiction of the genesis of the earth itself.

Hear the National Festival Orchestra behind the scenes as they rehearse for this week’s concert with conductor Asher Fisch.