Programme Note
Composer Note:
Rather than simply write a brief overture of orchestral fanfare, I decided after some reflection to write a piece that would stand as the first in a series of pieces on the five great elements. These are the four traditional elements—earth, water, fire, air—plus the fifth element, which is space. It’s a short movement, less than five minutes long, and one could term it “fiery” in the “burning” sense of the word. We’re all composed of the elements ourselves, and our communicative aspect is based on heat and passion, which are related to the element of fire. The opening and closing sections of the piece reflect the more wrathful character of fire but another of the element’s qualities, intimacy or warmth, also appears in the middle section.
—Peter Lieberson