Audible and Visual DIGITAL Performance notes

ELEMENTS (2026), for Orchestra

Duration: 30’

Special sounds and techniques for ELEMENTS:

• Creaking sounds: [Mm] and [Mm-ah] (m. 86-105) - relevant for Fl. 1.2, Ob. 1.2, Cl. 1, Bsn. 1.2 and all Brass
  Pronunciation:
  [Mm] as a universal sound created with a gently closed mouth
  [ah] as in US English “arrive”

• Creaking sounds: [Ho-årh-oh] (m. 112-117) - relevant for Fl. 1.2, Ob. 1.2, Cl. 1.2, Bsn. 1 and all Brass
  Pronunciation:
  [Ho] as in Danish “hoved”
  [årh] as in Danish “orker” or in US English “opportunity”
  [oh] as in Danish “Ole”

• Creaking sounds: [Mm-ah-årh-mm] (m. 121-126) - relevant for Fl. 1.2, Ob. 1.2, Cl. 1.2, Bsn. 1 and all Brass
  Pronunciation:
  [Mm] as a universal sound created with a gently closed mouth
  [ah] as in US English “arrive”
  [årh] as in Danish “orker” or in US English “opportunity”
  [mm] as a universal sound created with a gently closed

• Exhale created by the mouth (not the instrument) on [Ho] (m. 433-448 and m. 460-462)
  - relevant for Cl. 1.2, Bsn. 1.2, Timp., Perc. and all Strings
  Pronunciation of [Ho] as in the Danish “hoved” (on an exhale)

• Exhale created by the mouth on [Ha] (m. 538-541) - relevant for Tutti
  Pronunciation of [Ha] as in British English “harvest” or “harp” (on an exhale)

• The difference between brown noise and white noise

If interested you can listen to the sound file from the music program Sibelius, with or without click:

ABOUT THE PIECE

The piece ELEMENTS is inspired by:

• The four classical elements; Earth, Fire, Water and Air and (later) Aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Angola, Tibet, India and Mali had similar lists which sometimes referred, in local languages, to Air as "wind", and to Aether as "space"[1].
  Through the music I have worked with atmospheres and substances (sounds, movements, tempi, volume and density) inspired by each classical element, that in my imagination sonically represents Earth, Fire, Water and Air. Aether is explored in the sections Transition 1-3, a kind of 5th element connecting the four classical elements. In my interpretation I imagine this connecting 5th element as space, presence, love and energy.

• The periodic table of the elements and how the universe is an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements into rows ("periods") and columns ("groups"). An icon of chemistry, the periodic table is widely used in physics and other sciences. It is a depiction of the periodic law, which states that when the elements are arranged in order of their atomic numbers an approximate recurrence of their properties is evident. The table is divided into four roughly rectangular areas called blocks. Elements in the same group tend to show similar chemical characteristics.
  Each chemical element has a unique atomic number (Z— for "Zahl", German for "number") representing the number of protons in its nucleus. Each distinct atomic number therefore corresponds to a class of atom: these classes are called the chemical elements. The chemical elements are what the periodic table classifies and organizes. Hydrogen is the element with atomic number 1; helium, atomic number 2; lithium, atomic number 3; and so on. Each of these names can be further abbreviated by a one- or two-letter chemical symbol; those for hydrogen, helium, and lithium are respectively H, He, and Li. Neutrons do not affect the atom's chemical identity but do affect its weight.
  Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes of the same chemical element. Naturally occurring elements usually occur as mixes of different isotopes; since each isotope usually occurs with a characteristic abundance, naturally occurring elements have well-defined atomic weights, defined as the average mass of a naturally occurring atom of that element. All elements have multiple isotopes, variants with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. For example, carbon has three naturally occurring isotopes: all of its atoms have six protons and most have six neutrons as well, but about one per cent have seven neutrons, and a very small fraction have eight neutrons. Isotopes are never separated in the periodic table; they are always grouped together under a single element. When atomic mass is shown, it is usually the weighted average of naturally occurring isotopes; but if no isotopes occur naturally in significant quantities, the mass of the most stable isotope usually appears, often in parentheses. It is relatively easy to predict the chemical properties of an element if one knows the properties of the elements around it[2].
  I imagine certain parts of the piece as these chemical elements in relation to the classical elements; Oxygen that adds to the growth of the fire (m. 212, Cb.) as a pulsating rhythm.

• Last, I imagine the orchestra almost as a well-organized periodic table of elements; consisting of individual unique elements/musicians/instruments, grouped logically according to instrument groups, materials, sound qualities and carrying effect, as well as tradition and sound distribution in the concert hall. As a gesture to the beauty and complexity of the sound of the orchestra, the first section of the piece; INITIATION, is a 4 min. gradual entrance of each of the instruments in the orchestra – one by one. So, the listener will be able to experience the sound and overtones of the orchestra grow, step by step, from 1 solo Contrabass to tutti, subtle, but clearly over time, when the musicians of the orchestra gradually enter the music.
  The last section of the piece; CLOSURE is a gradual fade out of each instrument – almost the beginning INITIATION in reverse. The audience will here experience a thinning out of the sound and overtones, when the musicians of the orchestra exit one by one. This will also emphasize the value and importance that each member of the orchestra adds to the overall complete sound and resonance of symphonic music and sound. 

The 9 sections of the piece are:

• INITIATION

• EARTH

• 1st transition

• FIRE

• 2nd transition

• WATER

• 3rd transition

• AIR

• CLOSURE.

The piece is played attacca.

My vision for the piece is sections, or almost sonic blocks, of colors, atmospheres or imaginative elements. As first the realization of each element / musician of the orchestra, and later, a feeling or experience of being immersed into the Earth, surrounded by a growing Fire, floating in Water or gazing at the sky, watching the clouds wander by, the wind moving them and the Air we respire.

In the future my hope is that ELEMENTS will be performed along with a specially designed visual scenography by Vertigo. We have been in dialogue ongoing about this piece, and they are very keen on this collaboration as well.
The piece ELEMENTS has been thought through and composed so that it can be performed both with and without visual scenography.

 
Best regards, Lil Lacy
March, Copenhagen, Denmark 2026

[1] Reference and more info about the classical elements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element

[2] Reference and more info about the periodic table of the elements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table

ELEMENTS (2026), 30’
for Orchestra

Composed by Lil Lacy
Commissioned by The Danish Philharmonic Orchestra
Dedicated to all the musicians and elements in The Danish Philharmonic Orchestra / Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester
World premiere by The Danish Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor Christian Øland
June 11, 2026 in Alsion, Sønderborg, Denmark
Published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen 

Further Questions

For any further questions or comments about the sounds or playing techniques,
please do not hesitate to contact the composer: lillacymusic@gmail.com
Thank you!