Venue: Musikwoche Hitzacker, Germany. Hosted by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Duration: Approx. 75 minutes
Performers: Three percussionists
Music composed by: Daan Wilms
Percussion with all the senses – combining visual, acoustic, and elemental components
"‘Primitive, ancestral, mythical, ancient, primordial, mysterious, ritualistic.’ — Daan Wilms’ ‘Elements’ cycle reveals the transformative power of percussion and sound objects."
"Lithophones, bowed stone tiles, bubbling water, and thermos bottles—Wilms’ compositions turn the mundane into the magical."
"Wilms, Piechotta, and Lachenmayr crafted stories of fire, earth, water, and air—with a sensual, almost ASMR-like delicacy."
EJZ-Zeitung, 03.2025 / Sarah Goertz
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Step into a sonic world where rhythm meets nature. In this unique concert experience, percussionist and composer Daan Wilms explores the elemental forces of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—not through traditional instruments alone, but through sounds drawn from the physical world itself.
At the heart of the program lies "Elements", a four-movement chamber work for three percussionists, each inspired by one of the classical elements. The music evokes shifting tectonic plates, the resonance of whales in the deep sea, flickering flames, and even the breath of air—blurring the line between sound and movement. Each movement is not only musically distinct but conceptually immersive, drawing listeners into a full-body experience of listening.
Alongside Elements, the program features four standalone works—Echo, Flow, Catatumbo, and Breath—each composed around the physical properties of the elements themselves. Stones, porcelain bowls filled with water, choreography, and even the silence between breaths become instruments in their own right. These works challenge traditional notions of percussion and reawaken the listener’s perception of everyday sound.