Composer Yunfei Li (b. 1992) grew up in China, where she studied electronic music production at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Graduate work brought her to the United States, where she studied at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC), where her DMA is still in progress. She has written primarily for instruments and electronic media, and her music has been performed by groups in China and the United States. Her electronic music has won awards, and has led to commissions for acoustic music from several organizations, including the consortium that led to Five Elements in 2021.

Five Elements was commissioned by a group of 42 institutions, led by Steven D. Davis and Anya Pogorelova at UMKC. She gives a program note in her score:

Dating back to over 5,000 years ago, the I Ching tells readers the stories of nature’s patterns through time. If we take a moment to observe the connections between Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood, we can begin to understand the importance of those Five Elements. Within the Five Elements theory, one thing is clear: these five fundamental materials shape the universal framework of our world. Even more importantly, the Five Elements are in a constant state of motion and counterbalance. Earth captures Water, which extinguishes Fire; Fire moulds and manipulates Metal, which cuts through Wood. Naturally, Wood plants roots in Earth, and the cycle continues. These cycles can take many shapes: Wood can feed Fire, while Fire prepares the Earth. Earth cultivates Metal, and Metal holds Water which nourishes Wood. At times, when one or more elements grows stronger than the other, the cycle is tripped and the balance is lost. What does one do to regain it?

On the face of this Earth, climate change and pollution has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as wildfires and floods. As someone who is both concerned about climate change, and well versed in the Five Elements theory, I can feel the tension and instability between humans and nature. This deeply inspired me as a composer: by way of pitch sets, pentatonic scales, the circle of fifths, and juxtaposed rhythms, Five Elements tells the story of humanity’s continuous balancing act.

Five Elements was premiered at UMKC on October 21, 2021. No recording has been released publicly yet – stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, see more about the piece at the Wind Repertory Project and UMKC. You can also read more about the composer at her website, Soundcloud, the Wind Repertory Project, the Johnson County Library, and UMKC.

Need your video fix? Here is a brief explanation of the Five Elements in Chinese culture: