Five Seasons (2022)
(Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra)

When I was asked to write a concerto for the wonderful sheng player Wu Wei, I used the opportunity to continue my journey into the fascinating universe of Wu Xing. This ancient Chinese philosophy of five elements or ‘phases’ is still central and vital in most aspects of Chinese life: medicine (acupuncture), home-making (feng shui), martial arts and cooking, just to mention a few.

And yes, in a traditional Chinese year there are five seasons, each corresponding to an element: Spring/Wood, Early Summer/Fire, Late Summer/Earth, Autumn/Metal, Winter/Water. And just as the seasons flow into each other, so the five elements are in constant flux: Either nourishing, as Water feeds a tree (Wood). or destroying, as Water extinguishes Fire.

So this music is constantly on the move, always transforming from one musical character (‘element’) to another. And it all is contained within the sheng, this incredibly versatile ‘mouth organ’, with its rich and proud centuries-old tradition. And still it is capable of transcending into new and unknown musical territories

— Rolf Wallin, 2022