Description

The four elements of nature have ancient origins and are already reflected in the pantheistic, pagan and pre-Christian religions. The ancients saw in nature the exact harmony of the four elements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire and were amazed by the many manifestations of these in everyday life. They were a suitable environment for life that allowed the development of that rich and varied world in which we live. A pantheistic vision was the natural consequence of the terrible daily experiences. The original pagan concept of the “Four Elements” penetrated almost all ancient cultures, from Greek to Roman, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese and Japanese, which chose to refer to nature always through the same four elements. 

The four natural elements are understood as states of aggregation of matter: fire, burning state; air, gaseous state; water, liquid state; earth, solid state. They have the characteristic of being in agreement or in opposition to each other. Philistion, an ancient Greek physician, suggested that each element be attributed a quality: fire is attributed to heat, air to cold, water to wetness and earth to dryness, so that the water is opposite to fire but similar to earth and wet opposite todryness but similar to coldness. The interaction of these elements, composed of particles mixed in varying proportions, gives rise to all the phenomena of the cosmos: birth, death, transformation. The forces that allow the interaction of the elements are two: love, attractive force, and discord(hate), repulsive force.

According to Empedocles, the four natural elements, that is the four roots (rhizai) that form all things, are governed by the tension between love and discord, which dominate at alternate times. When love dominates, all the elements are fused together in a homogeneous and conflict-free sphere, the Sphere. 

Originally, in the Sphere, a separation of the elements begins by the action of discord, which leads to the destruction of matter, to Chaos. At this point, the cycle of the two cosmic forces, love and discord, continues thanks to a new intervention of love, which brings back balance and life to matter, and then comes to impose itself on discord and return to the initial condition of Sphere. From here the cycle begins again. Andrea Piccioni

Press

“Ces quatre orfèvres nous cisèlent des musiques mystérieuses qui créent des paysages sonores envoûtantes.” Le Soir (BE)

“As in the basic idea of ​​the four elements, which runs through the most diverse cultures, the musicians bring their own and often contrary influences with them, but always responding to and influencing each other. Whether percussive influences of the Sufi traditions, the virtuosity and poetry in Israeli singing, the sound of American shaman rituals and borrowings from Italian folk and jazz, the “Masters of Frame Drums” fascinate and surprise at the same time.” JPC – Leidenschaft für Musik (DE)

“A richly colored set of dazzling masterpieces.” Muziek Mozaïek Folk & Jazz (BE).

“These musicians draw their inspiration from the music and rhythms of the Hebrew world, Central Asia, Turkey… with very brief jazzy touches.” Jazz Around (BE).

“These masters of hand percussion not only demonstrate their technique, but together they have made a varied and warm CD.” Folkcorner Den Appel (BE). 

“The four masters are audacious and pull out all the stops. Not in order to outdo each other, but to support each other musically. The respect for each other’s different ways of playing on the wide range of percussion can be heard clearly.” Festivalinfo (NL)

“Four masters of frame drums show their sophisticated techniques inspired by their culture background and the four elements. Very educational.” Keys & Chords (IT)

“Quatre grands maîtres de la discipline. À écouter avec respect et passion.” Music in Belgium (BE)