The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune Review have each previewed The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's presentation of The Elements, a collective composition by five Pittsburgh composers including Pitt faculty members Mathew Rosenblum and Amy Williams and graduate student Bomi Jang. PSO Music Director Manfred Honeck explained his thoughts about The Elements to Mark Kanny, classical music critic at the Trib.

“My wish was to put together something like a symphony which is connected with Pittsburgh, our history and nature, and also to bring some elements into the music which concerns us globally and not only in Pittsburgh,” Honeck says. “I think they did a marvelous job.”

Post-Gazette critic Elizabeth Bloom spoke at length with Mathew Rosenblum and Reza Vali about the work. According to Rosenblum, the composition of the work provided each of the composers with a high degree of independence.

"It's not like we've shared motives or anything like that," Mr. Rosenblum said. "I think it has a really good chance of working out well, and making sense musically, based on what I know of the composers."

The program also includes Holst's The Planets with NASA video footage of the solar system. Read the full articles in the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review for more information.