On Oct. 24, the Elgin Community College Concert Band presented their fall performance entitled The Elements.

The concert was held in the Blizzard Auditorium and had quite a large turnout for the show. I went with a couple friends, and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the performance. The conductor, James A. Kull, aimed to bring the four elements, Earth, wind, fire and water, to life. He accomplished this in a spectacular fashion.

Earth was deep and quietly triumphant in a way that reminded me of climbing a great height or working towards an impossible goal but beating all odds and achieving the impossible. Wind had a lighter beginning but quickly roared to life as if a small breeze suddenly swept into a tornado.

Fire was chaotic as expected but had an air of confidence about it. It was as if it was really in control but only used its chaotic nature as a facade. I enjoyed how they brought this feeling to life; they would use most of the brass and woodwinds to create the chaotic feeling of fire but had the tuba and deeper brass instruments play a steady tone that contrasted the former.

Finally, there was water. A gentler feeling was invoked with this, emulating perfectly the image of light shimmering on a water’s surface. It was similar to wind but kept it’s calming tone throughout the piece.

There was one section that I really enjoyed wherein they combined two contrasting elements: wind and Earth. The result was a beautiful battle between the two. The band would weave in and out of each element perfectly, and there was even one moment where the band seemingly split in half! Each side playing their respective element.

I’d really like to see a show by the ECC Concert Band again in the future. The conductor did a good job, and the band was fantastic.