Legendary violinist Joshua Bell and conductor Ryan Bancroft perform a mesmerizing concert that celebrates the elements of earth and points beyond.

Kevin Puts’ Earth, commissioned by Bell, expresses the enduring resilience of soil and the awe-inspiring beauty of our planet.

Water is represented by Claude Debussy’s richly textured marine triptych La Mer, which heaves and rolls, glitters and engulfs.

Unsuk Chin’s Alaraph ‘Ritus des Herzschlags’—an SF Symphony commission and U.S. premiere—depicts a so-called heartbeat star, so named because of the regular pulsation of its light.

Joshua Bell also takes the stage for an effusive violin concerto by Henri Vieuxtemps.

// May 16-18 at Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. (Civic Center), sfsymphony.org