Can the earth be turned into a musical instrument? Academy award winning Chinese contemporary classical composer Tan Dun, also the cultural ambassador of the Shanghai World Expo, is proving that it is absolutely possible.

By firing clay collected from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, then making it into pottery instruments, he presents a concert of sounds he calls "Earth Concerto." It's the third work in Tan Dun's Organic Music Trilogy, after his Water Concerto and Paper Concerto.

Earth Concerto is composed of 99 ceramic and stone instruments with large orchestra and consists of three movements. The piece, which premiered in Vienna last September, was inspired by Gustav Mahler's the "Song of the Earth," and was dedicated to Mahler's 150th birthday. Mahler was much inspired by the wandering Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai when he composed the "Song of the Earth." And now, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra wanted a Chinese composer to write a piece.

Tan was invited, and that's how the "Earth Concerto" came to be. He hopes that through this work, people will carefully listen to the sounds of the earth and that Chinese culture will be spread.

"Earth Concerto" will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Theatre from July 23rd to the 25th.

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