Composer Eric Chasalow's "...arching, reaching, breathless" out April 17 on New Focus Recordings
New album includes range of compositions for strings spanning 30 years
Performed by The Lydian String Quartet, cellists David Russell and Hannah Collins, violinist Mari Kimura, pianist Steven Beck, and more
Drawing from every corner of the soundworld, composer Eric Chasalow creates genre-defying music. On April 17, 2026, his latest album “...arching, reaching, breathless” is released on New Focus Recordings (FCR468). It's a survey of Chasalow’s works written for strings spanning over 30 years.
The album features a broad range of ideas and styles which Chasalow has explored in his expansive career as a composer: from spacious and meditative works to ones that are dense and ferocious; works with live electronics, fixed media, and also traditional chamber ensembles.
"I started recording these pieces a few years back without the idea of putting them on a record together at all," says the composer. "But the more I listened to the recordings as a set, the more I felt that, heard together, they tell a story about the broad range of ideas I have explored in my string writing and are even more interesting together. When I listen to the album as a complete set, I hear an expansive journey unfolding, and I find that very satisfying."
The album features some of today's leading contemporary performers including the Lydian String Quartet, violinists Mari Kimura, Clara Lyon, and Julia Glenn, cellists Hannah Collins and David Russell, and pianist Steven Beck.
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of "...arching, reaching breathless" by composer Eric Chasalow.