Compiling four pieces for four different ensembles, David Lang's writing on water is a free-flowing recording that presents several unusual and rarely revealed facets of the composer who is perhaps most well-known for his monumental choral works (the Pulitzer-winning the little match girl passion and the more recent epic the national anthems), as well as his poignant song cycles (death speaks and love fail). From the struggle between dissonance and melody portrayed in "pierced" to the sweeping, oceanic scope of the title piece, the music defines a path that can be as serpentine as it is rigid ("forced march") or as minimal as it is immense. Riveting performances by Alarm Will Sound, Real Quiet, Crash Ensemble, the London Sinfonietta, Synergy Vocals and more make writing on water an electrifying, free-spirited and rambunctious addition to the Cantaloupe catalog.