Comprised of four pieces for four different ensembles, David Lang's “writing on water” is a free-flowing recording that presents several unique and rarely revealed facets of the composer who is perhaps most well-known for his monumental choral works ("the little match girl passion," "the national anthems") and song cycles ("death speaks," "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 and more help make “writing on water” a wonderfully free-spirited and rambunctious addition to the new classical canon.