Pierre Jalbert, ‘Secret Alchemy’

Pierre Jalbert New music

The American composer Pierre Jalbert writes music of considerable elegance, but not even that knowledge was enough to prepare me for the breathtaking beauty, lyricism and intricacy of the chamber works on this new disc from the Aaron Copland House in New York state. There are four pieces included here, and each of them creates a distinctive sound world without turning its back on traditional formal strategies — which is part of what makes the music so alluring. The piano quartet that gives the disc its title, for instance, is cast in a familiar four-movement format, yet the music shimmers with an otherworldly strangeness that is mesmerizing. In the two movements of his Piano Trio No. 1, Jalbert contrasts fierce, needling energy with a soulful conclusion steeped in Gregorian chant, and the disc concludes with the quintet “Crossings,” a zesty reverie rooted in the folk music of French Canadian culture. Every work gets a robust and ingratiating performance from the chamber players of the Copland House. — Joshua Kosman

PIERRE JALBERT

SECRET ALCHEMY

COPLAND HOUSE BLEND

$18.99