'When I write chamber music, I almost feel like the sky’s the limit because... if I know they have more rehearsal time, I know they’re going to put in the time that it takes to bring off whatever I write. I take risks I might not necessarily try with the orchestra'

Says French-Canadian composer, Pierre Jalbert, whose latest album of chamber music, Air in Motion, has just been released on Orchid Classics with The Escher Quartet.

Below you can watch the Escher Quartet perform the first movement 'Spiral I' from Jalbert's String Quartet No 4. His String Quartet No 4 was commissioned by the Caramoor International Festival, on behalf of the Escher String Quartet. 

Jalbert's music draws inspiration from a variety of sources from plainchant melodies to natural phenomena and his French-Canadian heritage. Featuring two of his String Quartets alongside a piece for flute and quartet performed with flautist Carol Wincenc, the album celebrates artistic collaborations between the composer and chamber musicians he has written for across the decades. 

The String Quartet No.4 takes inspiration from dynamic shapes and configurations; spiral, waveform, labyrinth – which are the catalysts for each movement. Spiral I, functions as a short prelude, and presents the materials that will be further developed in the last movement.

Listen to the full album, Air in Motion, on Apple Music