“The first music on this new disc is by Jessie Montgomery, the Mead Composer-in-residence at the CSO. She has earned a reputation as a composer of melodic, accessible music infused with fresh ideas informed by an interest in contemporary issues.

The first strains of her 11-minute “Hymn for Everyone” are like a call to prayer: quiet, reverent and humble. There is an extended drummed pulse that I hear as a human heartbeat representing aspirational goals. The murmuring strings set a contemplative mood, and the music has a beautiful meditative quality. Montgomery mixes faith with anxiety with great skill, reminding me of the way Sibelius shines the sun on a frozen lake: warmth and chill are ingeniously expressed simultaneously.

The music is performed admirably, with desire expertly contrasted with worry, all wrapped in gentle gestures. The ending melts away with marvelous delicacy.”