A Luminous Journey in Sound: Star Trail, New CD by José Luis Hurtado

Star Trail, the newest CD by composer and pianist José Luis Hurtado, invites listeners into a vibrant universe of sound, one that shimmers, expands, and unfolds like light moving through space. Released on the Kairos label, the album presents a collection of works that transform listening into an immersive, almost physical experience.

Across the recording, Hurtado shapes music as a living environment rather than a linear story. Layers of sound interact and evolve independently, creating richly textured landscapes where time seems to stretch and dissolve. Each piece offers its own sonic world, while together they form a luminous arc that reflects Hurtado’s mature and distinctive compositional voice.

The album features the participation of Laboratorio de Música Nueva, a trio made up of Leonardo Chávez (violin), Alena Stryuchkova (viola), and Diego Gutiérrez (cello), as well as guest musicians César Bernal (double bass), Maribel Pedraza (percussion), and the composer himself, José Luis Hurtado (piano). Their deep and expressive performances bring clarity, intensity, and vitality to these works.

The CD includes:

• Electric Dust (2022), for prepared double bass, prepared tam tam, and prepared piano
• The Untitled 3S (2018), for string trio
• In the Space of Time (2022), for violin and piano
• Mutual Gravity (2023), for viola, percussion, and fixed media
• Star Trail (2022), for string orchestra

About the Composer

José Luis Hurtado is a composer and pianist whose music explores sound as a spatial, physical, and perceptual phenomenon, articulated through a highly personal notational language. A recipient of a 2020 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, Hurtado’s music has been performed across the Americas, Europe, and beyond by leading ensembles including BMOP, le NEM, JACK Quartet, Talea Ensemble, and the Arditti Quartet, among many others. He has received prizes in Mexico, the United States, Austria, Argentina, Canada, and Italy.

Hurtado holds a PhD from Harvard University, where he studied with Mario Davidovsky, Chaya Czernowin, Brian Ferneyhough, and Helmut Lachenmann. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico.

Star Trail is available online and in physical format. More information, listening options, and purchasing details can be found at https://kairos-music.com/.
For more about the composer: www.joseluishurtado.net