The unparalleled Czech violinist/singer/composer Iva Bittova has teamed up with the dynamic Bang on a Can All-Stars for an unforgettable recording.

Her first major US release since her eponymous debut on Nonesuch in 1998, Elida (the name is a brand of soap from the composer's childhood) finds Bittova using the All-Stars as her orchestra. Sweeping piano lines meet full string ensemble settings, while clarinet improvisations meet electric guitar noise. The music is at the same time sophisticated and direct, edgy and nostalgic, mixing Eastern European classical music and folk traditions with angular string writing and heart-breaking Czech vocal melodies.