Cikada String Quartet with new ECM release.
The Norwegian ensemble Cikada is widely regarded as one of the finest and most important at large on the contemporary music scene today.
This year they are among the nominees for the Nordic Council’s Music Prize, which is the most prestigious musical award in the Nordic region.
More than a traditional ensemble; Cikada’s nine members and their conductor constitute an artistic platform and under the Cikada banner three autonomous formations exist: Cikada Ensemble, Cikada String Quartet and Cikada Duo.
On May 23rd Cikada String Quartet gave a concert at Oslo’s famous club Blå to mark the release of their new CD In due tempi on ECM records. The quartet’s collaboration with ECM has been a cornerstone of their activity resulting in a number of highly acclaimed releases.
In due tempi comprises works by composers Kaija Saariaho, John Cage and Bruno Maderna.
John Cage was unquestionably one of the most important artists in the 20th century. His work, not just with music, and his ideas influenced his contemporaries like few others. Himself deeply influenced by Zen and interested in musical silence, Cage’s compositions often are simplistic and pure.
Bruno Maderna’s work can be conceived as a counterpoint to Cage’s; shifting from brutal attacks to lyrical expanses, while Saariaho’s contribution on In due tempi in a way bridges the gap between them thus holding the record together.
It will be the first time Saariaho and Maderna are released on ECM.
