Cikada - Cikada Live at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2015)

Cikada feels right at home in Huddersfield, England after its recent annual performances at the prestigious contemporary music festival there. This release is a recording of a concert at the 2014 festival and features music of two composers who have worked closely with the ensemble over the past years.

The Australian composer Liza Lim has written music inspired by historical and religious mysticism, works shaped in part by the musicians’ own listening. Jon Øivind Ness from Inderøy often draws on nature and wooded landscapes for inspiration. His work Gimilen takes its name from two lakes northeast of Hakadal, Norway.

Since its formation in Oslo in 1989, Cikada Ensemble has developed a refined and highly acclaimed profile on the international contemporary music scene. The ensemble has become synonymous with the Oslo Sound of fresh, vibrant, warm and virtuosic interpretations of consciously selected, contemporary repertoire.

In concerts at major international festivals and on numerous albums, Cikada’s distinct ensemble profile manifests itself in strong programming. Integral to this work is a wish to develop long-term collaborations with composers and to build composer portraits with commissioned works over time. Cikada’s previous release on the LAWO Classics label, “Drones, Scales and Objects” (LWC1083), features exclusively the music of British composer Laurence Crane. Cikada was awarded the prestigious Nordic Music Prize in 2005.