press
Ultima 2024: Ianotta, Avramidou, Smith
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"Clara Iannotta’s echo from afar (ii) from 2022 is a great place to start if one wants to know the current vogue in contemporary chamber music."
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Kristine Tjøgersen | Night Lives
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"The most impressive theatrical work i experienced at Ultima 2023 was Night Lives, from the irrespressible Kristine Tjøgersen. Equal parts mischievous and childlike, Tjøgersen’s responses to and inspirations from the natural world are always as mind boggling as they are imaginative, and in recent years have been treated to stunning realisations. [...] From the moment we entered Oslo’s Kulturkirken Jakob church – through a tunnel festooned with tassles – we were in an interior transformed into a strange, nocturnal habitat. This was populated by almost nothing familiar: an array of alien, arcane and absurd machines and objects being wielded by an equally eccentric array of inhabitants enacted by members of Cikada. [...] To write about Tjøgersen’s work is always to do it a disservice; it really needs to be experienced, and considering the amount of effort (and time, and money) it must take to put on performances of her work, one can only hope that her bold, ambitious pieces aren’t one-off triumphs like this but will have the opportunity to travel and be experienced by as many people as possible."
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"It is difficult not to be carried away and fascinated by this all-consuming universe. Cikada plays with unparalleled virtuosity, sustained intensity and spectacular solos [...]."
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Cikada Live Huddersfield | Donaueschingen
Trond Erikson - Den klassiske musikkbloggen
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"Here, we get a taste of the magic that comes with a live recording. The soundscape is sensitive yet intense. Listening to music created in the moment, with an audience present, adds something special to the experience—even for those of us sitting in front of the speakers at home [...].
Cikada delivered in 2001 and again in 2018—just as they continue to do today. This is an ensemble that truly matters, both in the Norwegian and international music scenes. Listen and be impressed!
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Cikada | Åsmund Feidje: Chamber Works
Cikada | Henrik Hellstenius: Places of Sounds and Words
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"Cikada Trio's intense rendition is quietly poignant and, like all three works, brilliantly recorded."
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Ultima 2022 - Qasim Naqvi / Salvatore Sciarrino
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"[…]engaging was, again, the concert opener, Salvatore Sciarrino‘s 1987 Piano Trio No. 2. Violinist Karin Hellqvist and cellist Torun Stavseng brilliantly emphasised the precariousness of the music, first delicately balancing on harmonics, later dancing on them. Kenneth Karlson interpreted his role at the piano as that of provocateur, firing gestures at the others, seemingly in the hope of knocking them both over. Only half-heartedly, though, as the conclusion could hardly have been made more united and playful."
Ultima 2021 - Ianotta/Lim/Haddad/Haas
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"On the other hand, the veterans in Cikada seemed more polished and focused, who, under Christian Eggen's rock-solid yet flexible and sensitive leadership, presented an exquisite premiere performance by Italian Clara Iannotta, among other things."
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"By playing on glass and chimes and strumming on polystyrene and cardboard boxes, the musicians managed to create a unique sound world that invited intense listening. There was also an astonishing clarity in Iannotti's music. Just by listening to the work, I got the impression that she knew exactly where she wanted to go. Nothing was left to chance."​​
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