Cikada Ensemble’s first release on LAWO Classics, Drones, Scales and Objects, consists of contemporary chamber music by acclaimed British composer Laurence Crane. The Norwegian ensemble started performing Crane’s music in 2011, and the result of their successful collaboration is presented on this CD. I use simple and basic musical objects; common chords and intervals, arpeggios, drones, cadences, fragments of scales and melodies. The materials may seem familiar – perhaps even rather ordinary – but my aim is to find a fresh beauty in these objects by placing them in new structural and formal contexts and by using a surface texture that is highly reduced.

Laurence Crane was born in Oxford in 1961 and studied composition with Peter Nelson and Nigel Osborne at Nottingham University. His music is mainly written for the concert hall, although his list of works includes pieces originally written for film, radio, theatre, dance and installation. He lives and works in London. Since its formation in Oslo in 1989, the 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 was awarded the prestigious Nordic Music Prize in 2005.