Cuneiform
2000
Ereia
About This Album
Guitarist Nick Didkovsky and his Doctor Nerve septet are joined by the Sirius String Quartet on the CD Ereia. An ambitious and largely successful undertaking, "Ereia" is presented as a single work, yet Didkovsky's composition is perhaps best considered as three separate pieces given the general lack of continuity among the movements. The brief first movement is performed by string quartet alone (with a bit of hand clapping during the initial, folk-influenced segment "She Look He Spit"). Much of the first movement is performed in the fortissimo range (this is a Doctor Nerve CD after all!), although quieter, surprisingly lyrical moments contrast beautifully with the expected passages of agitated counterpoint and escalating tension. Recorded live in 1997 at the annual new music festival in Victoriaville, Quebec, the 20-minute second movement "For Being Nice to the Wrong People" is performed by Doctor Nerve and the Sirius String Quartet together. The transition from the first movement's comparatively mild string quartet to the full ensemble is abrupt and jarring to say the least. The aural space sometimes clears enough to provide room for small groupings or individual musicians to make effective statements.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,6,7 and 9)

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