Valentin Ceccaldi – Ossos – CD

Over the past few years, Valentin Ceccaldi has become one of the most inventive and fascinating cello players of the European scene. Whether it’s refined chamber music, clockwork-tight interaction or inflammable hardcore improvisation, Ceccaldi is a true free spirit, in touch with creative resources and an imagination that are at least as important as his considerable chops. I was once present during a soundcheck of Chamber 4, the French-Portuguese quartet he is a member of, and remember the moment when he started setting up and immediately turned heads. His sound filled the entire room in an instant. It had nothing to do with volume, but with the way he let that instrument speak and sing.

Don’t expect traditional virtuosity on “Ossos” (the title referring to a dish with a lot of bones in it). This Cipsela Records release is not that kind of record, even though his playing is obviously accomplished. As the titles of the three individual pieces already suggest (they are French for an anvil, a hammer and a stirrup), Ceccaldi is often dealing with raw material. You don’t get the dazzling speed and complexity, even though it has its moments of flash, but a descent into a highly personal world, in which long (over-)tones are allowed to breathe and stick around for a while before they dissolve. It’s as much about touching as it is about thinking, with the material at hand providing a gateway into drone-like ritualism or intricately layered storytelling.

Cipsela Records

Additional information

Listen Here: Valentin Ceccaldi - Ossos