Cello Circles ~ Improvised, contemporary chamber music

Cello Circles ~ Kalyan & Sambodhi Prem

Recorded between 2001 and 2008 Cello Circles has taken its own time to come to a point of completion. Started as a fun project between friends living on opposite sides of the globe, this CD grew organically into a richly orchestrated ode to the many colours and nuances of the cello.

Sambodhi Prem has been a recording artist with releases dating back to the mid-eighties, mostly guitar-based instrumental music and introspective titles for relaxation.
Kalyan is a classically trained cellist and multi instrumentalist, with skills on stringed and wind instruments. This CD has his cello in the main role, but there are also plenty of minor roles for a host of interesting instruments that he plays.

The Indian dilruba is heard on two pieces, plucked on the intro of ‘Leaving Space’ and bowed on the last piece ‘Spring Water’, the Japanese kyotaku flute can be heard on ‘This Moment’. And there are the more familiar sounds of the fretless bass and the recorder, all played by Kalyan.

By no means is this an album of world-music mishmashes, the tone is focussed on the cello but there’s enough breathing space for many other sounds to have a place. Most pieces are ‘down-tempo’, but with a constantly changing landscape of sounds.

The compositions were written by both players – Sambodhi did most of the production and the recording of the backing tracks. You can hear that lots of thought went into the compositions, as the music is never repetitive and it holds your interest even after repeat listenings