Liquid Cello by Kalyan

CD by Swiss-Canadian musician Kalyan, reviewed by Bhagawati.

The cello has a long history, having come into existence after the violin, during the fifteenth century. About two centuries later, cello and harpsichord were used to fill the harmonic texture of a musical group to a higher degree. Haydn and Mozart gave prominence to the cello in their compositions, and famous works include Beethoven’s five sonatas for cello and piano, and concertos by Dvořák and Debussy.

There are two kinds of cellos in use – the traditional acoustic one, and the electronic 20^th century version. Kalyan usually plays on traditional cellos yet his music is anything but! For his latest CD he chose one made out of carbon fibre. He said, “I was fascinated by the visual aspects of the carbon cello and the fact that it is not made out of wood. And I wanted to show that music is responsive and fluid like water.”

Already enchanted by listening to the first two tracks, Liquid Sky and Space, the Waterprints brought up an image of the gentle surface of a still lake fringed by ancient trees. The powerful yet calming strokes throughout captivated me to go along with the music and let the sound penetrate and merge with the cells in my body, filling me with joyfulness.

The fullness of sound is entrancing and has a strong effect – never allows the mind to wander. A divine gift presented by an exceptional and meditative musician.

Review by Bhagawati, Osho News

Available at www.kalyanmusic.com
Read our interview: Kalyan Mitto: Tightrope Walker with a Cello

Kalyan was born in Switzerland and began learning the cello at age eight. As a teenager he learned guitar and bass and soon had his first school band. He took sannyas in Pune 1 and dedicated himself fully to music when he left a boring job at a bank in 1987 to live in India. He explored the huge range of Indian instruments and discovered in particular through the rudraveena a new approach to music, which he calls Musicality. He is a multi-instrumentalist and currently lives in Quebec. www.kalyanmusic.com