David Darling
Cello

THE REVIEW

The cello: one of the proofs of the existence of God. A paraphrase of the human voice, an authoritative sound that stands out among thousands, an ancient yet ultra-modern instrument. An intrinsic physicality that translates into a very personal relationship between performer and instrument, playing by embracing it, in harmony with the vibrations of the strings and the wood.

David Darling is a cult figure, a "free thinker" of music and art. An imaginative and controversial musician, alternating between dazzling masterpieces and records to forget. Fortunately, when he records with ECM, the wise patron Manfred Eicher molds his creativity to produce austere yet intense works, little dark gems where the cello shines in all its unsettling beauty.

"Cello" is the name of this 1991 work, and not by chance: just cello, throughout the album, sometimes acoustic sometimes electrified. In total solitude, during the most meditative moments, or overdubbed multiple times, in an orchestral fashion. Darling transports us to an airy and evanescent Gothic cathedral, where music rich in hidden resonances echoes, imbued with sadness and solemnity. A journey within ourselves, but don't expect music that will soothe your heart. The price to pay is steep: Darling's voice is weeping, lament, cry, always touching the darkest strings of our soul, revealing its most shadowy areas.

More weeping than smiling, more melancholy than joy. You might not be ready.

Or, you might want to discover all the colors of the winter sky.