Elena Kats-Chernin

I Am Cello

I am Cello is one of several solo pieces by means of which the Australian-based composer remained in contact with her interpreters all over the world during the time of the coronavirus pandemic, composing and communicating via video and streaming. It was written for the cellist Benedict Kloeckner and produced by him at the SWR Studio Kaiserslautern in autumn 2020 and released on CD by Brilliant Classics the following year. The requirement to write something short to be played between the Bach Solo Suites alongside the music of other composers quickly gave rise to the idea of a piece that 'is almost a song and tells almost a story. It is also almost a waltz, but a slow one. I see this piece like a flower bulb that opens up over the course of 2-3 minutes,' says Elena Kats-Chernin.