Giovanni Sollima plays the cello with a physical urgency that feels more like a rock performance than a traditional recital. His sound is rooted in the rich, woody resonance of a 17th-century instrument, but the music he coaxes from it is restless and modern. It is characterized by driving rhythms, repetitive melodic cells that evolve with hypnotic precision, and a raw, unpolished emotional core that reflects his Sicilian heritage.
What truly sets him apart is his 'post-minimalist' approach. While he uses the loops and patterns of American minimalism, he injects them with the fire of Mediterranean folk, the improvisational spirit of jazz, and the sheer volume of rock and roll. He isn't afraid to let the bow scratch or to use the body of the cello as a drum, creating a sound that is as much about the physical act of playing as it is about the notes on the page.
Start with 'Aquilarco' to hear his signature blend of rhythmic propulsion and melodic beauty. It serves as a perfect gateway into his world, showcasing how he can make a centuries-old instrument sound like the most contemporary thing in the room.
Giovanni Sollima (born 24 October 1962 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy) is an Italian composer and cellist. He was born into a family of musicians and studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and composition with his father, Eliodoro Sollima, at the Conservatorio di Palermo, where he graduated with highest honors. He later studied with Antonio Janigro and Milko Kelemen at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart and at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. As a composer, Sollima's influences are wide ranging, taking in jazz and rock, as well as various ethnic traditions from the Mediterranean area. Sollima's music is influenced by minimalism, with his compositions often featuring modal melodies and repetitive structures. Because his works are characterized by a more diverse and eclectic approach to material than the early American minimalist composers, the American critic Kyle Gann has called Sollima a postminimalist composer. Sollima teaches at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and plays a cello by Francesco Ruggieri (made in Cremona in 1679). He has collaborated with the American poet and musician Patti Smith, appearing on her records and performing with her in concert. He also collaborates with the Silk Road Project.
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