Cellist {|Kian Soltani|} is best known as a member of {|Daniel Barenboim|}'s {|West-Eastern Divan Orchestra|} and for high-minded solo and chamber music projects with {|Barenboim|} and others. With {|Cello Unlimited|}, he shifts gears completely with... Read more

Cellist {|Kian Soltani|} is best known as a member of {|Daniel Barenboim|}'s {|West-Eastern Divan Orchestra|} and for high-minded solo and chamber music projects with {|Barenboim|} and others. With {|Cello Unlimited|}, he shifts gears completely with an album of popular film music. The album has scored commercial success in the face of considerable competition in the field, and the reason is that it's a film music album of a thoroughly unusual kind. The arrangements are all by {|Soltani|}, and more than that, he performs all the parts, overdubbing his own playing. It's easy to come out with a mechanical sound in this kind of operation, but {|Soltani|} sweats the details and produces a kind of melancholy all-cello layer on top of great musical scenes from {|Howard Shore|}, {|Hans Zimmer|}, and others. There are cello solos, but it's not solo-heavy music. {|Soltani|} is a charismatic figure who, one might think, would have created this as a star vehicle for himself, but it's not so, at least not in the usual way. He adds a couple of intermezzos of his own composition, and here, the solo cello steps into the spotlight. Sampling {|Shore|}'s {|Lord of the Rings|} tracks will give listeners an idea of how they will react to the whole. The album is not for everybody, but it likely signals {|Soltani|}'s emergence as an audience favorite. ~ James Manheim Less