For his first solo recording, Ben Michaels presents six specially commissioned works, all of them written by fellow cellists whose creative lives extend well beyond the conventional boundaries of instrumental performance. Composers, improvisers, theatre-makers and songwriters, Jakob Kullberg, Laura Moody, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Zoë Martlew, Kit Downes and Colin Alexander each approach the cello from a distinct artistic perspective, revealing unexpected possibilities within a familiar instrument.

The resulting works differ widely in scale, language and technique: lyrical melodies sit alongside whispered textures, choreographed movement and striking new sonorities. Yet beneath their diversity lies a shared understanding of the cello’s physical and expressive character. Together, they form a portrait of the instrument seen through six individual imaginations – music shaped not only by cellists, but by artists exploring what the cello can become in the twenty-first century.