Léonore Grollemund

How to sum up in a few words the career and unique musical language of cellist Léonore Grollemund? First of all, when she was very young, she immersed herself in the highly ornamented folk traditions of Auvergne and central France, to start with; then, as she came across them, those of the gypsies of Romania and the musicians of Turkey; or the extraordinary songs of the Greek rebetes of 100 years ago. Léonore Grollemund’s cello likes to draw its inspiration from these melodies, nostalgic and virtuoso songs from the frontiers of Europe, where the East has left its mark and the dancers their rhythm – even when it returns to its original harmonic and orchestral nature. Between sung compositions, improvisations and repertory melodies, all the frequencies are mingled in a memory over which time has no hold: emotion still vibrates somewhere in the cosmos, passing through us when we summon it to pay homage to our ancestors and to those who, yesterday, fought for the freedom of today.