I Want to Know If We Are the Same People as Before the Journey — Cellist Dobrawa Czocher on Dreamscapes
Dobrawa Czocher
Dreamscapes — debut album Junge Deutsche Philharmonie · Neue Philharmonie Berlin · Szczecin PhilharmonicPolish cellist and composer whose debut album takes listeners on a journey through unconsciousness — all sounds made by the cello alone. Where do we go when we sleep? Maybe it is one of the rare moments when we naturally connect with our unconscious mind.
"How these fictions of the unconscious mind can feel both phantasmagorical and real, how they're able to twist, bend and expand time itself — these musings have served as the starting point for Dreamscapes."
Tell us about your greatest inspirations and the concept behind Dreamscapes.
"I always wanted to make my debut solo album as a conceptual one — with a leitmotiv and a core story behind the music. I realised what creating music gives me and what is the craziest thing about it: for me it's about expressing the most elusive emotions and phenomena."
"I decided I want this album to be about something familiar to everybody but also hard to comprehend fully. And this is of course dreams. Another aspect I like is the duality of the word in English — it can be about falling asleep but also about desires."
"Where do we go when we sleep? Maybe this is one of the rare moments when we naturally connect with our unconscious mind, with our desires."
Tell us about your creative process as a composer.
"I decided I didn't want to use any other instrument than the cello. I wanted this first solo album to be a representation of what my beautiful instrument is capable of. All of the noises, murmurs, and sounds that create this dream-like aura are achieved by the cello."
"I used many different playing techniques and then met with producer Niklas Paschburg, spending time searching for effects which would emphasise and strengthen these techniques — bringing out this limitless feeling of a dream."
"My greatest inspiration is living with curiosity — also analysing and observing what other artists find in life and living worth showing in their art."
How do you see the world moving forward?
"The world is changing at such speed — I think that this speed is something dangerous for art and artists, for humans generally. I don't think any shortcuts and quick solutions can be good for anything, especially for delicate matters like art."
"I hope that we can find more time for everything. For living and wondering, for dreaming and observing, for talking and being together. I believe only then can we make something valuable."
"I want to know if we are the same people as before the journey."
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From the Antakly Projects archivePianist and composer whose intuitive, meditative process shares Dobrawa's belief in the value of slowness and interior listening.
Read on Antakly Projects ↗ Music · LimitlessA conversation about music as boundless space — the same limitlessness Dobrawa chases in the cello alone.
Read on Antakly Projects ↗ Music · CompositionA conversation with composer Guillermo Martorell from the Antakly Projects archive.
Read on Antakly Projects ↗Antakly Projects — originally Ninu Nina — has been in conversation with musicians, artists, photographers and creatives from across the world since 2003. Dobrawa Czocher's practice — conceptual, interior, and deeply patient — is exactly the kind of voice this platform was built to hold.
Photo by Maria Skarbek-Kiełłczewska.
And for the personal rants, opinions you didn't ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack.
I want to know if we are the same people as before the journey. ✦