Gaspar Claus is a travelling musician in constant search of freedom. Nurtured on flamenco by his father, guitarist Pedro Soler, he chose the cello. Classically trained at the Conservatoire de Perpignan, he soon became a truant, unenthusiastic about formatting and the elitist world of contests, competitions and selections. Gaspar Claus allows himself every freedom, including the freedom to improvise and play his cello in a singular way, rubbing, scratching, pinching and equipping it with different objects. He draws inspiration from the encounters that mark his career and illustrate the richness of his sound universe through their diversity: Angélique Ionatos, Joëlle Léandre, Serge Teyssot-Gay, Barbara Carlotti, Casper Clausen, Jim O'Rourke, Keiji Haino, Peter von Poehl, Marion Cousin and Rone.

In this first part, we look at the close musical relationship between Gaspar Claus and his father Pedro Solerthen we look at the artist's links with his label inFinélabel, as well as his aspirations to create his own label, Les disques du Festival Permanent. Finally, we take a look at his first solo album, Tancade.

Interview by Guillaume Kosmicki

Selected excerpts :

- Caminos" with Pedro Soler(Barlande, 2011, InFiné)

- À l'infini", solo(Tancade, 2021, InFiné)

- 2359", solo (Tancade, 2021, InFiné)

- Mer des mystères amoureux", solo(Tancade, 2021, InFiné)

And a duet with Basile3 :

On tour with Pedro Soler in and around Albi - Scène Nationale Albi from October 13 to 21, 2023.
Other Murailles Music dates.

Photos © Sylvain Gripoix
Photos © Xavier Bourdereau