Souffles de pierres was written in 2017 for cellist Claudio Pasceri. Conceived as a free, recitative-like form, the work explores timbre, souffle and space, inviting an imaginary dialogue between the cello and the acoustic environment — the walls and stones surrounding performer and listener.

Breath-like sounds emerging around the bridge gradually open onto the harmonic richness of the cello’s lowest C string. Explored across increasingly extreme registers, this single string produces distant and fragile colours that move between air, soft resonance, metallic brightness and stridency. The other strings progressively enter as extensions of this initial field, introducing characteristic cello gestures such as jettati, vibrato, glissandi and tremolo before the music returns towards its quieter, breath-like state.

Moments of freedom and silence are integral to the work. Through presence, breathing and gesture, the performer becomes part of the acoustic exchange, listening and responding to the resonance of the site. Instrument and architecture thus seem to breathe together: the cello projects into the surrounding space while walls and stone return its sound as echo, resistance and resonance.