argh. I'm sorry, I play cello (have played for, let's see, over three decades), and I used to perpetrate that kind of thing, cello in rockbands, rock songs arranged for cellos, etc. - now you could chase me out of the house with that stuff. we went on tour once, 20 cellists, with a mix of contemporary compositions and the "cello orchestra" staples (you know, Casals' Sardana, various 19th century cello pedagogues' compositions like Klengel etc), and it was okay (I have the recording on tape of us playing at a Danish castle), but these days, whenever I am tempted back, I end up shuddering and leaving. I went to a gig by Matt Haimowitz with seven cello students of his, playing jazz tunes arranged for them - had to leave early. I got the CD, The London Cello Sound (40 Cellos of The London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra & Philharmonic Orchestra, with Geoffrey Simon conductor), and it's awful in my opinion. and I also bought the Apocalyptica CD (on the recommendation of some head-fi fellow travelers here), and I haven't played it in over a year at least. no, leave the cello its proper role in string ensembles or orchestras or quartets, where it takes on one specialized role in a rich mix of sounds, and it will remain one of my favorite instruments. but multiply cellists on their own, and you get something untenable. I'd rather listen to my neighbor's two year old kids practice their bowing after the Suzuki method - at least I can pretend it's a long-lost John Cage composition.
EDIT: okay, let me soften the negativity with this link I found a few days ago: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11152005-001938/unrestricted/Antonov_dis.pdf
