The new Cello Concerto composed by Martijn Padding for Matt Haimovitz was due to premiere in 2020, but, like many great projects, had to be cancelled at the last minute. Residentie Orkest and soloist look forward to the postponed premiere on 22 October next during the Cello Biennale.
Composer Martijn Padding himself wrote the following commentary:
Swift, Grey and Spacious (Cello Concerto No 2) is composed of two substantial corner movements that are opposite in character with a short hinge part in between, a kind of interlude that connects and balances those movements. The work was written for the Residentie Orkest and Canadian Cellist Matt Haimovitz who has a great track record as a non-conformist cellist with fabulous technique. Matt played all the major concertos from the classical repertoire but also improvised alongside, for example, Flea from the Red Hot Chilly Peppers.
When making a concerto, I find it interesting to portray the soloist, so to speak. By corona, the normal composing process was hampered. Extensive collaborative sessions were out of the question. But the first and only meeting in October 2019 did set the stage. Matt opened his cello case and, in the middle of a restaurant, started enthusiastically demonstrating how the typical bronzy cello sound turns into a ripping electric guitar in one fell swoop by placing a polystyrene cup under the low strings. Subsequent Zoom sessions between Amsterdam and Vancouver were also very inspiring.
The first movement Swift is an extroverted piece in which quick dialogues take place between the cellist and the orchestra. The sound is open and there is an emphasis on rhythmic cello playing. The cello part has several breaks in which the soloist becomes increasingly detached from the orchestra, resulting in a cadenza in which there are two possibilities. The soloist plays the fully-composed version or chooses an alternative track where, based on twelve formulas and a series of guidelines, one can choose one’s own route through the material.
In the short hinge section Grey, the sound becomes denser and more chromatic. It is a softly restless night piece with rapid cello shots shooting into the highest register with a vague reminiscence of Franz Liszt’s Nuage Gris.
In the third movement Spacious, the sound opens up again and glissandi and harmonic canons play an important role. Spacious is the opposite of Swift. The piece sings, is introverted and is mainly based on harmony and sound. The soloist does not try to detach but rather to coincide with the orchestra.
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