Primavera II: The Rabbits Matt Haimovitz

• Josquin Des Prez (1455 - 1521): Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae, NJE 11.1:
• 1 Prez: Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae, NJE 11.1: Kyrie (Arr. M. Haimovitz for Cello Quartet) 02:36
• Missy Mazzoli (b. 1980): Beyond the Order of Things (After J. Des Prez):
• 2 Mazzoli: Beyond the Order of Things (After J. Des Prez) 04:32
• Niloufar Nourbakhsh: Cyclical Rabbits:
• 3 Nourbakhsh: Cyclical Rabbits 06:12
• Tomeka Reid (b. 1977): Volplaning:
• 4 Reid: Volplaning 05:28
• Nico Muhly (b. 1981): Spring Figures:
• 5 Muhly: Spring Figures 04:56
• Juri Seo (b. 1981): Two Rhapsodies of Spring:
• 6 Seo: Two Rhapsodies of Spring 07:25
• Gordon Getty (b. 1933): Spring Song:
• 7 Getty: Spring Song 01:56
• David Balakrishnan (b. 1954): Theme & Variants:
• 8 Balakrishnan: Theme & Variants 03:39
• Sky Macklay (b. 1988): 1 3 2 3:
• 9 Macklay: 1 3 2 3 05:26
• Nia Imani (b. 1993): Afro-dite:
• 10 Imani: Afro-dite 06:04
• Jennifer Jolley (b. 1981): Compulsive Bloom:
• 11 Jolley: Compulsive Bloom 04:25
• Alex Weston: Sandro/Charline (Both):
• 12 Weston: Sandro/Charline (Both) 07:20
• Nina Shekhar (b. 1995): A Negative Space:
• 13 Shekhar: A Negative Space 05:13
• Texu Kim: Beseeching:
• 14 Kim: Beseeching 04:40
• Total Runtime 01:09:52

Info for Primavera II: The Rabbits

PRIMAVERA II the rabbits is the second of six albums in a momentous series encompassing 81 world premieres for solo cello. This digital album presents 13 new commissions by The Primavera Project for groundbreaking, multi-GRAMMY nominated cellist Matt Haimovitz. Each composer responds to Sandro Botticelli’s enigmatic painting, Primavera, and the prophetic large-scale triptych, Primavera 2020, by world-renowned contemporary artist Charline von Heyl.

Referencing the time of Botticelli, PRIMAVERA II the rabbits begins where PRIMAVERA I the wind left off. Haimovitz’s four-cello arrangement of Josquin des Prez’s Kyrie from Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae harks back to Lisa Bielawa’s fantasy of the same, bridging to Missy Mazzoli’s deconstruction of Josquin in her haunting Beyond the Order of Things. Haimovitz also overlays the four cellos of Texu Kim’s Beseeching, entwining Native-American rain dance drumming and old Korean melodies in voices of desperation and hope.

The album takes its name from the rabbit trilogy motif in Charline von Heyl’s work. In Primavera 2020, the rabbits join the dancing graces, referencing centuries of symbolism: eternity, rebirth, fertility, and vitality. Niloufar Nourbakhsh depicts this communal ecstasy in her Cyclical Rabbits, incorporating Persian modes and oud-like strumming.

Matt Haimovitz, cello

Matt Haimovitz
is acclaimed for both his tremendous artistry and as a musical visionary – pushing the boundaries of classical music performance, championing new music and initiating groundbreaking collaborations, all while mentoring an award-winning studio of young cellists at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal.

Mr. Haimovitz made his debut in 1984, at the age of 13, as a soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, and at 17 he made his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon (Universal Classics) with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary Leonard Rose, in Schubert’s String Quintet, alongside Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz.

Haimovitz’s recording career encompasses more than 20 years of award-winning work on Deutche Grammophon and his own Oxingale Records. His recent release Meeting of the Spirits was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Classical Crossover Album and won a GRAMMY® for Best Producer of the Year (Classical). A new recording with pianist Christopher O’Riley, Shuffle.Play.Listen, celebrating the evolution of the listening experience since the iPod, has received unanimous acclaim. In fall 2012 Haimovitz will be featured as soloist in three world-premiere concerto recordings, Paul Moravec’s Montserrat, Laura Schwendinger’s Esprimere, and Philip Glass’ Cello Concerto No. 2 recorded live with the Cincinnati Symphony and Dennis Russell Davis.

The solo cello recital is a Haimovitz trademark, both inside and outside the concert hall. In 2000, he made waves with his Bach “Listening-Room” Tour, for which, to great acclaim, Haimovitz took Bach’s beloved cello suites out of the concert hall and into clubs. He was the first classical artist to play at New York’s infamous CBGB club, in a performance filmed by ABC News for “Nightline UpClose.”

Haimovitz’s honors include the Concert Music Award from ASCAP, the Trailblazer Award from the American Music Center, the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Diapason d'Or, the Premio Internazionale "Accademia Musicale Chigiana". He was in the final studio of legendary cellist Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School and received a B.A. magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard University. Haimovitz plays a Venetian cello, made in 1710 by Matteo Gofriller.

This album contains no booklet.