Photo credit:  Amber Davis

New York City - The Rubin Museum of Art presents cellist Matt Haimovitz in recital on December 5 at 6:00 PM as part of the Rubin Museum of Art's new Sunday evening classical music series, Resonating Light.

 

Matt Haimovitz's cello - made by Matteo Gofriller in Venice, Italy - turns 300 years old in 2010 as Haimovitz observes another milestone, his 40^th birthday.  According to Haimovitz, "In celebrating the 300 years of my instrument, I am moved to think of the numerous cellists who have played it and our impermanence. The cello, however, as fragile and rare as it seems, has managed to survive, an eternal soul."  The acknowledgement of all reality as impermanent is an essential understanding of Buddhist philosophy, and the art exhibited at the Rubin.

For the joint celebration, Haimovitz has created a program of 300+ years of Italian music for solo cello, weaving Dominico Gabrielli's seven Ricercare - composed in the late 17^th  century, and the true precursors of the Bach Cello Suites - into a series of works by some of Italy's most important 20^th century composers, including Luigi Dallapicolla, Luciano Berio, Salvatore Sciarrino, Giacinto Scelsi and Claudio Ambrosini.  The evening also includes a newly commissioned work for the occasion, Capriccio, by Montreal composer Brian Cherney.

The program integrates the themes inherent in the South and Central Asian art exhibited at the museum, and betrays influences from the region as Haimovitz explains: "One of the last works Luciano Berio wrote, in 2002, was his Sequenza XIV for solo cello. It is based on Sri Lanken drumming techniques and is the final work of his important series for solo instruments. Not only is this work virtuosic in its use of extended technique, there is a haunting sense of form that transcends corporeal time. Musical motives and fragments of chant are put through a kaleidoscope of memory."

Elliott Forrest, the award-winning broadcaster and producer of WQXR, hosts the new Resonating Light series, which examines thematic connections between music and visual art inspired by the Museum's extensive Himalayan art collection.

Renowned as a musical pioneer, cellist Matt Haimovitz has inspired classical music lovers and new listeners alike by bringing his artistry to concert halls and clubs, outdoor festivals and intimate coffee houses.  He made his debut in 1984, at the age of 13, as soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, and made his first recording with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony for Deutsche Grammophon at the age of 17.  Since then he has gone on to perform on the world's most esteemed stages.  Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary Leonard Rose, in Schubert's String Quintet in C, alongside Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman and Mstislav Rostropovich. 

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, taking Bach's Cello Suites out of the concert hall and into clubs across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.  His 50-state Anthem tour in 2003 celebrated living American composers, and featured his own arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner."  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 recording career encompasses more than 20 years of award-winning work on Deutche Grammophon and his own Oxingale Records.  In 2004 he received the Trailblazer Award presented by the American Music Center for his far-reaching contributions to American music and in 2006, he received the Concert Music Award from ASCAP for his advocacy of living composers and pioneer spirit.