Cellist Matt Haimovitz Announces THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT

The project commissioned 81 new pieces written for the multi Grammy-nominated cellist, of which 14 will be performed in the next recording

The first digital album in this project, PRIMAVERA I: the wind, will be released on June 11, 2021, while the next album, PRIMAVERA II, will be released in fall 2021.

The project initially began with nine composers and is an exploration of music and art as sources of inspiration for each other. The nine composers then suggested various colleagues as other participating composers, before resulting in a total of 81 commissioned pieces for the project.

Music from THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT will be performed live in six upcoming virtual and in-person concerts at Strathmore Music Center in North Bethesda, MD (June 10), Oregon Bach Festival (June 25, virtual), PS21 in Chatham, NY (July 5), Green Mountain Music Festival in Burlington, VT (July 16), Napa Valley Festival in Napa Valley, CA (July 20), and at his Bach Cello Suites Workshop (July 30, virtual).

“The world has been fractured and on the brink long before the pandemic decimated the performing arts,” Haimovitz said in a statement.

“The musical commissions of THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT celebrate our golden age of musical diversity and richness. Each new piece — like the blossoming flowers, figures, and symbols of Charline von Heyl’s and Sandro Botticelli’s Primaveras — has been a ray of light, offering us hope for the renewal of the human spirit.”