The new Cello Concerto that Martijn Padding composed for Matt Haimovitz was scheduled to premiere in 2020, but like many fine projects, had to be cancelled at the last minute. Residentie Orkest and soloist are looking forward to the postponed premiere next October 22 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 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 has played all the great concertos from the classical repertoire but also improvised in addition, for example, with Flea of the Red Hot Chilly Peppers.

When creating a concerto, I find it interesting to portray the soloist, as it were. By corona, the normal composing process was thrown into disarray. 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, began enthusiastically demonstrating how the typical bronzy cello sound instantly turns into a ripping electric guitar 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 rapid dialogues take place between cellist and 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 and results in a cadenza in which there are two possibilities. The soloist plays the fully-composed version or chooses an alternate course in which one can choose one's own route through the material based on twelve formulas and a series of guidelines.

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 primarily based on harmony and sound. The soloist does not try to detach but rather to coincide with the orchestra.