The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalena, and Matt Haimovitz
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Haimovitz, the American cellist who garnered a lot of attention fifteen years ago, when he performed in “unusual” venues, including brew pubs and rock clubs. This was ground-breaking stuff back then; now it seems less surprising to see a cadre of bass-instrument players strike bow to string, as people sip nitro coffee or micro-distilled beers. Now Matt is starting a new revolution: returning to the score regarded as closest to Bach’s now-lost manuscript: the copy by his second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach. Matt also picks up the five-string violoncello piccolo for the Sixth Suite, the instrument for which that suite was intended.
You’ll hear how the instruments sound, as well as Matt’s fresh interpretation of them, in my conversation with the cellist.
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