Maya Beiser
Maya Beiser
Photo: Lili Almog
Photo: Lili Almog
Almost Human
Maya Beiser takes the cello to yet another uncharted terrain; exploring ancient vocal traditions. Voices of Medieval madrigal, traditional Cambodian, Chinese and Taiwanese minority singing, indigenous Armenian and Indonesian ritual singing and Jewish Cantorial chanting are some of the sources for inspiration.
Described by the New Yorker Magazine as "The Cello Goddess", Maya Beiser has continued to enchant audiences and critics around the globe with her virtuosity, genre-bending style and relentless quest for redefining her instrument's boundaries. Over the last decade she has conceived of and presented major pieces for the cello, written for her by some of the most prominent contemporary composers. Each one of her projects received great critical acclaim and played around the Globe to sold-out concert halls.
Almost Human is intended to present the cello from yet another angle: The challenge Maya presented to the composers was to delve into ancient vocal traditions as the basis and inspiration for the pieces. The resulting works give the cello a powerful and haunting opportunity to "sing" the music. The works draw from cultures as diverse as Jewish, Armenian, African and Cambodian. All share rich traditions of communicating heritage and folklore through the chanting human voice. The cello in Maya Beiser's hands is eminently capable of expressing the complexity of emotions embodied in each cultural tradition.
Program:
LIGHT IS CALLING - by MICHAEL GORDON
For solo cello
Film by Bill Morrison
KHSE BUON - by CHINARY UNG
For solo cello
FEIGE (ANTIPHONAL SONG) - by TAN DUN
For solo cello and video
Video by Tan Dun
KEBYAR - by MAYAEVAN ZIPORYN
For solo cello and pre-recorded multitrack cello
I AM WRITING TO YOU FROM A FAR-OFF COUNTRY - by EVE BEGLARIAN
For solo cello, voice and spoken text
Video by Shirin neshat
Text by Henri Michaux
Described by the New Yorker Magazine as "The Cello Goddess", Maya Beiser has continued to enchant audiences and critics around the globe with her virtuosity, genre-bending style and relentless quest for redefining her instrument's boundaries. Over the last decade she has conceived of and presented major pieces for the cello, written for her by some of the most prominent contemporary composers. Each one of her projects received great critical acclaim and played around the Globe to sold-out concert halls.
Almost Human is intended to present the cello from yet another angle: The challenge Maya presented to the composers was to delve into ancient vocal traditions as the basis and inspiration for the pieces. The resulting works give the cello a powerful and haunting opportunity to "sing" the music. The works draw from cultures as diverse as Jewish, Armenian, African and Cambodian. All share rich traditions of communicating heritage and folklore through the chanting human voice. The cello in Maya Beiser's hands is eminently capable of expressing the complexity of emotions embodied in each cultural tradition.
Program:
LIGHT IS CALLING - by MICHAEL GORDON
For solo cello
Film by Bill Morrison
KHSE BUON - by CHINARY UNG
For solo cello
FEIGE (ANTIPHONAL SONG) - by TAN DUN
For solo cello and video
Video by Tan Dun
KEBYAR - by MAYAEVAN ZIPORYN
For solo cello and pre-recorded multitrack cello
I AM WRITING TO YOU FROM A FAR-OFF COUNTRY - by EVE BEGLARIAN
For solo cello, voice and spoken text
Video by Shirin neshat
Text by Henri Michaux
Maya Beiser
Photo: Lili Almog
Photo: Lili Almog