Maya Beiser, described as a "cello rock star"
(Rolling Stone) and "ferociously adventurous" (San Francisco
Chronicle), has released her latest album, TranceClassical, worldwide on July
29, 2016 with Innova Recordings. In TranceClassical, Maya explores music for
cello that entrances, and that transforms and transcends boundaries, styles,
and centuries. TranceClassical includes selections by a wide array of
composers, brought to common ground by Maya's unique artistic vision – from
J.S. Bach to Imogen Heap, from Medieval visionary composer Hildegard von Bingen
to Wilco drummer and composer Glenn Kotche, from Arab-American composer
Mohammed Fairouz's new Kol Nidrei to David Lang's take on Lou Reed's Heroin,
plus world premiere recordings of music by Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, and
David T. Little, and original arrangements by Maya.
Maya's performance of J.S. Bach's Air on G, which opens the
album, evokes the sound of an old LP, spinning on a distant turntable. Michael
Gordon's All Vows takes the Jewish Yom Kippur prayer, the Kol Nidrei (which
translates to All Vows) and reimagines it entirely. Maya melds cello and
electronically transformed vocals, sung simultaneously while she plays, in
Imogen Heap's mesmerizing Hide and Seek. Composer and drummer Glenn Kotche of
Wilco contributes Three Parts Wisdom, a rhythmic and multilayered new work for
Maya, described as "a soaring, gorgeous tour de force for solo cello"
by The Washington Post. In Lou Reed's Heroin, arranged by David Lang, Maya
sings the haunting confessional over her cello's arpeggios in a startlingly
moving take on the original. Julia Wolfe's Emunah (or "belief") is an
ancient-feeling vocal and cello duo expounding on the idea of devotion.
Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz's new Kol Nidrei, in which Maya sings
the text in Aramaic, also engages echoes of ancient cantorial styles, and has
been described as "simply gorgeous" (The New York Times) and
"luxuriant" (San Francisco Chronicle). David T. Little's driving
Hellhound, written for Maya, is based on legendary bluesman Robert Johnson's
1937 song Hellhound On My Trail, which tells the story of a man pursued by
demons. The album closes with Maya's plaintive but ardent arrangement of
Medieval visionary Hildegard von Bingen's O Virtus Sapientiae.
Cellist Maya Beiser defies categories. Passionately forging
a career path through uncharted territories, she has captivated audiences
worldwide with her virtuosity, eclectic repertoire, and relentless quest to
redefine her instrument's boundaries. A
featured performer on the world's most prestigious stages including Lincoln
Center, Carnegie Hall, London's South Bank Centre, Sydney Opera House, Big
Ears, and the Barbican's Sound Unbound, she has collaborated with a wide range
of artists across many disciplines, including Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Steve
Reich, Robert Woodruff, Bill Morrison, among many others. Maya Beiser is a 2015
United States Artists Distinguished Fellow. Her 2011 TEDtalk has been watched
by close to one million people and translated to 32 languages.
www.mayabeiser.com
Upcoming Concert Dates
August 13: Breckenridge, CO – Breckenridge Music Festival
August 17: San Francisco, CA – SFJazz
September 13: New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
October 27: Iowa City, IA – Hancher Auditorium
November 19: Stockholm, Sweden – Konserthus
February 10: London, England – Kings Place
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