Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
MAYA BEISER + PABLO ZIEGLER:
“CANYENGUE, THE SOUL OF TANGO”CELLO/PIANO DUO PLAYS ASTOR PIAZZOLLA + MORE
FEBRUARY 1 AT LE POISSON ROUGE
Arrangements and originals by Ziegler, a 10-year veteran of Piazzolla’s band
On Wednesday, February 1 at Le Poisson Rouge, I’ll be performing with Latin Grammy-winning pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler in Canyengue, the Soul of Tango, a program of rare and well-known compositions by Astor Piazzolla and original works by Ziegler.
The show begins at 7:30 pm, with doors at 6:30; tickets are available through Le Poisson Rouge.
The term ‘Canyengue,’ pronounced “Can-jen-geh,” refers to the early style of tango – raw, provocative, sensual – that developed on the streets of the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in the 20s and 30s. Much like Swing in American music, Tango has evolved from a simple form of dance into a sophisticated and complex genre of music. That tranformation is exemplified in this program, which centers on the work of Astor Piazzolla, who revolutionized the genre with his brilliant, classically-inspired compositions.
Along with Piazzolla classics like Libertango and Adíos Nonino, we will perform some lesser-known works, including the propulsive and virtuosic Escualo, the stately Milonga Sin Palabras, and the Bach-inspired Fuga y Mysterio, all newly arranged by Ziegler for our duo. We will also play a selection of Ziegler’s compositions, including his evocative Milonga del Adios and his jazz-infused Places. In addition, I will take the solo spotlight with a signature piece, Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel.
Hope to see you there!!
Love,
Maya
Friday, November 4th, 2011
On Friday, November 11, I’ll be performing at UCLA’s Royce Hall for a co-headlining bill with percussion icon Evelyn Glennie. I will open the evening, presented by UCLA Live, with selections from my latest album ‘Provenance.’ Following a solo percussion set by Glennie, we will appear together for the first time to give the world premiere of ‘Stuttered Chant,’ a new duo work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (and Los Angeles native) David Lang.
For ‘Provenance,’ I commissioned works by composers from Armenia, Kurdish Iran, Israel, and the US. The title means ‘origins,’ referring to both my personal history and the intertwining cultural traditions that course through these pieces. On some pieces, my cello is heard on its own or with live electronic sound; on others, I am accompanied by Lebanese-American master oud player Bassam Saba, as well as American percussionists Matt Kilmer and Shane Shanahan. 
Friday, October 21st, 2011
October 22-24th: My interview with Sirius XM’s Peter Cummings will be on air!
A few weeks ago I sat down for an interview with Peter Cummings at the Sirius XM studios here in New York. Peter hosts an interview series called Linked on the Sirius Classical Pops station (XM 75 & Sirius 75). We spoke about the inspiration for my latest album Provenance and the creative process behind my next big projects. Tune in this weekend to hear the interview and music from my recent albums as well as music that inspires me (Bach, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Piazzolla…). Tune in to Sirius XM so you don’t miss it!
Air Times on channel 75:
Saturday, October 22nd at 9AM
Sunday, October 23rd at 8PM
Monday, October 24th at 11PM
In other exciting news…
