All music composed by Philip Glass, arr. by Maya Beiser

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Piano Etude No. 2
Piano Etude No. 5
Mad Rush

Selections from Naqoyqatsi

Music in Similar Motion

 

Cellist, arranger, and producer Maya Beiser joins with a group of all-star cellists to perform Maya Beiser x Philip Glass. Drawn from her latest album, the immersive performance brings together an astounding group of avant-garde cellists – Jeffrey Zeigler, Clarice Jensen, Andrew Yee, and Paul Wiancko – to create a multi-layered sound sculpture, exploring and unveiling new dimensions in some of Philip Glass’s most powerful and achingly beautiful works. 

 

Maya’s multi-cello arrangements include Glass’s Piano Etudes Nos. 2 and 5, Mad Rush, Music in Similar Motion, and selections from Naqoyqatsi, part of Glass’s Qatsi Trilogy with filmmaker Godfrey Reggio.

Maya says, “In making this album, I searched for layers of sound that might reveal something new about Glass’s ingenious creative power. I was thinking about stratum, the layering that occurs in most sedimentary rocks formed at the Earth’s surface. I imagined the layers of my cello becoming porous and Glass’s music flowing vociferously through each layer, like lava, endlessly creating new patterns, expanding into the landscape. For me, recording a solo album is an introverted, solipsistic process. I go inward and build the sound from within, building my cello’s layers one at a time. In the live performance, I wanted to create a shared communal experience, to expand that powerful communion that enfolds between myself and the audience. I reached out to some of the most brilliant artists/cellists I know, wanting to create another communion between the five cellists performing. It’s a different kind of magic. It’s a dialogue that allows for multiple journeys to happen at once.”

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Music © Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. Used by permission.