Gig Alert: Maya Beiser

Maya Beiser
“Memories”
Playing at: Carnegie Hall (57th St. and Seventh Ave., Midtown West)
Get: Tickets ($40)| Directions

The so-called "diva of the cello," Maya Beiser, will perform tonight with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Beiser’s Provenance has been one of the top-selling classical and world music albums of 2010. The record illuminates the Golden Age of Spain—from the 9th to the 15th century—and draws on the era's rich musical landscape, and religious and cultural tolerance of the time. Beiser says it “embraces coexistence not as an abstract ideal but as a creative necessity.” This piece, “Memories,” was composed by Djivan Gasparian, the peerless Armenian maestro of the duduk (an Armenian wind instrument). For a sneak peek of the diva's cello prowess, check out this performance of Beiser playing Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," which she recorded in WNYC's Soundcheck studios.