Bringing Back the Golden Age

If you would be surprised to find a cello rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” on an album with the 15th-century music of Spanish Jews, you haven’t met Maya Beiser. A cellist whose fifth solo release, Provenance, mixes contemporary rock and ancient Ladino music, Beiser has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of classic songs.Raised on Kibbutz Gazit in the Galilee, Beiser earned her master’s degree at Yale University and went on to record songs for M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening,” Edward Zwick’s “Blood Diamond” and Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters.” Beiser has performed in Tokyo, Paris and Sydney, in addition to Washington DC’s Kennedy Center and New York City’s Lincoln Center.

New Voices reporter Alisha Kinman spoke with Beiser about the cellist’s Israeli upbringing, her musical influences and why she finds inspiration in Spain’s Golden Age.

NV: Why did you decide to play the cello?

MB: I have always thought of myself as an individualist. The cello was different and I’m attracted to unique things. My father would always play the cello for me and my siblings. He was never a professional cellist, but the sound of it when he played would always stick in my head unlike any other instrument. People wanted me to try the violin but I liked the cello because no one played it. That was during my rebellion stage.

NV: How did living on a kibbutz affect your life and music?

MB: When living on a kibbutz, a person forms a deeper spiritual connection to the land, the seasons and nature as a whole. I was lucky to grow up where everyone played an instrument at an early age and supported one another. As a young girl, I felt empowered that music was my ticket to the world.

NV: How has Judaism influenced your music?

MB: I would call myself a secular Jew. I’m not a deeply religious person and I wouldn’t identify myself as a Reform or Orthodox Jew. I feel that I am a very spiritual person. But I do feel that in Judaism it is important to pass on traditions and customs.

I think music is a form of religious expression. When I play, I feel a source of positive energy coming from my music. Music is by far the ultimate form of human expression.

NV: Did you study music at Yale?

MB: Yes, I graduated with my master’s in music. Yale is a great school and they have a phenomenal music program. But I really wanted to go there because I wanted to leave with a broad liberal arts education.

NV: Why did you choose to title your new album Provenance?

MB: Just like its meaning, I went back to explore my roots. It started as an exploration into my childhood and cultural ancestry. On the kibbutz, Jews, Muslims and Christians surround you. I had to find a musical commonality among all three of them because there is so much culture everywhere you turn.

NV: How would you describe the album?

MB: Provenance has a little something of everything on the album. While there are classical pieces, there is also a contemporary rock ensemble. I am a classically trained cellist so this was different for me.

I was inspired to create an album that puts together composers from all different ethnic backgrounds onto one album. On Provenance, I collaborated with composers from Israel, Armenia, Iran, the U.S. and Kurdistan.

I also tried to make my cello imitate other instruments, such as the duduk, from across the Middle East. In some ways, this resembles co-existence too by mimicking the sounds of instruments together that are native to different countries.

NV: Why does Spain’s Golden Age, in the 15th century, inspire you?

MB: In Spain, there was a time when Jews, Christians and Muslims coexisted without conflict. This was the Golden Age. The Golden Age was also a time of great literature, music and architecture.  I wanted to create an album that had a theme of coexistence.