Cellist Maya Beiser goes no hands as she performs rock music
from artists such as AC/DC and Nirvana. Beiser's concert lit up
Kresge Auditorium with a vivid light show.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
It started with an eclipse and ended with Jesus. That is the best way to describe the finale of Maya Beiser’s concert in the Green Center for Performing Arts last Saturday.
Beiser is a world famous cellist who has comprised a discography of over ten complete works. She is internationally acclaimed and has been called the “cello goddess” by "New Yorker Magazine."
Beiser preformed as a part of the 2014-2015 Green Guest Artist Concert Series. The Green Center has showcased a diverse selection of artists throughout this semester. Last month they brought The King’s Singers, a Grammy winning and internationally known British acapella group. Next month, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will be coming to DePauw University.
Her arrival and performance were described as being “one of the most ambitious things we’ve done with 21CM (21st Century Classical Music Series)” by Robert Thayer, Dean of the School of Music.
Kresge was transformed on Saturday night from a quiet music hall to a scene straight out of a rock concert. The stage was equipped with large speakers and rotating lights. There was also a major set up in the back of Kresge where all of the special effects were being controlled, so that lights would come on in accordance to the music. This set up took up around ten rows in the back of the auditorium. At times the lights on stage illuminated Kresge more than its typical lighting.
The seats were all filled, with the audience ranging from college students to grandparents to small children.
Beiser took the stage in leather boots, a black double-slit dress, a leather jacket and gloves; a punk look straight from the mosh pit of a metal concert.
Beiser played both the acoustic cello and the electric cello. A drummer and bassist accompanied her periodically throughout that show, along with pre-recorded cello melodies, some acoustic and some altered, which played behind her.
The concert was organized into two parts, the first being Beiser’s take on classic rock hits such as “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd and “Back In Black” by AC/DC. The second took more spiritual tone, with Beiser playing by herself surrounded by candles.
The rock portion was hit or miss. Some of the songs were recognizable to everyone and some were hard to hear the original version. It is no doubt that Beiser is a great talent, but some of the songs that were preformed lacked the noticeable melodies that would have made them familiar.
The second half was more somber. Beiser played alone. The first two songs of the set were very spiritual, songs that had some relation to different faiths of Islam and Judaism.
The finale was intense. Beiser played “Just Ancient Loops,” a 25-minute song accompanied by a video. The video started out with old film footage of a solar eclipse, which evolved into an animation on the planet Jupiter and its three moons. From there it went into manipulated footage of fire, single celled organisms, sprouting plants and humans and industrial footage of machines.
“Just Ancient Loops” ended with a three minute feature of Jesus being resurrected, with a cartoon Jesus floating up into the sky and his live-action disciples lying on the ground.
It was not what I was expecting, to say the least. The general thought was a high-energy show of great rock-hits played on the cello. What I got was a mixed-up bag with three noticeable songs and a disorienting 25 minutes of pure confusion. Beiser is good, but the production could have been better.
Will I go out of my way to see her live? No. Will I tell people about this concert? Yes, probably for years to come.
For those interested in Beiser’s music, her new album, "Uncovered," is currently available on iTunes.