Through a fusion of diverse influences — cultural, musical and theatrical — Maya Beiser delivered an ambitious artistic experiment at Gates Concert Hall on Saturday.
In “Provenance” — a continuous, 10-part work conceived by Beiser — the captivating cellist was joined on stage by percussionists, oud player Bassam Saba, and Shahrokh Yadegari providing live electronics.
The inventive Middle Eastern-themed arrangement links the commissioned works of composers from the United States, Israel, Iran, Palestine, Morocco and Algeria with the intent to recall and project the harmonious, cross-cultural Golden Age of medieval Spain.
While Beiser and the ensemble deserve high marks for their accomplished musicianship and the eye-catching setting of their performance, “Provenance” ultimately proved repetitive and redundant.
Perhaps best categorized as world music, the program journeys through a landscape of sundry musical motifs set in a unifying, contemporary context — regrettably, however, its overall effect is a homogenous soundscape, a dilution of the breadth of cultures and musical traditions it set out to embody.
That said, “Provenance” comprises some musical gems. Opening with Raz Mesinai’s “The Echo of Decay,” Beiser immediately established her strong, impassioned musical voice through a labyrinth of rhythms punctuated by delicate, electronic harmonies.
The silhouette of her long hair, blouse and cello against a crimson, tent- like drapery produced a seductive effect, enhanced by subtle lighting effects.
As well, oudist Saba’s masterful performance was both technically virtuosic and a wonderfully understated complement to Beiser’s more extroverted, visceral approach to music. And in Djivan Gasparian’s melancholic “Memories,” Beiser’s deeply felt delivery of the poignant, pining melody suggests the singing quality of the ancient Armenian daduk.
Of particular note was Beiser’s curious use of live looping in “Like This,” an improvisation of spoken text and electronics. Reciting passages from Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s erotic poem of the same title, Beiser’s voice was recorded and looped back while she continued to speak additional passages.
Giving credit for her adventurous approach, the layering effect nonetheless felt disjointed and amateurish compared with the seamless application of looping by such experts in the technique. For example, American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird uses multitrack recorders and loop pedals to construct layers of vocals, whistling and several instruments to emulate the sound of a full band.
