wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Maya Beiser & friends perform live music in our studio for cello and electronics, featuring works by Raz Mesinai, Douglas Cuomo, and Djivan Gasparyan, among others.  Inspired by the glory of Spain's Golden Age, when Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together peaceably in a centuries-long flowering of commerce, culture, and art, the music draws on various Middle Eastern traditions and incorporates original Arabic and Hebrew poetry as well as poetry by Rumi.  Hear Raz Mesinai’s “The Echo of Decay,” Douglas Cuomo’s work, “Only Death,” inspired by Andalusian Sufi chanting, and “Memories,” a work for solo cello by Armenian composer Djivan Gasparyan.

Music by Steve Reich on this New Sounds - a piece of classical music for a rock band - his "2 x 5," from a new recording.  There's also music for electric guitar in a chamber music setting by Canadian composer Tim Brady, inspired by Dmitri Shostakovich, "Hocket, Canon, Fugue."  Plus, listeen to a work for a hybrid electro-acoustic ensemble by Paola Prestini.