Douglas J. Cuomo's Only Breath in World Premiere by Maya Beiser

On Tuesday, June 24 cellist Maya Beiser performs the world premiere of Douglas J. Cuomo's Only Breath at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut as part of her program entitled Provenance. Scored for solo cello and electronics, Only Breath reflects the composer's experience in the village of Andalucia, Turkey. The composer elaborates:

Only Breath was inspired by the stillness and sounds of the countryside of Andalucia, and the experience of being awakened before dawn in a small village in Turkey by the sound of the Sufi call to prayer emanating simultaneously (and entirely independently) from a number of different minarets.

I think of this piece as a free rumination on the sound of the wind, breath, and melodies swirling around in space. Electronics capture the sound of the cello in real time and spin it around the listener, creating an aural landscape that is reminiscent of these two experiences, and yet also one that is "not composed of elements at all, " as Rumi says in his poem Only Breath.

The world premiere performance commences at 8 PM in New Haven's Long Wharf Theater. Maya Beiser takes Provenance on the road for a follow up performance at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois on July 22.

For more information on the music of Douglas J. Cuomo, please visit www.schott-music.com and www.douglasjcuomo.com.

For precise ticketing information, go to www.artidea.org.

Douglas J. Cuomo
Only Breath (2008)
for solo cello and electronics
10'