Maya Fridman feat. Efrén López
Thunder Perfect Mind
Echos of centuries, the heartbeat of now
Maya Fridman is one of the most adventurous cello players in The Netherlands. Echoes from centuries past are joined with the vivid heartbeat of today in her new project Thunder Perfect Mind, where Byzantine singing with Greek-Cypriotic folk, sounds from the Middle East and flamenco, blend with sounds by international top musicians such as Spanish string virtuoso Efrén López, singers Kristia Michael (Cyprus) and Spanish vocal duo Paloma and Alicia Arteaga, and dancer Conchita Boon. Echoes from centuries past are joined with the vivid heartbeat of today.
Maya Fridman: “I invited Unayna because their music radiates both intimacy and power, opening a fresh emotional space for listeners with their unique voices. Conchita Boon brings a fierce and poetic flamenco presence: rooted in tradition, yet strikingly innovative. The possibility of sharing an intense creative dialogue on stage with such incredible artists at the Flamenco Biënnale is something I’ve been dreaming of, and I’m sure the audience will feel that same joy!”
Maya Fridman studied cello in Russia and the Netherlands and won the Dutch Classical Talent Award in 2019. She is an artist traveling curiously open through several music scenes, and has developed challenging alternative and cross-over projects. She tours internationally with Dareyn, with Turkish kamancheh player Emine Bostanci. As a composer, she creates her own lyrics and music. Her first alternative album as a songwriter, The Power of Indifference, was released on her home label TRPTK. The record illustrates how Maya wanders through far-flung musical regions, from contemporary music and electronic to gothic sound colours and pop.
Efrén López, based in Valencia, works as a musician, composer, producer and sound engineer. He performs with a broad range of plucked string instruments from the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia. He intensely studied the specialties of the hurdy gurdy and the playing techniques of various Eastern Mediterranean instruments. López founded Trio Petrakis/López/Chemirani, L’Ham de Foc, Evo, Aman Aman, EAR and Sabir. Performing around the world in countless projects with musicians from all over Europe, the Arab world, Turkey, Iran and India, he established his open-minded and highly versatile reputation.
