This morning I'm listening to the incredible Yo-Yo Ma:
1.
Richard Strauss:
Don Quixote;
Schoenberg:
Cello Concerto Freely Adapted from a Harpsichord Concerto by Matthias Georg Monn (Yo-Yo Ma with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra) recording in Boston, Massachusetts 1985, Columbia Masterworks
2.
Barber:
Cello Concerto;
Britten:
Cello Symphony (Yo-Yo Ma w/David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) recorded in Baltimore, Maryland 1988, Columbia Masterworks
3.
John Tavener:
The Protecting Veil;
Wake Up and Die (Yo-Yo Ma w/David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) recorded in Baltimore 1996, Sony Classical
4.
John Williams:
Cello Concerto;
Elegy for Cello and Orchestra;
Three Pieces for Solo Cello;
Heartwood (Yo-Yo Ma/John Williams and the Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles except for
Three Pieces for Solo Cello, which is just Yo-Yo Ma) Recorded in Culver City, California 2002 Sony Entertainment
5.
"Obrigado Brazil" featuring various popular and classical compositions by Brazilian composers; performed with various musicians specializing in popular, jazz, and popular Brazilian music. Recording in Roslindale, Massachusetts and in New York City 2002, Sony Classical
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I didn't mean to listen to these discs in chronological order. It just happened that way. Anyway, I start with the best part: where Yo-Yo Ma joins forces with Seiji Ozawa in a vibrant rendition of Richard Strauss' colorful tone poem,
Don Quixote, that comes as close as we get to a Richard Strauss cello concerto (as close as Berlioz' wonderful
Harold in Italy comes to being a viola concerto!). We then move on the Schoenberg
Cello Concerto and do not be frightened because here the severe apostle of twelve-tone music just reworks and transcribes a very pleasant Classical-era harpsichord concerto by one Matthias Georg Monn for cello and orchestra. This is followed by Ma and maestro David Zinman taking on the Barber
Cello Concerto and the Britten
Cello Symphony; two early Modern composers from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean who each composed in a style that is lyrical and tonal. And Ma took on a lot with the
Cello Symphony, as it was composed for, and first recorded by, the great Mstislav Rostropovich in a classic and definitive recording. Ma, however, does just fine as he neither attempts to imitate Rostropovich's sad, Russian style; nor fails to live up to the integrity of this Britten masterpiece. Next up, Yo-Yo Ma stays on with David Zinman with the music of John Tavener which is very original, distinct, and curiously "English". While Tavener certainly shows influence from the minimalist style; there is also a sense of solemnity, reverence, and meditative feeling; more along the lines of Henryk Gorecki or Arvo Part, as opposed to Philip Glass or John Adams. We then go from east coast to west coast, where Ma joins John Williams of
Star Wars fame in some straight-up classical works composed specifically for Yo-Yo Ma and each time I sample this disc I like it more and more. While Williams deserves his rightful place as America's cinema composer par excellence, he is also no hack, and Williams can hold his own composing profound and urgent classical music like the best of them. While Williams
Cello Concerto is very innovative, the
Elegy for Cello and Orchestra is particularly beautiful. We end with one of Yo-Yo Ma's many crossover adventures, and one that I approached with some trepidation as I imagined that the sad, soulful quality of the cello would weigh down the bright and tropical flavors of Brazilian music; but Ma and friends deliver a program of Brazilian music that manages to serve up the spicy flavor of Brazilian music while also maintaining a sense of elegance that is inherently classical in it's essence.
