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Appassionato Yo-Yo Ma

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Jan 01, 2007
Category: Classical

Appassionato
Yo-Yo Ma
 



 

Yo-Yo Ma can’t be accused of hiding behind the great composers — every envelope he sees, he pushes. "Classical music" confines him. "Great music" liberates him. And so it is greatness he seeks whenever he can break free of the predictably limiting requests from his recording company for more of the standard repertoire.

Consider the opening pages of the booklet that accompanies "Appassionato," his anthology of romantic music. It’s "Music Master," a poem by Rumi, the Persian genius who knew a thing or two about essential matters and their mastery. For Rumi, music is not external; it is within us, even if we don’t hear it.

Which leads us to love. Where is it located? Like music, it’s how we get inside ourselves. And more: It’s how we get inside one another. Meaning doesn’t get deeper than this — God lives in this zone.

What does it feel like to experience such completeness? Rumi tells us it’s "the pure joy of the sun." It’s "the taste of eternity." It’s "the sweet cold water and the jar that pours."

And, by implication, it’s this collection of pieces, mostly duets, mostly recorded between 1978 and 2006. In form and period, they’re all over the map, from the film music of Ennio Morricone to the "Double" Concerto of Brahms, from a traditional Chinese folk song to a Gershwin prelude to the saddest tango Astor Piazzolla ever wrote. The link? Relationships — the deep friendships Ma has formed with his collaborators over a 45-year career. (He met Isaac Stern when he was just 4 years old.)

Music, says Ma, is "passionate narrative" — if you like, translate that to mean "love story." And not just for the musicians and the music. For the planet and the global culture. Yo-Yo Ma saw long ago what others are just starting to appreciate: This is the only world we have, and the more we know of it, the more we will want to participate and share. He does not draw the final conclusion, but he surely implies it: People who love one one’s culture will always prefer peace to war.

This is not to say that he has, on this CD, cobbled together 15 mushy pieces "for lovers only." There’s Gershwin here, and the Vivaldi of "The Four Seasons," and no one will ever accuse the film composers John  Williams and Ennio Morricone of excessive introspection, but even in these lighter pieces, you can feel Ma digging in. His attacks are sharp, aggressive, definitive — having heard his version of the old chestnuts, you can’t imagine them played any other way.

A self-assured masculinity is only one side of Ma. There’s also romantic sweep and grandeur, long, lush passages that seem to come more from his breath than his cello. And then there are the spaces between notes, where music really lives; often, they are filled by collaborators by Emanuel Ax or 8 other pianists. They’re not just company for Ma; they’re equal collaborators. Indeed, the star often seems to be stepping back so we can appreciate the exquisite performances of other musicians.

You can listen to this CD with one ear and find it merely beautiful. Or, like Ma, you can go deeper and seek that place where you and the music are one. If you do, prepare to swoon.

To buy "Appassionato" from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy "The Essential Yo-Yo Ma" from Amazon.com, click here.

To buy Yo-Yo Ma’s recording of "Bach: The 6 Unaccompanied Cello Suites" from Amazon.com, click here.