Yo-Yo Ma keeps alive the passion

If I had to describe cellist Yo-Yo Ma in one word, that word would be "passion." That's why the title of his new release, "Appassionato" is so appropriate. In listening to this musical retrospective of his career, we discover that Yo-Yo Ma's affection isn't just about the music; it's really more about the people making the music. On this new release, he's joined by nine different pianists, several different orchestras, and performers from various countries and musical traditions.

The earliest piece on this recording is "The Swan" from "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens. In 1978, the day after their wedding, he and his wife, Jill, were at the newly formed Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. That's when he got the call asking him to fly to Paris to make this recording with conductor Philippe Entremont. The piece already held special meaning for Yo-Yo Ma; he first learned to play it as a young boy growing up in Paris.

In this arrangement, Philippe Entremont is at one of the two pianos. Gaby Casadesus plays the other. Yo-Yo Ma is an incredibly expressive cellist. He displays that gift through his delicate use of vibrato in the achingly beautiful melody, which spills from his bow in a gentle wave over the soft, rippling piano accompaniment.

Conductor Eugene Ormandy made his last recording with Yo-Yo Ma. Growing up, Ma counted Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra among his heroes. To perform with them was a thrilling experience for the young cellist, one that's captured in the slow movement from Dmitri Kabalevsky's Cello Concerto No. 1. Yo-Yo Ma's cello sings a heartbreaking lament in this mournful Largo. This piece is more about compassion than sorrow. A powerful solo pizzicato sequence provides the path to a delicate crescendo, reuniting the soloist and orchestra in a musical gesture that symbolizes a hopeful future.

While most of the pieces on "Appassionato" come from earlier recordings, there are four new performances. "First Impressions," by bassist and pianist Edgar Meyer, is one of my favorites. Yo-Yo Ma's first impression of Edgar Meyer was so powerful he knew right away he wanted to work with him. In order to prepare for their first recording, Meyer, fiddler Mark O'Connor and Yo-Yo Ma practiced together for a full year to get used to one another. "First Impressions" shows how well this working relationship has developed. The piece begins as a quiet meeting between the piano and cello. The momentum builds as the violin enters, and soon the instruments flow in tandem, creating a lush, sweeping musical conversation.

Music is meant to be shared, and no one knows that better than Yo-Yo Ma. He's had the chance to explore so many of his musical passions over the past 30 years. On his new disc "Appassionato," he opens his book of musical memoirs, inviting us to page through it with him and enjoy some of his handpicked favorites. After listening to this new release, these will no doubt become favorites for you, too.

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