Listen to the cellist in his own words and performance.
And things will be different, but there is hope for better days ahead.Ī message of inspiration and hope. There is tragedy, but together we can rebuild. Among his vast work are the recordings and interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bachs most acclaimed solo violoncello suites. However, the message could also be applied to the world and coronavirus. On that occasion, Ma was talking of rebuilding a city after the destruction of a natural disaster like an earthquake. You can hear this in Bach's music: the flowing opening (1), a pause and the sudden change in the flow (2), the steady build-up as the prelude reaches its climax (3), and then the ending – the triumphant return of the first theme, but now in radiantly spread chords at the top of the baroque cello's register (4).įour moments in 'Prelude' to Bach's Cello Suite No. It also represents when something very violent and tragic interpreted the flow.Then this piece also includes the rebuilding and the re-imagining of the better version of the very first.”
#Yo yo ma bach cello suite 1 full
Bach makes a single instrument sound like a full ensemble.“That piece, in some strange coded way that culture does, represents in many ways the water that is flowing right in front of us. A simple G major arpeggiated chord played expressively on the cello opens a short, but harmonically and melodically rich, 42 measures of music. If you hear the first few measures you’ll likely recognize it. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. These suites are all masterpieces in music and considered a rite of passage for cellists to study and master.īut there’s one movement in particular, the Prelude in G Major, that has taken on a life of its own in the minds of musicians and music lovers alike. He composed six suites for the cello - a four stringed instrument that, at the time, was relegated to the role of accompaniment in larger ensembles.Įach suite consists of movements named for various dances, and they all begin with a prelude - an improvisatory movement meant to establish the key of the suite, as well as reoccurring themes and motifs. In the early 1700s, Johann Sebastian Bach did something few, if any, composers had ever done.
In a new episode of Earworm, Estelle Caswell and cellist Alisa Weilerstein break the song down to see what makes it such an effective and interesting piece of music. Perhaps then, nothing was more intimate than the most famous cellist in the world, Yo-Yo Ma, playing all Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. You’ve likely heard Yo-Yo Ma play it - he’s been trying to master it for almost 60 years now. Now he returns to the Bach Suites, as a prelude to a world-wide tour. The Silk Road project not only widened his cultural perspective, but also opened up his playing and musicianship. 1 is one of the world’s most recognizable pieces of music. Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Sony Classical 19075854652 133:05 mins (2 discs) Yo-Yo Ma is a well-travelled musician, in every sense. 1 in G Major, one of the most beloved of Bach’s six cello suites. Sitting atop a cityscape, Ma plays Cello Suite No.
The Prelude in G Major to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suite No. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma opens this performance with the words, Culture the way we express ourselves and understand each other can bind us together as one world.