Yo-Yo Ma performs in 2009. (Press-Register file photo)
--
took up the cello when he was four years old, and he's been going strong on the strings ever since.
Tonight, the 57-year-old virtuoso will bring his half century of cello mastery to The Saenger Theatre beginning at 7:30 p.m.
"Yo-Yo Ma is not just your average prodigy -- and these days, there are more and more young people who focus exclusively on their music and burn out early," said Mobile Symphony Orchestra Music Director Scott Speck. "Yo-Yo is a musician of uncommon depth who has only become more enthusiastic as the years pass."
On Wednesday, Ma will play Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129, and John Williams' Elegy for Cello and Orchestra. Williams composed the Elegy especially for Ma.
Ma's only previous appearance with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra was in 2005. For a crowd of nearly 2000 people, Ma performed Antonin Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104.
"He plays with a deep understanding of the structure of a piece, and brings it across in a way that the audience feels its structure," Speck said. "Even more than that, he always tells a passionate story with his playing. I once heard him say that if there is even one person in the audience who hasn't heard a particular musical story before, he wants to tell it directly to that listener. "
Ma's own life story is a cultural, continent-spanning epic.
Born in Paris in 1955, he began playing the cello, with the help of his father, when he was 4. His first public concert at The University of Paris took place when Ma was just 5.
Ma and his family relocated to New York City shortly after that University of Paris performance, and in 1962, Ma began studying with Leonard Rose of The Juilliard School.
After graduating from Harvard University in 1976, Ma was on his way to becoming one of the most sought-after classical music performers of all time.
During his career he's taken home more than a dozen Grammy awards and been heaped with honors, including The National Medal of the Arts.
Ma is not just a consummate performer. He's a vital force for arts appreciation all over the world.
Just last week, Ma, who serves as creative consultant for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, appeared at a Chicago elementary school as part of an effort to support Mayor Rahm Emanuel's efforts to improve arts education in schools.
Ma is also artistic director of The Silk Road Ensemble, a collective of eminent musicians and composers from around the world who come together to perform pieces from a variety of cultures and strive to make classical music a fresh, vital form of communication. He's also spread his musical message on shows like "Sesame Street," "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and "The Colbert Report."
His numerous crossover recordings with artists including Bobby McFerrin, and his work on such movie soundtracks as"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Tango Lesson," highlight his eclecticism and embrace of all types of music.
Ma has also been an advocate for his instrument of choice. Speck said Ma has played a huge role in bringing the cello into the classical music spotlight.
Speck noted that there is a considerable repertoire for classical cello concertos and solo sonatas, but it is very small in comparison to what has been written for piano and violin.
"Yo-Yo has done more than anyone I know to expand that repertoire -- whether by commissioning concertos or by inspiring them from great composers," Speck said.
He added that former Mobile Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Kevin Puts wrote a concerto for him a few years ago.
Ma also has the talent to take music for other instruments and transform it.
"For a while he was playing viola concertos on a tiny little cello that was made for him to hold on his lap, that played in the higher register of a viola," Speck said. "People dubbed it the "Yoyola."
Speck is eagerly anticipating tonight's show.
"In addition to Yo-Yo's performance, the Mobile Symphony will set the stage with the incredible music of Giuseppe Verdi and Bela Bartok," Speck said. "This should be a stunning concert.
There are still a few tickets left for the concert, which is expected to sell out. To purchase tickets and for more information, contact the box office at 251-432-2010 and visit www.mobilesymphony.org.