Yo Yo Ma: a Thinker, a Musician, and a Cellist

When I was studying in high school, I had read a book about Pablo Casals (see the left), a Spanish cellist. This book mainly introduces Casals’s life, but what the most memorable thing to me is Casals’s view to his musical life: “I am a man first, an artist second.” As he explain that “As a man, my first obligation is to the welfare of my fellow men. I will endeavor to meet this obligation through music—the means which God has given me—since it transcends language, politics, and national boundaries. My contribution to world peace may be small, but at least I will have given all I can to an ideal I hold sacred.” This thought was based on Casals’s experiences through his entire life. He was a leading activist for peace during World War II. In my opinion, Casals’s view not only displays his music goal through his life time, but also gives me idea that with a clear purpose to produce music makes music more meaningful and memorable, and makes musician more valuable. I think that a way which Yo Yo Ma try to play music and share his thoughts with his audiences through his music totally matches this idea, and this is one of the important reasons why he becomes one of the most well-known classical musicians in the world today.

Recently Ma is working on the Silk Road Project, which by giving a musical performance at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on June 5th and 6th. The purpose of making this event is trying to display the history of Silk Road, to share its culture with American audiences, and to tell us that the East and the West had established a deep connection since from the past. As Ma gave an example of his cello that he tried prove a principle that “the more deeply you go into something, the more you find all the connections to the rest of the world.” (See the video)

During searching this Silk Road Project, I start to fascinate in Ma’s principle more and more. There is a reason that Ma has chosen a very intelligent way to effectively present his music. At this point, I feel that Ma is a real best musician in the world, because he plays music that is not as many other musicians who just treat their major as a normal job. What he is so passionate is try to find a good concept to support his music, so that his efforts to his works are effectively accepted by his audience. At this point, I would like share my opinion that what role which Ma have played in my mind.

In general, Ma gives me an impression that he is a thinker, a musician and a cellist. When I first time heard his name was around 1989, that year I just started my cello study with my father. I remembered that my father bought a Ma’s tape recording for me for the cello studying purpose. And on that recording, Ma played B minor cello concerto by Antonín Dvořák with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. From then on, I started to know that Ma was a good cellist, because I thought that only good cellist could play such difficult cello concerto with orchestra. And that recording I still think is the one of best recording today. After a few years, when I was studying in high school, I got a chance to read news about him. This news was based on his interview in Beijing. By reading his conversations with a news writer, I started to realize that a reason made Ma become a good cellist was that he loved to think and to research some ideas for playing cello, so that once he found a good concept for it, his playing would be effectively improved. For example, when the writer asked him about his way of practice, (as I remembered) he said that “to keep a clear and a simple goal when practicing an actual music piece is very important, because it is very complicate to think theoretically that memorizing music and arranging both hands for the sound producing on cello at the same time. If we focused too much on those technical skills of playing, we would lose our original sense of music, which was our simple goal, an inspired sense from the music.” In 2001, I purchased Ma’s baroque music album (see the right). To me this is a very impressive recording. The first surprise thing to me was that his musical interpretation was totally changed. Perhaps, since he played all the music from baroque period, so that he should follow the way of baroque music interpretation, but his tone and style had remarkably gone to a higher level. The second thing, which I could clearly hear, was that the recording had proved what Ma had shared his concept of practicing music with that news writer. His melody line was extremely clear to hear. He made all the pieces that sounded very easy to play although I could tell there were many passages that were so challenged to me by hearing those fast tempi playing or difficult bowings. The most obvious thing to me was that his music thoughts strongly support his musical goal rather than only focusing on techniques of controlling an instrument. Therefore, he could freely play many difficult pieces in his style.

In my opinion, Yo Yo Ma’s examples truly prove a fact that a good musician should be a good thinker first, only those who have intelligent thoughts to music can effectively produce valuable music. And I believe this type of musician will make a good leading for the future of the classical music.

Classical Music: Where is the Key?

Recently, I have reviewed the Video which is about Benjamin Zander on the TED talk show a few times. It is interesting that the more I watched this video, the more I love to repeatedly watch this video. Gradually, I started to realize that each time when I watched this video, I felt that mentally I really participated in the talk show. For example, when Zander introduce Chopin’s E minor prelude (the piano piece), I was so focused on his direction of the lecture that how the interval, which is from musical note C to B, create a sad tone, and how process of the music gradually develops and ends on the final stable E minor chord, which convey a sense of back home. So during watching the entire show I felt the time is not existed, because all my concentration was on the program. I think that a good show or a good concert always delivers a sense that makes us become the part of its program, because once we become a part of a program, our interests to a concert or to show will be activated, so that we will feel as if we are in the anther free world to enjoy what we are hearing and watching. This week I have found two interesting posts, one of them was entitled “Fans of metal and classical music have a lot in common” by Laurana. This post basically introduces an idea that “musical tastes were a reflection of character,” suggested by Adrian North, who is a Professor from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Through my comment to this post I will share my opinion to explain the meaning of Adrian’s idea. The other post was entitled “Building New Audiences for Our Classical Music Institutions” by Aaron M. Renn, a technologist, thinker and writer on urban affairs. Through his post Aaron shared his opinion about some possible ways to have new classical music audience for support classical music since he have seen less young people in the attendance of classical music concert. My response to this post discuss about more possibility of gaining more new classical music fan. Both of my comments these posts can be found below and at the respective sites.


Fans of metal and classical music have a lot in common
Comment

I think that I am very lucky to see such interesting post. Through reading this post I feel that my experiences to music have been connected with this post. This post tells us how different type of music display different type of personality, but what I have found from this post is that no matter what type of character we are or what type of music we are listening to, as long as our characters match a certain style of music, we will say that we like this music. In my opinion, music taste deals with music interpretation or music style, because various types of music, such as classical music, Jazz or rock, are given name so that these names can help us to easily memorize what kind of feeling the music brings to us. I had a friend who was a fan of rock music. He told me that the reason he liked to listen to rock music was that rock gave him a lot of energy, so when he listen to it, he felt very vivid. After hearing his reason I introduced him to listen to the second movement of the symphony no. 10 in E minor (Op. 93) by Dmitri Shostakovich(see the left). From then on, when I sit in his car, I found that his CD player most of time was playing that piece. Obviously, this example shows that to find a correct way to activate people’s spirits by using music is a crucial key to bring people into music no matter what type of music they are listening to. Once people mentally start to participate in the music, logically they will like the music.

I hope that I will have chance to see more this type of post about scientific research to music, because these true discoveries really help musicians to improve themselves in music performances and music studies. I only have a question that what motive encourage Professor North start this interesting field of research?


Building New Audiences for Our Classical Music Institutions
Comment

After reading this post, I am very happy that some people start to worry about the future of classical music, because when people start to have a fear to something, the solution of the fear will follow up from people’s mind. Through this entire post I start to know that how people who are not in the profession of classical music think about the current situation of classical music and the way they have suggested to approach the classical music. In order to encourage more people to attend in classical music concert, the first important thing is the program choice of concert. The reason is that classical music since its beginning to twenty first century has existed long time. During such long period development, those classical music composers, such as Bach, Beethoven etc, were using various methods from various angles to approach the composition of the classical music. So it is not easy to understand their music in a short time, even to our music students or professional musicians. Therefore, a proper program choice may easily turn on people’s interest to the music. This is same as an example that when we play a disco music in public, some people may naturally start to dance by following the stylistic rhythm.

The second important thing for an effective concert to audience is by using lecture to help people to understand what music they are listening to. I think this point has explained meaning of “I finally got it” on this post. Because when people start to be clear what they are hearing, they will have more confident to hear more. The more they are hearing, the more interests from them will be increased. I think that this analysis has well matched one of descriptions from this post, “once people like this get into something, they really get into it and really do want to understand the ins and outs in a deep and rich way.” Therefore, a lecture in a concert is like the function of bridge to allow people really access in the world of classical music. When people really get into world of classical music, they will start to benefit what classical music may gift to them.

Congratulations: Plácido Domingo!

Recently, there is big news that has spread out in the classical music world that Plácido Domingo (see the left), one of three greatest tenors (Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and José Carreras) in the world, has won the Birgit Nilsson Prize, which only opera singers, opera conductors, or an outstanding production by an opera company may have chance to win. In fact, the Birgit Nilsson Prize itself is not really something special, because the purpose of setting this award by Birgit Nilssonis is to “honor one of the greatest opera singers of all time, whose contributions to the world of opera and concert are unrivaled,” suggested by Rutbert Reisch, the president of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation. However, there is a point of the Birgit Nilsson Prize that has remarkably drawn many people’s attention: the winner of this award will receive one million dollars. Thus, such big amount of money has brought an argument to some people that whether Domingo should receive this award, or not.

In fact, this argument came from Tom Service (a name of website), there was a article had mainly presented a concept that Domingo does not need this prize, because as what they have imaged that Domingo is rich enough since he is very famous tenor in the world, he can charge very high price of appearance fee for various performances around world, plus he is a successful conductor and impresario in both the Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera. If we judge a prize from this aspect, we have already made a big confusion between the values of the Prize and Money price of the award. I totally agree the fact which Tom service had mention about the Domingo’s current situation and position in the classical music world. However, if we just took a few second to review the purpose of the prize setting. It is very easy see a positive idea from this award, which is to encourage classical vocal musicians work hard on their works so that those musicians can really push the classical vocal music move forward and share the best value of classical vocal music with their audience through the entire world. If we go to Domingo’s website, it is very easy to find many events which Domingo will attend for classical music this year (2009). Is this truth convincing enough that Domingo is working very hard in his field of study? Comparing with some other musicians, who also won some big competition before, such as Tchaikovsky competition, has anyone heard those musicians’ name more than Domingo, or less? Even some of those winners disappeared in the classical music world after the competition. Only from this aspect, Domingo should be the right person for the Birgit Nilsson Prize, isn’t he?

In my view, to those who are thinking in a way that to win the Birgit Nilsson Prize is only for the one million dollar have mistakenly understood what Birgit Nilsson’s original purpose to set up this award. I do not want to repeat what I have mentioned about the purpose of setting this award, but I would like remind those who have such thought to the award that to play classical music or to become a high quality musician is not for money, even I really do not think that those greatest musicians in the world become well known are because of the thought that playing music can increase their bank accounts. If a musician’s purpose of making music is only for his/her desire of mammon, I do not think that this type of musician can make a good music, because it is very obvious to tell that the orientation of making music is changed. And I think that a reason when people get start to be interested to listen to music or playing music is that music has a special power that helps us to find ourselves, no matter what type of music we are listening to. For example, when some people listening to rock music, from their nature body motion, such as rhythmic nodding, hands gesture, or facial expressions, it is clearly to tell that he /she is in his /her free world. As the same principle, when a composer writes a song, the most time which he or she spends on is for thinking how to use the melody to describe his or her feeling of his/her life experiences. So by writing a song, the composer tries to find him/herself, to display him/herself. Obviously, from the procedure of composing music or listening to music, there is no any element of monetary profit be found. I think that when Domingo was in his youth, he never aim to become a good tenor because of the one million dollar of the Birgit Nilsson Prize.

Therefore, it is reasonable that Domingo got the Birgit Nilsson Prize, because a chance always comes to somebody who have well prepared for, because only someone who are well prepared be able to catch the chance. If we have a chance to take a glance of Domingo’s biography, we will find that the president of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation have made a right decision of choosing Domingo as the winner. From Domingo’s bio, it is clear to see that since he was twenty-four years old, he had begun his music career in those most significant public places, such as New York City Opera stage, Metropolitan Opera stage, Milan's La Scala, Vienna State Opera and London's Covent Garden,etc. During his vigorous period (from twenty to fifty years old), he has produced innumerous recordings and videos of opera singing.(Domingo as Otello,see the right) At the same time, he also mainly appeared as an opera conductor. From these true achievements which he had produce, it is obvious to tell that Domingo is very gifted classical singer, he has had a large amount of musical repertories of opera and various style songs, plus he well used his music talent to give his performances to all of the world. Why does The Birgit Nilsson Prize can not belong to Domingo? Domingo’s example of winning the Birgit Nilsson Prize truly tells us that when we have dream for a profession, we should fully use our talents with our solid efforts to approach this profession, because only we who are faithful to our talents and efforts on a profession which we are dreaming for can create something valuable to the world, and at the same time, we start to be valuable to the world too.