Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis, TN

Ten years ago, Yo Yo Ma played for the opening concert of the IRIS Symphony in Memphis (the Germantown supported Symphony). He returned last night for the tenth anniversary concert. It was wonderful! 4 pieces were played, and Yo Yo played two with the Symphony. Apparently, he is quite close to the conductor, having studied under his father. The conductor also studied under Yo Yo's father; the bond is quite close. The bond is evident when you consider that Mr. Ma is today in dress rehearsals in New York City with the Vienna Philaharmonic and will be touring with them as they make a US tour. In other words, his schedule was full but he made room for his friend.

The first of four pieces played in the program was "Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit" - translated "The Ox on the Roof" by Darius Milhaud, a Frenchman. Written in 1919 and premiering in 1920 in Paris, the piece was disappointing to me. With a forced tonal variance that offends the sensibilities of any listener, even when performed well the listener will require an abnormal palate to experience true enjoyment. While the string section of IRIS performed well, the percussion section and director Michael Stern were not in sync. The intense tempo variations and jazz influenced rhythms of the piece were weakened tremendously, causing the piece to fall flat - at least in this percussionist's mind.

Hadyn's Cello Concerto in C Major was Ma's first piece of the evening. Typical to form, Ma played with the grace of a gazelle and the force of a lion. When playing in tandem with different players in the orchestra, it was truly entertaining to watch as he pivoted on an invisible stool with joy and a look of knowing in his eyes that seemed to reach into the very being of his partner and pull a performance from them that matched his own. Just as a good basketball player pulls the best from his teammates, Ma pulled the best from those he played with.

I do not know Haydn well enough to compare the performance of Ma to either the score itself or the performances of other greats, but I can say that he played with a seeming effortlessness that made any performance I have ever seen on any instrument seem forced in comparison. Even with his seeming lack of effort, he was not bored - he was in heaven.

Schumann's Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129 was the final planned piece by Mr. Ma. I especially enjoyed the tight harmonic sections in which Yo Yo Ma's cello was echoed wonderfully by principle cellist Dr. Felix Wang of Vanderbilt University.

Ma ended the his portion of the concert by meeting the audience's demand for an encore. He play The Gigue from the Bach C Major Suite. It was fast, furious, and worthy of the master.

The final piece of the evening was Igor Stravinsky's Suite from the Firebird. This is well known by fans of figure skating as it is commonly pulled apart for figure skating dances. A truly inspiring and impressive piece, IRIS did it justice. The percussion section's contribution to the piece was perfect and the whole orchestra performed well. It was disturbing to watch the Piccolo player wrestle with moving his handlebar mustache out of the way each time he began to play, and then to continue to wrestle with said mustache. His fashion statement did impact his playing, which was the one negative thing about the piece. From the front row, you could hear the extra breath he had to project to play past his mustache.

This was a fantastic 10th anniversary and a worthy opening to the 11th Season of the IRIS symphony.

I have a attached a few pictures of Mr. Ma. Apologies for the quality; we did not want to flash.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I don't believe pictures are allowed in most concert halls.

Glad you took them though. I don't know enough about classical music to rate your review, but it looks thorough!

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Hmmm.... so no one likes Yo Yo Ma?

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I'm no expert but I know what I like.

I'm betting there was a woman involved in this trip, right?

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Yeah. My woman is working on her DMA, Cello Performance.

That said, I do enjoy classical music myself. Until I met her I simply had no one to enjoy it with, which is half the fun.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

My wife definitely makes me a better person all around.

Proverbs 18:22

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

apostle83 agrees: Proverbs 31:10!

Take your time, get it right. Of course, there are no guarantees either way but being stupid and rushing into something could leave you with a lot of regrets later. Like, you know, having to go to the symphony when you really hate it.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

This thread needs to be in the Red Room so we can give it a proper assessment.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I don't like Yo Yo Ma, but I like yo' mama.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I'll let her know. If something happens to dad, you might be an option.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

How do you feel about having a Dirty Old Chinaman as a Dad?

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Better at math.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Wow. This thread sure took an interesting turn. :flow2:

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Indeed. I feel like my life is swinging, sort of like T = 2pi*SQRT(L/g).

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

You ain't fooling anyone. We all know just how much of a swinger you are.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

[action=garamet]raises hand.[/action]

I do. Have yet to see him perform live, though.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I can't recommend enough that you do. It was a true treat.

He was so good that I am considering flying to some of his other performances. He doesn't list them on his website though.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

I will certainly keep an eye out for future performances in my area. (Seems I missed him at Royce Hall last year. )

When I lived in New York I had a subscription to Mostly Mozart every summer. Got to see some amazing performers/conductors. Venues are a little too scattered around in the L.A. area.

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

Out of curiosity, do you have a car?

Re: Yo Yo Ma and the Iris Symphony - October 1, 2010 10th Anniversary Concert in Memphis,

As I've mentioned several times on WF, I don't drive. Nevertheless, everyone else I know in L.A. does, and as one seldom attends concerts alone, that's not the issue.

The issue is freeway traffic. There is no rush hour in L.A. Traffic is a constant until about 10 p.m., when everyone mysteriously disappears and you can have the roads to yourself. But when you've got tickets for the L.A. Phil, and you have to leave the house two hours before curtain to get there from the West Side, you have to ask yourself if it's worth it.

On the other hand, my town has its own symphony orchestra, and I go at least once per season, depending on what they're playing (Beethoven, yes; Rachmaninoff, no). I'm also not that far from UCLA, which is why I mentioned Royce Hall. So, if anything, there are too many choices.

Meanwhile, did you know that Yo-Yo Ma and Eva Longoria are distantly related?