Yo-Yo Ma: Elgar Cello Concerto, 2nd mvmt

[@DaintyCanadian]

I absolutely love that he looks like he is as if he is cherishing every moment of playing.

[@afork2600]

@thumbnail Yo Yo Ma: How that penny get on the ceiling!?!

[@cellovn]

it's absolutely the personal taste ! When I close my eyes and listen to Yo-Yo MA's recording, I know that is exactly him - the most beautiful sound ever. If one can make such a beautiful sound, I'm sure the public will not pay such attention to his movement or expression or whatsoever...

[@tiggz1977]

When most musicians make facial expressions like this I always say to my self, they are making love to the song, giving it life. The instrument they have is a part of there body, there soul, there life breath. I love watching violinists soloing its almost in awe, you get caught up in the song and them as if watching a movie listening to his/her song.

[@monkeynutsx3]

sometimes i still regret that in 5th grade i chose the violin as my first choice and cello as my second. amazing.

[@fresianhorses108]

Those facial expressions are direct mirrors into his passion and his soul. We are blessed with our ears and eyes to even get the smallest glimpse into the tempestuous musical depths from which he draws his perfection.

[@necromycus]

those are the faces of someone who really allows the music into their deep subconscious, truly feeling the rhythm and beauty become a part of who they are

[@ggreene245]

Yo Yo Ma is one of the best musicians living, in my opinion. He's fantastic and this piece of music is amazing...

[@bordaz1]

this is so precise and clear, i don't know how anybody can definitively say this is any less of a performance than jacqueline's. the phrasing and the sound is just beautiful, probably the only thing jacqueline did that i can point out as distinct was to push the louder dynamics

[@chickenyogurt]

I appreciate that Yo Yo Ma really gets into the music and has no shame in showing everyone how deep into it he is.

[@MrPoupard]

I'm a trombonist but for me the cello - in the hands of a master - is the most beautiful sounding intrument in the world.

[@marybowman6500]

Such excellent music........ thank you from Ohio

[@utahu]

always impressed with YYM and his interpretations

[@trishvinguyen7647]

The 2nd movement is extremely beautiful and one of my favorite works of him. This piece is my all time fav

[@tubamarc8891]

To me a virtuoso musician is someone who takes difficult pieces of music and makes them seem easy and whose instrument seems to be an extension of their body. Yo Yo Ma is a virtuoso musician. He is so inspiring to watch.

[@liming06]

Beautiful , Passionate playing

[@lamhoichan3084]

yoyo Ma，你的驚人的演奏，奇特精彩。声情并茂，音色优美动听。一切都那样完美的你，真叫人仰慕难忘。能欣赏到你的出色演奏，是人生最高的享受。

[@PChanmisao]

What amazes me about him is that he always looks overtaken with bliss and passion while he's playing. He's beyond concentrating. It's just the music coming out.

[@matthewlau254]

you took the words right out of my mouth

[@phi223]

Well, I was starting to work on this movement, and decided to get some inspiration from Mr. Ma, but instead he has convinced me to give up cello all together. Rock on Yo-Yo Ma, rock on.

[@bbaxter77]

absolutely amazing.. i've just started getting into classical and i find this gus a genius!

[@ruthdaskaloff5066]

Absoultly BEAUTIFUL. Thank you.

[@rebecaalexandrino]

This is perfect. Deep in my soul!

[@linanocci]

@lizzy89 Glad to meet you, i'm crying.. and i totally understand his expressions...they actually "help" me, showing that i feel the same as he does... thx for pointing people ignorance..

[@lotusbuds2000]

SuperGilles27 OMG...when was he at DeAnza?..I was lucky to have played in an orchestra that accompanied him on the Dvorak little piece for cello called Silent Woods in Boston in the '90s..it was for Longwood Medical Area charity fund raiser. He is sooo gracious and charming too. Does a lot for music education also. Thanks for posting your comment.

[@adrianaflute1958]

JS BACH & YOYO MA are defiantly my heroes

[@vicentemarindiez]

wonderful. It's the best

[@benthebeast1112]

@lizzy89 I'm glad you made this comment. Today at my school, a cellist by the name of Tomas Ulrich played with my jazz teacher and another pianist named Tim Sund. He was incredible and it was totally mind blowing to see how well he could improvise on a cello, which is pretty hard to do. Everybody else in my class kept making fun of him and laughing the whole time because he made some weird faces when he played, but its really hard not to like u said. i play guitar and do the same thing.

[@VoodooPeaches]

idk probably the conductor is so enthralled with the music yym is producing that nothing else matters he is an amazing musician

[@TheTradge]

Daniel Barenboim is the perfect conductor for this Concerto, and the bearer of the Davydov Cello is the perfect musician! Yo Yo Ma is a fantastic musician, I love his interpretation of Elgar, 2nd to Du Pré's!

[@khmerbelover]

wat i really like about him is that the way he move his fingers so fast, i like the dinamic too it cool!!!!!!

[@ehypersonic]

@lizzy89 those face just show us the way he fell the music he's playing and how much he enjoy doing it.

[@maunarciso]

I think that he really doesn't give a damn if he looks weird, he is concentrated in his music not in his face, and that's what distinguishes the good musicians from Ke$ha. Music is an art of sound, not of image. He doen't mean to look good, he means to SOUND good! He simply doesn't care what he looks like! The fact is that he is incredibly good with the cello!

[@CharCharCodes]

amazing!

[@aventura1617]

@lizzy89 the way he feels the instrument and plays it, it really makes me want to learn to play. he seems to be in love with the music and just be one with it, although his face is extremely funny it shows how much pleasure he gets out of just playing the instrument

[@stoutishpayload]

i actually teared up...

[@mossywittenberg]

You know what you're right. I've just been expressing my personal taste and what really matters is the sound of the music, not anything else. Apologies for expressing my veiws in such a foreful way.

[@TheXStephen1]

I love the fast bowing technique. Where he only moves his wrist. When I play fast songs that have 16th notes, I move my entire forearm. I just can't seem to figure out how to JUST move my wrist.

[@jonbarnes8202]

+Aliki Wen it might look like he's not moving his arm, but there definitely is motion. You would die in this movement trying to just move your wrist. It's all about keeping your wrists loose allowing the bow to bounce and small arm motions.

[@JohnDoe-qq8ws]

If you want to learn how movements, try practicing fast-paced songs that require wrist movements, to practice wrist technique. Apparently I learned it off of the bat without practice, so I never drilled on it. I'm sorry if I can't provide better advice.

[@TheMuzicar93]

it is amazing, as i already sad!

[@ParthofthePigeons]

Look how much fun he's having.

[@MrGoodCelloGuy]

damn!! He make it look so easy!! :D ha ha its my hero!! :D I dont know how but im going take classes with him.. :)

[@mattshin1]

Love the alternating of 3rd and 4th fingers at 2:44

[@andrewanderson3016]

Haha he probably was thinking “I’m playing this over and over so I might as well not bore myself”

[@aaronconner86]

@erickantor Thats a very good observation. You see it ever now and then in various solo works. He's doing it for the sake of contrast. I'm studying the Bach Suite in D Minor right now and am finding similar things. But if you notice when he ends the phrase on his 3rd finger he set himself up for the finals chords.

[@hcreighton]

awesome

[@androc75]

@lizzy89 Well done! Said like it must be said. Appreciated by most.

[@warpvolta22]

Every musician has his/her face when playing something and i am sure the conductor understands that.

[@Slice_of_Crime]

I've almost forgotten how good Yo-yo Ma is since I haven't listened to him in a while. Still a lovely piece and performed extraordinarily well.

[@SuperGilles27]

The Jimmi Hendrix of classic music.Saw him at De-anza college. Very nice and affable person.

[@NoahWitte]

The man is a genius!

[@willsi]

Wow, rapture and awe.

[@rapfan228]

yeah - i've listened to this recording as well as dupre's, and i'd have to agree

[@musikgirl1]

Well,my 52 years have probably made me a bit biased.I have 5 du Pre' Elgar recordings,including the 1st in 1963 and the last in 1973.I also have Casals,Starker and an incredible recording of Beatrice Harrison being conducted by Elgar himself(late 20's). If you take the Elgar/Harrison recording as true to what Elgar wanted,than du Pre's many versions come the closest.

[@Sam-xi7kf]

Esse vídeo do Yo Yo Ma me deixa alegre, de vez em quando eu o assisto. UEHEUH xD

[@jamflu]

@lizzy89 The faces he is making here are not common to his performance. But they were very common to Jacqueline Du Pre's performances. He is playing the piece which Du Pre "owned" on her Cello being conducted by Du Pre's widower. I think he is channeling her in some way. Either way, listen to Du Pre playing Elgar on KZbin. Probably the greatest performance ever of the piece. IMHO

[@score3087]

Superb!! Cgb😊

[@danielmeirelis2]

esse cara é doido.... um monstro

[@eversmot]

Thanks sir :D

[@minoruhackerguy]

@lizzy89 WELL put. Really, when playing the piano, I always end up looking absolutely mentally handicapped. Haha I can't help it, there is just so much to care about when you play that everything else in that instant doesn't matter. I once played the piano on this grand in the mayo clinic when I was visiting my uncle because he didn't have one. I hadn't even realized that I was playing for 7 hours and missed dinner and scared my family to death.. all the while, I'm sure I made those faces. :-D

[@tobuslieven]

Does anyone know why they seem to have cut off the first section? At the very beginning of the video, you can just hear him playing the last note of it. Why cut it off? It's my favorite bit.

[@thiagobravo]

Just Enjoy the music!

[@bestdiogoever]

lol in the begining, you can see the cellist on his side completely blown away when Yo Yo starts those fast bowings :O

[@Celloics]

Actually Jackie left Yo-YO the Davidov Stradivari (1712), this is his cello made by Domenico Montagnana (1733).

[@crisangoda]

excelso!!

[@1998alchemyfreak]

Awesome :D

[@brussoni]

The conductor doesn't laugh because he is amazing.

[@narutofreaktenten]

i personally love his facial expressions. It makes me wonder where the song is taking him, and attempt to reach the same place. Just seems like he's having focused fun... Did that make any sense?

[@TheXStephen1]

Good job Yo-Yo Ma!

[@Philipppppppppppppp]

@dkwonism i dont mind the faces as much but its about 99% sure that they are atleast partly an act, as you said, there is no way he does make the same faces when he practices. sometimes i feel very emotionally when i play cello too, so do many other, great cellists, but thoose faces will never come 100% naturally.

[@yokokanai]

hahahahahahahaha i looove his concentration faces... everyone's is different and sometimes they're SO funny. like, when my brother plays cello, he looks half frustrated, half asleep, and it looks like he haates the cello

[@polarisgemini52]

I would be clapping and whistling at the end of this movement. Idc if others are not.

[@Humphreysitima]

@tiggz1977 I find that the word that perfectly encompasses what you are saying is (in this case) cellogasm

[@ggglllllll]

i know this guys a beast!

[@abuckley2k7]

It does make me wonder why poeple post comments on here about who is the better cellist or who holds more expressive quality- music is about individual interpretation as much as anything- no one performer can ever hope to perform a piece with the exact same interpretation as another. We should see the variation, and appreciate that- not try and decide what is better and what is not. Playing the 'cello is all about striking a balance between technical virtuosity and real expression and passion.

[@fetishofmashroomz94]

@meestaryan1444 it is! :)

[@amalousanthi]

She didn't die at the age of 28. At that age she stopped playing the cello, due to the fact that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis. She died at the age of 42... However, before her death Barenboim had an affair with a pianist (even had two sons with her, before Jacqueline's death) However, I also agree that he must remember Jacqueline Du Pre while performing this and he must feel very moved...

[@18everrocks]

o my gosh! his fingers! yoyo ma rocks!

[@stethoscanomaly]

the only way to play so expressively is to feel the emotions of the music, this results in all the funny faces that musicians make. theyre not putting on an act or trying to be dramatic, its just part of playing an instrument. is say, who cares if he looks funny! :)

[@itamarbar9580]

I feel like this movement is a great representative of Elgar's cheery side.

[@Kuraokamii]

even more epic than the first movement

[@hedwig4023]

@shrewsyd its the wood that is that old not the cello

[@sephiroth87932]

its as though the instrument plays for him, like he is just a vessal for the instrument it's amazing how easy it looks but holy crap that looks hard!

[@hedwig4023]

@shrewsyd its 1 and a half million dollers and is 150 yrs old

[@zzn13]

@AlkaloidsAreFun Firstly, we are cellists, not celloists as so many people wrongly name us. Secondly, I suggest you listen to recordings of DuPre, Casals, Rostropovich, and Fournier, to name but a few, before claiming that his passion is unmatched.

[@Evealow]

I wonder if Daniel Barenboim thinks of J. Du pre every time he conducts this piece with a different cellist.. And the cello used during this performance is acually the cello that J. Du Pre left to him upon her death...

[@frankstein9982]

Watch how YYM is making eye-contact over his shoulder with the woodwinds, like in 1:56

[@dancedelirium]

can someone tell me their opinions on the difference between the performance of jacqueline du pre and yo-yo ma on this piece, and why? I find them strikingly different, and I want to know if others agree.

[@BriandaMag09]

omoo!!!!!!! ^o^ i loved (L)

[@simonepechmantesslerszyfli8776]

Para Themis!

[@ZiPolishHammer]

This second movement is every bit as good as Du Pre's if not better.

[@GeorgeWashington-Phelps]

ZiPolishHammer this is heresy

[@junliangho501]

I really wonder what Daniel Barenboim is thinking about whenever he conducts or hear this piece

[@quickclicker]

this sounds great with bose headphones. holy shit its amazing.

[@halneufmille]

It's much more than that.

[@xbasket12x]

@maunarciso You're damn right!

[@Gidenkidenk]

i dont like how most people only listen to the first mvmt, but not the second

[@PlatypusofCalifornia]

Rachmaninoff said when giving concerts he could tell if the audience was bored by the amount of coughing and that once he sped up the tempo furiously becauase there was so much coughing (this was in carnegie hall). And there is someone coughing every five or so bars here, 1:37 in particular, and listen to the end! They should give out free cough drops XD/;

[@munkybrain]

interesting tone that comes across here. Have theories about tone production that fly in the face of every teacher i've spoken to hehe

[@basser119]

You might be already know this, so dont think i am lecturing you, but if you dont, its just that because its a movement in a work, its very strict that you dont clap until the whole concerto is finished. If you did, you would cop the worst look from everyone!!!

[@josetheixeira]

@SuperGilles27 Did you know him, or you say he is affable person without reasons?

[@cellogeek95]

I like Yo-yo ma´s version more than Du pre´s. Yo-yo Ma plays with more control. But that´s my opinion. And it´s very fun to watch!

[@shedon2]

This is not the begining of the second movement by the way...