Air and Simple Gifts
I was moved by sublime music performance , Air & Simple Gifts..during inauguration, to an extent, due to the fact that I ve always loved Yo YoMa’s music
Excerpts form NYT captivating review reproduced here..
The cellist Yo-YoMa, who was asked by the inauguration committee to organize the performance, invited three illustrious colleagues to join him: the renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman; the superb young clarinetist Anthony McGill, a principal player in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (and among the few black artists to hold a principal chair in a major orchestra); and the fiery Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriele Montero. The intrepid performers had to cope with performing outdoors in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s. Ms. Montero, especially, looked to be freezing and wore woolen gloves with the fingers removed. But they all managed remarkably well.…(…)
Itzhak Perlman on violin, Yo Yo Ma on cello, Garbriela Montero on piano and Anthony McGill on clarinet.
The piece begins with a lacy, quietly searching melody for violin, soon accompanied by consoling modal piano chords. The cello joins in with a pensive melodic line that responds to the violin, while the piano gradually prods the music forward with undulant riffs.
Soon the clarinet enters, playing the first two phrases of “Simple Gifts,” the Shaker hymn tune that Copland wove into his beloved ballet score “Appalachian Spring,” using the melody as the theme for an elaborate set of variations. Though Mr. Williams riffs Copland variations closely, his treatment of the tune is distinct enough to come across as something genuine and personal. There is a jazzy episode, with pungent piano chords and flourishes for snappy clarinet. Then the instruments break into a burst of agitated, jubilant counterpoint, with the piano playing Bachian passages of busy 16th notes.
Eventually the piece turns calm again, and the music becomes reflective, with wide-spaced harmonies and quizzical, halting melodic lines. “Air and Quiet Gifts” does not end decisively but settles down and takes stock, for now. Befitting the occasion, it seemed like music of possibilities, with more to come…
Read full feature & watch video in New York Times..
on 22 Jan 2009 at 1:21 pm 1.Nimesh Dadia said …
Dear Lao Aju
The performance indeed was Sublime. I was quite impressed with the Clarinet player Anthony McGill.
Please consider adding this LInk to your POST.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=02Ao9jyq5Vk
Also please refer to the Official Website of Yo YOMA , where you could launch the mplayer and hear sample tracks from his Album.
Nimesh