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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

With a performer whose career is as storied as cellist Yo-Yo Ma's, a solo recital's repertoire could consist of anything from Silk Road pieces, Appalachian song arrangements, to Bach Cello Suites.  Last Thursday night's performance at the Folly Theater found Ma and collaborative pianist, Kathryn Stott firmly in the latter category with works by Schubert, Shostakovich, Piazzolla, Gismonti and Franck.

Performing to a packed house, Ma and Stott showcased the peak echelon of musicianship.  They commanded the stage.  It was evident that the audience wanted to clap for every note Ma played - but he and Stott ended each movement with such authority and poise that no one dared.  As fortunate as the adherence to proper clapping etiquette was, the seat etiquette was not held to the high standards. 

A note-if you find yourself coughing more than three times, please quietly and quickly exit the theatre.  That action is far less distracting than causing the entire section in front of you to turn around and shoot you nasty looks. Also, why would anyone bring anything cellophane into a concert hall?  Guess what.  If it makes noise, people can hear it.  Unfortunately those audience distractions took away from the gorgeous music-making on stage.

Schubert's Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano, D. 821 was magnificently played and made me appreciate the piece more than ever.  Since it was written for the now-obsolete arpeggione (a six-stringed musical instrument, fretted and tuned like a guitar, but bowed) and not the cello, it is a somewhat unidiomatic piece.  The hand positions and fingerings can easily become burdensome. 

Not in Ma's performance however.  Everything from embellishments, pizzacatos, florid passages, and melodic lines was handled with deftness and ease.  It was not overly dramatic either, a common flaw in many Schubert performances.  Stott's playing was eloquent and clean-a wonderful counterpoint to Ma's.  She possessed an astounding range of dynamics and even at the softest levels each pitch was discernable.  My breath caught in my throat during the final eight bars when Ma played a gossamer sixteenth note a major arpeggio before the end cadence.  It was transcendent.  I've never heard anything like it.

The change of styles between the Schubert and Shostakovich's Cello Sonata in D minor, Op 40 was gripping.  Ma added more edge and yearning into his sound and Stott turned the piano part into a percussive whirlwind of colors.  I enjoyed how Ma colored his sound from fearless senza vibrato (in the opening moments) to achingly tight and fast on more melodic lines (especially in the Largo).  Some over-exuberant articulations caused some bow clatter but the wonderful moments more than made up for it.  Of note were the natural harmonic glisses that then became piano arpeggios, Stott's precision during the rapid octave scales, and the maintained intensity of the slower, quieter passages. 

Sandwiching the intermission were Piazzolla's Le Grand Tango and follow Argentinean, Egberto Gismonti's Bodas de Prata e Quatro Cantos.  I would have liked a grittier Piazzolla from both players.  The fault is probably Piazzolla's writing though, as the orchestration is thick with both instruments occupying the same sonic space.  The ending with the octave double-stops was certainly impressive and gloriously in tune.  The Gismonti was a welcome addition to the program.  It was the perfect sorbet before the murkiness of the Franck.  I enjoyed his exploration of low melodic writing as many solo cello pieces are A-string dominated.  The bird-like opening gesture in the piano was very effective especially when it returned in the middle and ended the piece.  The morphing into the sound world of a smoky jazz club was also handled well by both composer and performers.

Franck's Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano was originally intended for cello until Eugène Ysaÿe convinced Franck to adapt it for violin.  I prefer the violin adaption as the cello version is too dark. Extra darkness on top of an already thick, maudlin piece does not help the piece compositionally.  That being said, Ma and Stott performed the piece expressively, befitting its Romantic roots, without teetering into overt sentimentality.

In a much deserved double-encore, Ma and Stott graciously played the jaunty Cristal by César Camargo Mariano and Saint-Saëns "Swan" from Carnival of the Animals.  I look forward to hearing both performers again at some point.  They should not be missed; just don't come with a cold.

 REVIEW:
Harriman-Jewell Series
Yo-Yo Ma in recital with Kathryn Stott, piano
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Folly Theater
12^th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
www.hjseries.org

By Lee Hartman

Editor-in-Chief; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Lee Hartman holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A., M.M.) and the University of Delaware (B.M.). At the University of Delaware, he received a Dean's Scholar position enabling him to pursue an individually designed academic program combining music education and composition. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City he served for three years as the Assistant Director to Musica Nova, the conservatory's new music ensemble, while teaching a variety of composition classes.

In 2007 he was invited to both the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík, Iceland and the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China to give lectures and master classes in composition. In the summer of 2009, Hartman served as an orchestra manager for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Aspen Opera Theater Center for various performances. He serves on the National Executive Committee of the Society of Composers, Inc. as Submissions Coordinator. His primary composition instructors include James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, John Beall, and Jennifer Margaret Barker. He currently teaches music theory at the University of Central Missouri and general music classes at Park University having previously taught at UD (2007–08) and UMKC (2006–07).

His compositions can be found at http://www.leehartmanmusic.com