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.
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.
@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.
@zzn13 Wow, no need to be so snooty about it. =/ I'm sorry if I'm not allowed to have my own opinion without offending you. I'm sure their are pleanty of other great CELLISTS out there. Don't be so bitter
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!
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...
I am a lower class from Asia but I like Western Classical music. We are free world to choose what music to hear and like. I like DuPre performances but Ma is also very passionate and skillful as well ( I don't like to use 'talented' as life-long practices is always the key to success). Ma's performance is, nt doubt, highly acclaimed by audiences as well as by Barenboim (if one knows his pains from this piece of music).
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.
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.
@tiggz1977 when most musicians make facial expressions like this I always say to myself: "i bet you 100 bux that this dude is totally making these faces on purpose to look like he is totally into the song" there are so many great cellist and musicians who never felt the urge to make retarded faces and still play asgood...
@Philboy50 That is such a non sequitur: the fact that there are virtuosos that do not make such facial expressions as displayed by YYM cannot be used to deduct what is beneath them. Though I understand what you are saying, considering the difficulty of this piece and laudable quality of his performance, I think it is hard for pretension to abide, and even if so, given his noted amiable personality, I think not of a mask of deception, but of courtesy and respect.
@Philboy50 Courtesy and respect not just to the audience that loves not just what it hears, but also what it sees - passion incarnate, but also to his fellow musicians - how can you not be impressed by the connection between the soloist and the rest of the orchestra? Other soloists - not to deride at any respect - can be, at least to the perspectives of other musicians, annoyingly solipsistic, but YYM is different and to that, I pay homage to this wonderful man.
@dkwonism his weird faces have nothing to do with the connection to the orchestra. i love it when he looks at the orchestra and tries to communicate, the weird faces have nothing to do with any of that.
@Philboy50 Again, what if everything was part of him being in tune with his cello, the orchestra, and the audience? I.e. what if his weird faces are but manifestations of his mentality that produces not just his performance but other things such as that you also deem positive? Besides, even if he doesn't make those weird, nay, beautifully distorted faces when he practices - which can come across them as being rather pretentious, I can respect that beautiful transformation ...
@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.
@sarahbauman well, im from a family of musicans, too :P and yes ofc you sometimes make weird faces but not THAT typ of unnatural stuff, manly looking concentrated, not retarded...
He makes those expressions because he's adrift within the music. If you're intimately entwined in a song and feel it's notes moving up, down, and every way in between, you may just notice you'd be bobbing and swaying, and making 'odd' expressions as well. It's simply moving with the feeling you derive from your ears. It's a beautiful thing.
@Matuha751 Most pro musicians make odd facial expressions when they play. It's like having sex...it's so personal and so pleasurable. If you could play any instrument well, you would understand. Clearly you don't.
@Matuha751 Most pro musicians make odd facial expressions when they play. It's like having sex...it's so personal and so pleasurable. And the musician is consentrating on making the best music they can, they're not really concerned with what they look like while playing. If you could play any instrument well, you would understand. Clearly you don't.
Really, I have no words to describe the performance. The closest word to depict the emotion that I feel upon viewing and listening his performance is sublime.
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.
@phi223 Blaming YYM for your lack of persistence and obvious mental determination is childish. You are simply trying to shift the blame so you don't feel so regretful. This reflects on your personality poorly...giving me the impression that you lack character. Get some before you starting trying to blame one of the world's best cellist for a rash and irresponsible decision that you and you alone decided.
Stop aruging about the faces stop complain. The reason he does it is because he can feel the music. At a certain point the music becomes pure nirvana for the musician. Lots of musicians make faces when they are intensely playing music. The music takes over your body. Its the same as Metal heads head banging and making faces and Rappers nodding there head and making faces. Its an outlet and its relaxing.
can someone please explain the weird fingering he's doing at 2:44 to me? why is he switching between 3 and 4? I'm just a intermediate level cello student so excuse my naivety.
@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.
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
what ever i can do that.... oh shit..... never mind his faces are awesome!!! when i play my cello my friends say i look mad when i play but i am really happy!!!! i love cellos you rock yo yo ma!!
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
This is by far some of the best work I've ever heard --especially the first movement. You can see Yo-Yo Ma so deeply captivated in in his art, the meditation undergoing in his body and the manifestation of his spirit within the instrument. He needs no sheet not because he knows the work, but he feels it deep within him. Such a beautiful example of human potential. If only I could meet this man in person.
@neonaction That's a REALLY stupid thing to say, just because one is an incredibly able performing musician doesn't mean that one would be able to write good music themselves! Performance and composition are two completely different abilities, and quite a number of composers in the world are by no means the best performers! It takes real skill to be able to do both exceptionally, and it's rare that one finds someone who can do both to a world class standard!
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.
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.
the man can play cello.you cant take that away from him.but my god does it look like a fucking retard while doing it.theres a fine line between "looking passionate," and looking like your gona blow your load from playing an instrument.
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! :)
You can tell that he's consumed by the music, so I guess it's really not that different from an orgasm. All I can say is that I wish I could play well enough to be swept away in the joy of my own music.
As a musician I must admit those "weird faces" hes making, they help.... sometimes you don't even know you are doing them until you watch yourself.... point being that of, don't criticize for that, gather something worth arguing about, stop flaming, its filling the page up with nonsense and i would enjoy meeting people who actually appreciate it as much as i do. Thanks.
@lizzy89, I've never heard the second movement, but I've listen repeatedly to the 1st. This appeals to me even more so. I still like the 1st, but my God what depths Elgar must have been driven to when composing the 1st. Wanna bet he was a bi-polar/manic depression type II. Even so, I'm gratefull for his gifts.
@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 YouTube. Probably the greatest performance ever of the piece. IMHO
@jamflu If you ever have seen other Yo-yo Ma performances, then you would know that those faces he makes *are* normal. That's just how Yo-yo is. I may have watched an exception to one of Du Pre's performances here on YouTube, but the one I saw was not nearly emotional as this particular one.
@lizzy89 Well said. I have seen footage of myself afterwards and had to laugh at myself. Of course, I am in NO way comparing my playing to Yo-Yo Ma... he's a master :o)
@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
@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...
@Philboy50 Hahahaha. Okay. well post a video of you playing this and as soon as you do that you'll be allowed to make fun of Yo Yo Ma. BEST CELLIST IN THE WORLD. Philboy I've never even heard your name. This man played for President Kennedy at the age of five. Don't even attempt to compare yourself to him.
@SamanthaGirafa nah i obviously didnt meant to compare myself to him. and ofc every musican makes some wierd faces every once in a while when it gets really intense but he takes the weird faces to another level xD just kidding...
@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
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.
@lizzy89 ok, but he looks like hes mad close to just cumin his slacks....come on now you and i both know tht hes only doing the looks to emphasize the emotional sector of this tasty jam
@lizzy89 yeah they actually do help ALOT cos ur more involved in the music and it helps you keep the time and better phrasing etc, but i gotta say man, he's pretty over the top with it and does look rather hilarious because of that. but i guess playing if i was playing something this hard (which i can't do, i don't even play cello lol) i'd probli be doing the same or similar haha.
@lizzy89 I play a variety of instruments, and I have to agree. If you really appreciate the music and totally immerse yourself, you tend to make odd faces. It's just your body's way of surrendering to something you've put your all into.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
It's pretty clear to me how one can say that after watching this. Yo-yo is clearly making characatures of orgasmic faces while playing. I must say also it often strikes me as pretentious and ridiculous when i see musicians being that "into it". Although in yo-yo's case playing this piece, maybe it just helps him bow faster.
Exactly, your "metaphor" is used to describe what the musicians are to their instruments. i know what a metaphor is. But still, that's not the word that many people would use, it's kinda awkward describing them in that way.
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!!!
Wow, if think making any two objects is considered "", then you're wrong. Okay, I put two pencils together, they're having "". You're really smart, you don't just describe those kind of things with that term, I wouldn't be surprised if you got slapped in the face.
Trolling about a talented musician playing passionatley is no metaphor. It's just trolling. You attempted humour and failed, just deal with it and move on.
And because I like to chime in with useless bullshit, your "think before you think" comment fails to ring as 'deep' with me.
It's not trolling if the user is giving a fact. I rather not care what you think is "deep" or what you think is "bullshit". When something is obvious it's obvious. Perhaps you need to make moe friends. See that not everyone is senseless like yourself.
Why don't you guys just drop it? If this guys, just want to use his own metaphors to describe stuff then let him be. We've told him how senseless it is, but if he wants to do it, then wahtever.
even more epic than the first movement
MrJames9999899 6 hours ago
Awesome :D
1998alchemyfreak 2 months ago
i actually teared up...
stoutishpayload 2 months ago 2
Look how much fun he's having.
ParthofthePigeons 2 months ago 3
I only wanna see him and the cello or just the cello. Stop filming just his face...
jackp22 2 months ago
idk why he is wearing glasses. Its not he needs them while hes going all exorcist LOL XD
SirVla 2 months ago
Yo Yo Ma ROCKIN THE TROLL FACE
Kakureen 3 months ago
@Kasamias9: The conductor (Daniel Barenboim) is probably thinking "Stop looking at me!"
LucyGoozie 4 months ago
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.
tubamarc8891 4 months ago
Imagine what he's like in bed.
Cavin8r 4 months ago
@Cavin8r lol
shenvalley25 4 months ago
Totally sick, but I have to say, this dude looks like he is just jizzing left and right.
Cj4x35 5 months ago
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.
dancedelirium 5 months ago
Only Yo-Yo Ma can get into the zone he gets in when he plays. I don't see passion like his among any other celloists.
AlkaloidsAreFun 6 months ago in playlist Cello
@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.
zzn13 3 months ago
@zzn13 Wow, no need to be so snooty about it. =/ I'm sorry if I'm not allowed to have my own opinion without offending you. I'm sure their are pleanty of other great CELLISTS out there. Don't be so bitter
AlkaloidsAreFun 2 months ago
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!
maunarciso 7 months ago 3
@maunarciso You're damn right!
xbasket12x 6 months ago
I appreciate that Yo Yo Ma really gets into the music and has no shame in showing everyone how deep into it he is.
chickenyogurt 7 months ago 2
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?
narutofreaktenten 7 months ago 3
@narutofreaktenten You sure did ;)
TCavalcanti 6 months ago
haha i luv the faces he makes LMFAO
MzShuffleNava 7 months ago
Lol musicgasm xD
InsaneMagnolia935 8 months ago
I am a lower class from Asia but I like Western Classical music. We are free world to choose what music to hear and like. I like DuPre performances but Ma is also very passionate and skillful as well ( I don't like to use 'talented' as life-long practices is always the key to success). Ma's performance is, nt doubt, highly acclaimed by audiences as well as by Barenboim (if one knows his pains from this piece of music).
TommyLeungCW 8 months ago
Someone's enjoying himself up there :D
Yo-Yo Ma is great, I love this :)
TheEmpress666 9 months ago
first 30 seconds = WHAAAAAAAT>???
StopTheMoti0n 9 months ago 2
Jesus! im coming!!!........
tecagasdelarisa 9 months ago 2
He's Yo Yo Ma. He's allowed to make whatever the hell faces he likes when he plays cello.
carysannie29 9 months ago 35
What i love about watching Yo Yo Ma play is how he looks like he enjoys playing the music.
alsoo....his cello has such a pretty rich tone. Probably a very well made, but old cello.
im jealous.
shrewsyd 10 months ago
@shrewsyd
l0l, I think anyone/ everyone would be jealous! xD
DulceRubiaCoda 10 months ago
@shrewsyd its 1 and a half million dollers and is 150 yrs old
hedwig4023 9 months ago
@hedwig4023 hahahha. thats a buttload of money.
and ok.
the cello is somewhat old then because of the wood.
shrewsyd 9 months ago
@shrewsyd its the wood that is that old not the cello
hedwig4023 9 months ago
2:43 he alternates fingers to help himself keep track of which beat he is on. It's the little things like that which can make a huge difference.
bpfastfeet25 10 months ago
Yo-Yo Ma looked like he was orgasming the whole time. :o I'm so horny nowwww
Sananikei 10 months ago
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.
fresianhorses108 10 months ago
good!
cindymao1 11 months ago
good
cindymao1 11 months ago
fantastic!
cindymao1 11 months ago
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.. :)
MrGoodCelloGuy 11 months ago
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.
tiggz1977 11 months ago 56
@tiggz1977 when most musicians make facial expressions like this I always say to myself: "i bet you 100 bux that this dude is totally making these faces on purpose to look like he is totally into the song" there are so many great cellist and musicians who never felt the urge to make retarded faces and still play asgood...
Philboy50 9 months ago
@Philboy50 That is such a non sequitur: the fact that there are virtuosos that do not make such facial expressions as displayed by YYM cannot be used to deduct what is beneath them. Though I understand what you are saying, considering the difficulty of this piece and laudable quality of his performance, I think it is hard for pretension to abide, and even if so, given his noted amiable personality, I think not of a mask of deception, but of courtesy and respect.
dkwonism 8 months ago
@Philboy50 Courtesy and respect not just to the audience that loves not just what it hears, but also what it sees - passion incarnate, but also to his fellow musicians - how can you not be impressed by the connection between the soloist and the rest of the orchestra? Other soloists - not to deride at any respect - can be, at least to the perspectives of other musicians, annoyingly solipsistic, but YYM is different and to that, I pay homage to this wonderful man.
dkwonism 8 months ago
@dkwonism his weird faces have nothing to do with the connection to the orchestra. i love it when he looks at the orchestra and tries to communicate, the weird faces have nothing to do with any of that.
Philboy50 8 months ago
@Philboy50 Again, what if everything was part of him being in tune with his cello, the orchestra, and the audience? I.e. what if his weird faces are but manifestations of his mentality that produces not just his performance but other things such as that you also deem positive? Besides, even if he doesn't make those weird, nay, beautifully distorted faces when he practices - which can come across them as being rather pretentious, I can respect that beautiful transformation ...
dkwonism 8 months ago
@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.
Philboy50 8 months ago
@Philboy50 I'm from a family of musicians, and we've got a lovely array of stupid faces we all make when we play instruments. It just happens... lol.
sarahbauman 8 months ago 3
@sarahbauman well, im from a family of musicans, too :P and yes ofc you sometimes make weird faces but not THAT typ of unnatural stuff, manly looking concentrated, not retarded...
Philboy50 8 months ago
@tiggz1977 their*
69YearOldPedophile 1 month ago
@69YearOldPedophile Troll, and yes you are*
tiggz1977 1 month ago
@tiggz1977 i bet you dont even know what a troll is
69YearOldPedophile 1 month ago
He makes those expressions because he's adrift within the music. If you're intimately entwined in a song and feel it's notes moving up, down, and every way in between, you may just notice you'd be bobbing and swaying, and making 'odd' expressions as well. It's simply moving with the feeling you derive from your ears. It's a beautiful thing.
TupperwareNinja 11 months ago 4
eargasmic
xjpnfanx 1 year ago
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Close your mouth, dirty Japanese Stupid Karatist!!!
Matuha751 1 year ago
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Close your mouth, dirty Japanese Stupid Karatist!!!
Matuha751 1 year ago
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Close your mouth, dirty Japanese Stupid Furk!!!
Matuha751 1 year ago
@Matuha751 Most pro musicians make odd facial expressions when they play. It's like having sex...it's so personal and so pleasurable. If you could play any instrument well, you would understand. Clearly you don't.
Suki278 1 year ago
@Matuha751 Most pro musicians make odd facial expressions when they play. It's like having sex...it's so personal and so pleasurable. And the musician is consentrating on making the best music they can, they're not really concerned with what they look like while playing. If you could play any instrument well, you would understand. Clearly you don't.
Suki278 1 year ago 3
Really, I have no words to describe the performance. The closest word to depict the emotion that I feel upon viewing and listening his performance is sublime.
dkwonism 1 year ago
Wow, he switched to pizzicato fast as hell at the end
Violinkid05 1 year ago
I'm seeing him in April and the wait is killing me.
TeeHeeHee73 1 year ago
@TeeHeeHee73
whereeee?????
VanesaLovesBieber 1 year ago
LarissaFMattos (Video 02 - n.1/JSBach Prelude)
Mau12123 1 year ago
i gueess he is not conected with the orchertra , but i like it , guess he is thinking in other stuff... ^^ but he is incredible.
JethroZeaHopper 1 year ago
i gueess he is not conected with the orchertra , but i like it , guess he is thinking in other stuff... ^^ but he is incredible.
JethroZeaHopper 1 year ago
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.
phi223 1 year ago
@phi223 Blaming YYM for your lack of persistence and obvious mental determination is childish. You are simply trying to shift the blame so you don't feel so regretful. This reflects on your personality poorly...giving me the impression that you lack character. Get some before you starting trying to blame one of the world's best cellist for a rash and irresponsible decision that you and you alone decided.
fireflys20 1 year ago
@fireflys20
Take it easy, I was joking. I just meant he did a really good job.
phi223 1 year ago
Astonishing. truly
BrezHurley 1 year ago
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.
bullrage74 1 year ago
Stop aruging about the faces stop complain. The reason he does it is because he can feel the music. At a certain point the music becomes pure nirvana for the musician. Lots of musicians make faces when they are intensely playing music. The music takes over your body. Its the same as Metal heads head banging and making faces and Rappers nodding there head and making faces. Its an outlet and its relaxing.
Hallstaintedred 1 year ago
@Hallstaintedred complaining.
Hallstaintedred 1 year ago
and all this without sheet music. In fact, he doesn't even need his eyes.
Theguitarmansam 1 year ago
I play cello, and I'm doing this piece, but I don't know why he does that fingering. That's what I was wonderint too. :P
massivepickledpotato 1 year ago
can someone please explain the weird fingering he's doing at 2:44 to me? why is he switching between 3 and 4? I'm just a intermediate level cello student so excuse my naivety.
erickantor 1 year ago
@erickantor i am a violinist not a cellist, but perhaps he does it for comfort, or to ensure the tuning is good. and articulation doesnt get mushy.
pitabread12 1 year ago
@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.
aaronconner86 1 year ago
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
yokokanai 1 year ago 3
Wow. This movement sounds hard as hell.
meestaryan1444 1 year ago
@meestaryan1444 it is! :)
fetishofmashroomz94 1 year ago
This is perfect.
Deep in my soul!
rebecaalexandrino 1 year ago
i cant believe i hadn't heard his work before though i did know of him. he is a great musician.
:D
anikat92 1 year ago
i cant believe i hadn't heard his work before though i did know of him. he is a great musician.
anikat92 1 year ago
When u feel music, u have no control over ur body. Maybe u dont feel it, thus u make fun of his expressions. Pity
aakoss 1 year ago
for gods sake i make weird faces watching it, it so intense
copenhagen1966 1 year ago
The cello's sound is so beautiful!! Great song!
ThePoeticRain 1 year ago
I used to play violin, then clarinet, and still play sax and guitar... those faces just happen.
Musicamillion 1 year ago
@Musicamillion exactly. .how can you express emotion without actually feeling them?
austinlee168 1 year ago
what ever i can do that.... oh shit..... never mind his faces are awesome!!! when i play my cello my friends say i look mad when i play but i am really happy!!!! i love cellos you rock yo yo ma!!
chocholic123 1 year ago
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
necromycus 1 year ago
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You know it's intense when Yo-Yo Ma goes into excorsist mode...........
Kasamias9 1 year ago
You know it's intense when Yo-Yo Ma goes into excorsist mode.........
Kasamias9 1 year ago 71
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You know it's intense when Yo-Yo Ma goes into excorsist mode.......
Kasamias9 1 year ago
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You know this is intense when he goes into excorsist mode.........
Kasamias9 1 year ago
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Kasamias9 1 year ago
music is like sex...come on!
83papple 1 year ago
i dont like how most people only listen to the first mvmt, but not the second
Gidenkidenk 1 year ago
I actually think his faces make the performance more enjoyable. I'd rather watch him than some stoical guy playing the same exact part.
tunelesstune 1 year ago
@tunelesstune exactly! it's more interesting anyways
thedarkknight469 1 year ago
Climax, then the orgasm. 1:06
TreeHooker11 1 year ago
This is by far some of the best work I've ever heard --especially the first movement. You can see Yo-Yo Ma so deeply captivated in in his art, the meditation undergoing in his body and the manifestation of his spirit within the instrument. He needs no sheet not because he knows the work, but he feels it deep within him. Such a beautiful example of human potential. If only I could meet this man in person.
Jugglesama 1 year ago 3
He's like a giant, rapturous, hamster! Who happens to be a virtuoso cellist!
rmcdaniel423 1 year ago
This is awesome! Yo-Yo Ma is so talanted. He's sound is absolutely pure. Best cellist of the world in my opinion.
TheMusicFaculty 1 year ago
I think I shall try some weird faces like in :34 and :40
might let me play better
technoflame64 1 year ago
esse cara é doido.... um monstro
danielmeirelis2 1 year ago
He play's great, everyone should stop talkin about his face and talk about his wonderful playing I love the way he plays x
Stahh2010 1 year ago
Kind of reminds me of a hummingbird or bee flitting from place to place
GSD022 1 year ago
lol in the begining, you can see the cellist on his side completely blown away when Yo Yo starts those fast bowings :O
bestdiogoever 1 year ago
could i hear him breathe in sharply?
thecarrotdude 1 year ago
To my percepction everything yoyoma plays feels rushed, imo.
SoundsFromEmptiness 1 year ago
WHY DON'T HE COMPOSE HIS OWN FUCKING MUSIC?
neonaction 1 year ago
@neonaction That's a REALLY stupid thing to say, just because one is an incredibly able performing musician doesn't mean that one would be able to write good music themselves! Performance and composition are two completely different abilities, and quite a number of composers in the world are by no means the best performers! It takes real skill to be able to do both exceptionally, and it's rare that one finds someone who can do both to a world class standard!
TheTradge 1 year ago
i love how he gets the big grins on his face throughout the fast licks...proves he REALLY enjoys himself.
befryxell 1 year ago
and he memorized every single bit of this peice! amazing!
mofogachoga 1 year ago
To play on such a high position, with such clear tone and brilliance! YYM is one of a kind..
mofogachoga 1 year ago
omoo!!!!!!! ^o^ i loved (L)
patooowac 1 year ago
Few people realize that when you're giving your entire consciousness over to the music, facial expressions are not high in your mind's priority list.
AdvocateToTheAccuser 1 year ago 3
Sure, he makes some weird faces... But he's better than you, therefore, he's allowed to make them.
Mgjaggers 1 year ago 143
@Mgjaggers Well it looks more like constipation and or org
Giggyblood 10 months ago
Lol this guy is richer than all of us combined. Don't hate the playa hate the game!
FuturePharmD91 1 year ago
He looks funny when he plays the cello! I play the cello too! :)
horses995abc 1 year ago
Yo Yo Ma is one of the best musicians living, in my opinion. He's fantastic and this piece of music is amazing...
ggreene245 1 year ago
the Stradivare cello always sound's better :)
pbaron23 1 year ago 3
interesting tone that comes across here. Have theories about tone production that fly in the face of every teacher i've spoken to hehe
munkybrain 1 year ago
The Jimmi Hendrix of classic music.Saw him at De-anza college. Very nice and affable person.
SuperGilles27 1 year ago 9
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.
lotusbuds2000 1 year ago
@SuperGilles27 Did you know him, or you say he is affable person without reasons?
josetheixeira 1 year ago
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.
tobuslieven 1 year ago
for those of you who are making fun of the way he is making a face while playing, i bet he would love 2 c u do any better than the way he is playing
TwistOfReality1 1 year ago
this sounds great with bose headphones. holy shit its amazing.
quickclicker 1 year ago 4
the man can play cello.you cant take that away from him.but my god does it look like a fucking retard while doing it.theres a fine line between "looking passionate," and looking like your gona blow your load from playing an instrument.
TescoColclough 1 year ago
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! :)
stethoscanomaly 1 year ago
You can tell that he's consumed by the music, so I guess it's really not that different from an orgasm. All I can say is that I wish I could play well enough to be swept away in the joy of my own music.
PChanmisao 1 year ago 2
He should try more than just the cello I think but he looks extremely passionate about it. I wish I could play the cello that well.
Ariesboy017 1 year ago
it looks like he've fallen in love with the cello,no wonder he plays every piece with alot of expressions
lolMJ2 1 year ago 4
sometimes i still regret that in 5th grade i chose the violin as my first choice and cello as my second.
amazing.
monkeynutsx3 2 years ago
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!
sephiroth87932 2 years ago 5
i think my teacher gave this to me to learn... just before i quit... oops
thundershaft4u 2 years ago
YO YO MA. YO DA MAN!!!
ihearttaylors 2 years ago 4
he doesnt even look like hes trying..
bballbrotha6 2 years ago 3
amazing!
XxfirehellxX 2 years ago
the most hardest movement of the song
nertin123 2 years ago
@nertin123 piece.
sutphoe 2 years ago 2
bloody brilliant :D
11timesjuly 2 years ago 2
As a musician I must admit those "weird faces" hes making, they help.... sometimes you don't even know you are doing them until you watch yourself.... point being that of, don't criticize for that, gather something worth arguing about, stop flaming, its filling the page up with nonsense and i would enjoy meeting people who actually appreciate it as much as i do. Thanks.
lizzy89 2 years ago 107
i know this guys a beast!
ggglllllll 2 years ago
@lizzy89, I've never heard the second movement, but I've listen repeatedly to the 1st. This appeals to me even more so. I still like the 1st, but my God what depths Elgar must have been driven to when composing the 1st. Wanna bet he was a bi-polar/manic depression type II. Even so, I'm gratefull for his gifts.
taosimplicity 2 years ago
@lizzy89 those face just show us the way he fell the music he's playing and how much he enjoy doing it.
ehypersonic 1 year ago
@lizzy89 yeah i totally agree. they happen when youre in your deepest concentration hahaha
diamondbass11 1 year ago
@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 YouTube. Probably the greatest performance ever of the piece. IMHO
jamflu 1 year ago
@jamflu If you ever have seen other Yo-yo Ma performances, then you would know that those faces he makes *are* normal. That's just how Yo-yo is. I may have watched an exception to one of Du Pre's performances here on YouTube, but the one I saw was not nearly emotional as this particular one.
Stoltzfus 1 year ago
@lizzy89 Well said. I have seen footage of myself afterwards and had to laugh at myself. Of course, I am in NO way comparing my playing to Yo-Yo Ma... he's a master :o)
AndrewJamesLiles 1 year ago
@lizzy89 Well done! Said like it must be said. Appreciated by most.
androc75 1 year ago
@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
minoruhackerguy 1 year ago
@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..
linanocci 1 year ago
@lizzy89 well, i play cello myself and never caught myself making spastic facial expressions xD but hey, if he likes to, why not?
Philboy50 1 year ago
@Philboy50 Hahahaha. Okay. well post a video of you playing this and as soon as you do that you'll be allowed to make fun of Yo Yo Ma. BEST CELLIST IN THE WORLD. Philboy I've never even heard your name. This man played for President Kennedy at the age of five. Don't even attempt to compare yourself to him.
SamanthaGirafa 1 year ago
@SamanthaGirafa nah i obviously didnt meant to compare myself to him. and ofc every musican makes some wierd faces every once in a while when it gets really intense but he takes the weird faces to another level xD just kidding...
Philboy50 1 year ago
@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
aventura1617 1 year ago
@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.
benthebeast1112 1 year ago
@lizzy89 ok, but he looks like hes mad close to just cumin his slacks....come on now you and i both know tht hes only doing the looks to emphasize the emotional sector of this tasty jam
amay2010 1 year ago
@lizzy89 It's because he's playing with emotion..
FollowThatTempo 1 year ago
@lizzy89 yeah they actually do help ALOT cos ur more involved in the music and it helps you keep the time and better phrasing etc, but i gotta say man, he's pretty over the top with it and does look rather hilarious because of that. but i guess playing if i was playing something this hard (which i can't do, i don't even play cello lol) i'd probli be doing the same or similar haha.
jeremyhillaryboobphd 1 year ago
@lizzy89 I play a variety of instruments, and I have to agree. If you really appreciate the music and totally immerse yourself, you tend to make odd faces. It's just your body's way of surrendering to something you've put your all into.
Spicymeatsauce 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
It's pretty clear to me how one can say that after watching this. Yo-yo is clearly making characatures of orgasmic faces while playing. I must say also it often strikes me as pretentious and ridiculous when i see musicians being that "into it". Although in yo-yo's case playing this piece, maybe it just helps him bow faster.
eggory 2 years ago
i will admit his face is making me laugh. but it's their true feelings... how can one ACT while performing in front of a huge audience?
vividvivi94 2 years ago
@vividvivi94 I didn't say he was acting. I said sometimes this kind of thing seems pretentious to me, though in yo-yo's case....
eggory 2 years ago
Exactly, your "metaphor" is used to describe what the musicians are to their instruments. i know what a metaphor is. But still, that's not the word that many people would use, it's kinda awkward describing them in that way.
SageoftheWest 2 years ago 4
I like the enthusiastic clap from the croud at the end of the piece.
NitraicAcid 2 years ago 3
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!!!
basser119 2 years ago 3
Then I would gladly hear your explanation as to why you would use the term "sex" to describe musicians that are really good with their instruments.
SageoftheWest 2 years ago
Wow, if think making any two objects is considered "", then you're wrong. Okay, I put two pencils together, they're having "". You're really smart, you don't just describe those kind of things with that term, I wouldn't be surprised if you got slapped in the face.
SageoftheWest 2 years ago
That's not a metaphor. You think very literally, but not with much thought. Think before you think.
oros123456 2 years ago
Trolling about a talented musician playing passionatley is no metaphor. It's just trolling. You attempted humour and failed, just deal with it and move on.
And because I like to chime in with useless bullshit, your "think before you think" comment fails to ring as 'deep' with me.
COUGHmcCOUGH 2 years ago
It's not trolling if the user is giving a fact. I rather not care what you think is "deep" or what you think is "bullshit". When something is obvious it's obvious. Perhaps you need to make moe friends. See that not everyone is senseless like yourself.
oros123456 2 years ago
Why don't you guys just drop it? If this guys, just want to use his own metaphors to describe stuff then let him be. We've told him how senseless it is, but if he wants to do it, then wahtever.
SageoftheWest 2 years ago