In Friday’s (4/29) Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan), C.J. Gianakaris writes, “Only a handful of performers of classical music can generate the audience excitement of cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Witness the overflow house Thursday night at Miller Auditorium, where Ma joined the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra in celebrating the orchestra’s 90th anniversary, playing before over 3400 patrons. … Playing his Stradivarius cello, Ma was showcased in the entire last half of the program, performing two gems in the cello repertoire. First was Dvorak’s enchanting Silent Woods (‘Waldesruhe’) for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68, no. 5, then Tchaikovsky’s wide-ranging, demanding and gorgeous Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33. … Seated next to KSO’s conductor Raymond Harvey, Ma coordinated smoothly with the Maestro. Effortlessly, Ma conjured neatly delineated lyricism matched by charming, sweet responses from the orchestra. One issue: the brevity of Dvorak’s piece left the audience wanting to hear more. … The earlier portion of the concert featured a potpourri of musical styles, beginning with Massenet’s Overture to ‘Phedre’ (1900), Robert Russell Bennett’s concert suite ‘A Symphonic Picture’ (1942) of George Gershwin’s opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ and Percy Grainger’s lush Irish Tune from County Derry.
Posted April 29, 2011
