On Oct. 13, Yo-Yo Ma teamed up with Spanish guest conductor Juanjo Mena to deliver Antonín Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's (BSO) Symphony Hall. A name like Yo-Yo Ma tends to speak for itself, but, as this performance came to prove, he deserves his acclaim. Not many cellists have the ability to make a 40-minute piece feel as if it happened in a few minutes.
Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto enjoys a reputation as one of the most well-known cello concertos in popular repertoire. Besides the virtuoso cello part, the genius of the cello concerto lies in the careful textures that Dvo?ák's crafts between the orchestra and the soloist. These textures demand a seamless connection between orchestra, conductor and soloist.
Mena was able to execute these fine relationships as if he had been conducting with the BSO for years. He smoothly lead the piece between its tricky alternating high and low registers. His process was as pleasant to watch as it was to listen to; with his animated and almost balletic conducting style, he made it look easy to guide an orchestra.
Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto is a three-movement work that is primarily structured as a theme and variation form, meaning that the piece repeats a fundamental melodic base with alterations. The powerful main theme introduced by the forte orchestra foreshadows the entrance of the soloist; this theme is heard in variation over the course of the entire piece.
Theme and variations tend to be more difficult to conduct. Since there's less wholly unique material to work with, the performers must focus on keeping each variation sounding fresh. Mena handled the task at hand adeptly; rather than articulating each reprise as a simple continuation of the main theme, he gave each an individual direction by allowing the piece to unfold naturally.
At the professional level, the most important aspect of concerto performance is the chemistry between soloist and orchestra.
Oftentimes, concerto soloists have difficulty listening to the orchestra as well as performing with it. Ma's ability to effectively communicate with the orchestra came through in his mini duets with woodwinds, brass and string players; he complemented the other parts rather than eclipsing them. Ma even smiled and made eye contact with the concertmaster during the second movement.
What sets Ma apart from other cellists is his ability to create a broad spectrum of tones. He made his cello sing during the tranquil and lyrical second movement and, only minutes later, played octaves and double stops that effectively pierced through the orchestra. Ma never lacks in tone, even when he plays at the high register of the cello. Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto offered the perfect opportunity for Ma to display his technical repertoire in a way that is just as musical as it is virtuoso.
Though the main theme was addictive, the most memorable part of Ma's performance came during the third movement, in which the resolute piece unexpectedly eases its way into a sweet elegy. Ma took the piece completely off its trajectory to offer one last lyrical and memorable moment before the orchestra built back up and concluded the piece. Interestingly, this coda was added after the death of Josefina ?ermáková, a piano student in whom Dvo?ák's was romantically invested. It is rumored that the coda of the Cello Concerto is a tribute to Josefina.
In some ways, Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto is as physically demanding as it is mentally demanding. Ma's playing style is very dynamic, and puts a lot of stress on his body. He performed with the cello leaning very far back, whereas older performance videos show Ma in a more conventional posture. This indicates that Ma might be having slight back complications; fortunately, if that is the case, it did not seem to affect his performance at all.
At the end of the performance, applause thundered, and the crowd saluted the musicians with a standing ovation. Ma and Mena walked side by side, laughing and smiling at each other as Ma shook hands with the performers and called all the orchestral parts to stand up. The spell was only broken when the lights came back on.
