Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams (Compilation)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

First of all, a statement needs to be made. I am not the person that wins easily a thing. Sure, mostly I do when I compete with a certain thing but never something to a degree of great value. But winning a CD has always been something of value and in this case I wasn't winning one but two. For once I knew all the three sound clips at Filmtracks or so I thought. However I mistook Virus for Enemy at the Gates and there I was stranded for sure. Luckily my brother could equally compete and of course he won on my credit. Still, the price was always for me because it was Attack of the Clones which my brother already possessed and along with that I received this score, the mysterious bonus price of John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma. Bad it could not get for sure. And speaking of bad it is absolutely not. It is music that was composed during a year after masterpieces like Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. And Williams in control is the greatest thing a film music fan could wish. So the music is top notch and extremely classically complex, I however couldn't care less because I was bored practically 50 of the 60 minutes while listening to Yo-Yo Ma plays the Music of John Williams. It is a sad thing but the reason why I listen to 'film music' and not the complex brother 'classical music' is because film music interests me, classical music not. Sadly for me, this CD offers us classical music from begin to end.

Still, the line is sometimes really close to the actual film music of John Williams. Almost any time when the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles started to play, it was film music in form, feeling and attitude. Yet, mostly this CD is covered around Yo-Yo Ma himself and that makes it harder for me at least to start with. The first movement is "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra" which starts with 'Theme and Cadenza', a piece that covers a dark mood a la AI: Artificial Intelligence and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial which is good, even the theme which is hardly put at the forefront is catchy but it all stays a little too classical for my liking. The next tracks are harder to appreciate, 'Blues' is simply a wash of pizzicato cello plucks and wailing strings, but not melodic by any means and 'Scherzo' is nothing like it sounds but simply the dark tones of Jurassic Park which don't conceive a sense of melody to me. 'Song' is much more to my approval and states besides the better Cello performances equally a good orchestral backup which is mesmerizing sometimes, especially during the middle. "Elegy for Cello and Orchestra" is probably speaking purely through emotion and brilliance the best piece of all. Williams wrote this piece to represent a tragic event in the life of one of his colleagues and it is without question truly heartbreaking in the sense of emotion. The theme which never appears loudly is excellent but hardly used in a form of orchestral emotion that it is perfect for those who were connected to it, too light for those who care of film music per se. Still, Williams says it is an expansion of the Seven Years in Tibet theme and almost it flows one time into the territory of that score.

There is another part of movement entitled "Three Pieces for Solo Cello" that graces the album but only for me in its existence here. This is why I don't listen to classical music. The Williams trademarks are almost long gone and here the complex, atonal, dissonant non thematic tones appear like it is from some classical composer of the era. Yet, it is without question John Williams and it might be perfect for those who like it, but not in my book. 'Rosewood' is moody and dark, 'Pickin'' is filled with guitar plucks and other things and just like all the others, 'The Long Way North' is simply a track that flows through me. Yet, the almost 16 minute track 'Heartwood' is covering at last good film music moments. Speaking not of the emotional brilliance in track 5, this track is the most memorable for its melodic flashes of Williams' music. At times moving into the territory of Jurassic Park due to its flute solos, and between 7.30 and 8.20 the music flies through strings giving you the magic of Seven Years in Tibet. The orchestra equally appears at the end more and more and gives you the best melodic music. However speaking primarily as music, this is classical and not film music. The themes which are no doubt about it present each and every second are simply harder to notice and make almost no apparent impression to me, except for some. The performance is excellent by both the orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma but the music itself is lacking in my personal impression one thing, an interest towards my taste. I have never said that this is bad music but it is music that doesn't evoke one moment of interest and putting it into my CD-player is already the hardest thing I could do. People that appreciate the harder forms of classical music will no doubt love every second of it but I only accept several well known pieces of this complex artistry of the past. So when you buy the CD remember one thing clear. The name of the album says it all, Yo-Yo Ma plays the music of John Williams. Yes, music! But not film music!

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Tracks

Single Disc

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra

1. Theme And Cadenza (9.12)

2. Blues (4.38)

3. Scherzo (5.11)

4. Song (11.12)

Elegy for Cello and Orchestra

5. Elegy For Cello And Orchestra (6.21)

Three Pieces for Solo Cello

6. Rosewood (5.36)

7. Pickin' (2.35)

8. The Long Way North (6.13)

Heartwood

9. Heartwood (15.42)

Total Length: 66.47

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=== Link to Composer Site: John Williams ===