Imagemap

Yo-Yo Ma:
Haute Culture's First String

PAGE 2 OF 3

GOLDSEA | ASIAMS.NET | ASIAN AMERICAN PERSONALITIES

Yo-Yo Ma:
Haute Culture's First String

GS: Do you have any tendencies/weaknesses in your playing style that you make a conscious effort to avoid or correct?
JSL: Music is an art form where strengths can become weaknesses and vice versa. A strength such as virtuosity can become a weakness when your priority values are misplaced. So, I work all the time to make sure that in performance I have the right balance between content, communication and reception. If anything is missing among the three you won't be successful.

GS: From what other musicians or artists have you drawn the most inspiration in your own work?
JSL: Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Emanuel Ax, all share one trait in common - they are very generous. Only from generosity can you have successful mentoring, creating and communicating.

CONTINUED BELOW



Yo-Yo Ma
GS: Tell us the peculiar merits of your Montagnana versus your Stradivarius.
JSL: I play a couple of different cellos. The 1712 Stradivarius cello belonged to Jaqueline du Pres, so it's impossible to play it without thinking of that connection, which is very meaningful to me. I also play a 1733 Montagnana cello. The Montagnana is a wonderful Venetian instrument — it has a baritone sound, whereas the Stradivarius sound is more tenor.

GS: Were you ever teased about your name?
JSL: Of course I was. The surprising thing to me is that to this day people still come up with new jokes about my name.

GS: What was the most difficult time/stage of your career?
JSL: I think that in any career evolution is crucial to success, and evolution is always painful.

GS: What was the luckiest break of your life/career?
JSL: The four years I spent at Harvard made me realize how rich and complex the world is and that there were people who felt as passionately about their work as I do about music. In spite of being proficient in music, I realized that the acquisition and sharing of knowledge is a lifetime endeavor. PAGE 3

Page 1 | 2 | 3



“The surprising thing to me is that to this day people still come up with new jokes about my name.”


CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.