Yo-Yo Ma for me too - more flowing, lyrical, with lots of variation in light and dark, and really resounding bass notes. The firat felt a litle abrasive by comparison, but that might be the recording/playback quality, rather than the artist. I adore cellos.xxx
My two favorite orchestral sounds are cello and French horn, but I can play neither instrument.
Mischa Maisky's version (Bach one) is more emotional, played with much feeling, like something from the Romantic period, a period of music I really like (Tchaikovsky, etc.).
This fact actually makes me like Yo-Yo Ma's version (Bach two) better, as he played more in the manner the audiences of Bach's time would have heard it, perhaps more the way Bach intended it to be played. Virtuoso but more mechanical -- not impassionate exactly, but in a much more controlled way than the Maisky rendition.
Of course, Yo Yo Ma grew up in Paris and the United States, while Mischa Maisky was born in Latvia and spent eighteen months in a Soviet prison camp. This may account for the difference in emotionality of playing. Maisky shows a Russian influence through and through. Yo Yo is clearly Chinese in temperament: calm, cool, and collected.
I really should stop before I get myself in trouble.
Yo-Yo Ma's rendition has so much more life and movement. It is vibrant, and carries me along with the music. Maiski sounded as if he was playing a dirge in comparison.
Why do I have to like one best? Turn off the monitor and just listen... better yet, have someone else select the artist so that the listener does not know which one is playing. Then choose. The only thing I know for certain is that my own interpretation of the piece would sound nothing like either of those.
I've had a soft spot in my heart for Yo-Yo Ma ever since he appeared on "Mister Rogers" (an American television show for children, if you don't know.) So, even without hearing them, I'll vote for Mr. Ma.
A very difficult choice, in my opinion! They are both beautiful, but I think I prefer Maisky's rendition. I grew bored with neither though, after playing both several times in my attempt to choose. The cello is probably my very favorite instrument. I was a violist once upon a time, but I often wished I had learned the cello instead (though I still love the viola!) And now I know exactly what to post for today :)
Comments are very much appreciated. I will often answer your comment here too. So please click on the email link. Sometimes the most interesting part of a post are the comments ;-)
A difficult choice. My preference? Yo-Yo Ma. I think.
ReplyDeleteYo-Yo Ma for me too - more flowing, lyrical, with lots of variation in light and dark, and really resounding bass notes. The firat felt a litle abrasive by comparison, but that might be the recording/playback quality, rather than the artist. I adore cellos.xxx
ReplyDeleteMy two favorite orchestral sounds are cello and French horn, but I can play neither instrument.
ReplyDeleteMischa Maisky's version (Bach one) is more emotional, played with much feeling, like something from the Romantic period, a period of music I really like (Tchaikovsky, etc.).
This fact actually makes me like Yo-Yo Ma's version (Bach two) better, as he played more in the manner the audiences of Bach's time would have heard it, perhaps more the way Bach intended it to be played. Virtuoso but more mechanical -- not impassionate exactly, but in a much more controlled way than the Maisky rendition.
But that's just my opinion.
Great post, by the way! Thank you.
Of course, Yo Yo Ma grew up in Paris and the United States, while Mischa Maisky was born in Latvia and spent eighteen months in a Soviet prison camp. This may account for the difference in emotionality of playing. Maisky shows a Russian influence through and through. Yo Yo is clearly Chinese in temperament: calm, cool, and collected.
ReplyDeleteI really should stop before I get myself in trouble.
For me this is an easy choice. Definitely Maiski. I like the slower tempo and the dramatic crescendos and decrescendos. Reminds me of flying.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Yo-Yo Ma, but this piece felt rushed. I wasn't a fan of the way he holds his bottom note at the beginning of the phrase.
That being said, I am not a music critic, and both musicians are beautiful artists.
Is it a trick question?
ReplyDeleteYo-Yo Ma's rendition has so much more life and movement. It is vibrant, and carries me along with the music. Maiski sounded as if he was playing a dirge in comparison.
Just my opinion - and what do I know?
Bach to the future - YoTo Ma.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the information you gave me on the Singapore flower. You have so many talents ....
Why do I have to like one best?
ReplyDeleteTurn off the monitor and just listen... better yet, have someone else select the artist so that the listener does not know which one is playing. Then choose.
The only thing I know for certain is that my own interpretation of the piece would sound nothing like either of those.
I can't decide I enjoyed them both :( but I will be back to listen again :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not 'answering' all your comments, because I just like to 'listen' this time. In case you were wondering......;-)
ReplyDeleteI've had a soft spot in my heart for Yo-Yo Ma ever since he appeared on "Mister Rogers" (an American television show for children, if you don't know.) So, even without hearing them, I'll vote for Mr. Ma.
ReplyDeleteA very difficult choice, in my opinion! They are both beautiful, but I think I prefer Maisky's rendition. I grew bored with neither though, after playing both several times in my attempt to choose. The cello is probably my very favorite instrument. I was a violist once upon a time, but I often wished I had learned the cello instead (though I still love the viola!) And now I know exactly what to post for today :)
ReplyDelete