Nice Yo-Yo Collection
Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 07/14/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach" is one of several titles in Sony's new "Music For You" Series, easily identified by their artsy, photographic covers. The material on this CD has been available previously on CBS Masterworks, and despite amazon's claim above in the title, I can find no indication in the liner notes that these digital recordings from the 1980s have been remastered. And that's not the only thing that's misleading about the title. True, Ma does play music by Bach, but it is sonatas (originally intended for viola da gamba and not cello) by Bach, and the Sinfonia Concertante by Bach's youngest son, Johann Christian Bach. Not that Sony is lying and not that most people will care or feel cheated, but since this title is obviously aimed at classical novices, I just thought I'd set the record straight. In a similar vein, hopefully those that discover both Bach and Yo-Yo Ma via this disc will like what they hear, and go on to get one of Ma's two recordings of the Bach "Cello Suites" -- the real yardstick for composer and performer alike."