Yo-yo Ma and Kathryn Stott are long-time collaborators and have recorded and performed together over decades. Their latest release, “Songs of Comfort and Hope”, is a companion to their “Songs from the Arc of Life” (2015) and very much a response to the global pandemic of 2020. At first glance, the program could be considered a saccharine mix of overly sentimental melodies. But on repeated listening comes the revelation that given a proverbial new coat of paint, many of the arrangements are contemporary, accessible, and performed with integrity.
Opening and closing as a ‘prelude’ and ‘postlude’ are arrangements of ‘Amazing Grace’ for cello and piano. Made and produced by the composer Graham Fitkin, they show parallels with some of Max Richter’s albums, if you like this sort of thing. With the use of multi-tracking and sound effects, Ma plays the multiple lines with restraint, highlighting the song’s melancholia and gentle emotion.
‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and ‘We’ll Meet Again’ are synonymous with Judy Garland and Dame Vera Lynn. But the arrangements we have here, along with ‘Fantasy on Waltzing Matilda’, are done tastefully so as not to be overbearing with sentimentality, but to showcase Ma and Stott’s skills in repertoire not immediately associated with them.
Interspersed are transcriptions of songs by Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov and Poulenc. Rachmaninov’s ‘Zdes’ khoroSho’ may not have the weight of emotion Dmitri Hvorostovsky conveys (“Rachmaninov: Romances”, 2012), but Ma’s execution of the vocal line brings a different lyricism. In Poulenc’s Les Chemins de l’Amour’, Ma and Stott elevate the elegance of Poulenc’s song, elegantly conveying the meaning without a word being sung.
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Ma and Stott work together well, a result of their longstanding musical bond. The arrangements give each musician the chance to be both melodist and accompanist. I did feel that Stott is marginally better at finding the breadths more clearly, as in ‘Going Home’ (track 4).
The booklet is scant on content, with only the basic details on the music and a brief note from Ma and Stott. A little more detail or insight would have enhanced this release. The recording is good, if just a little dry on occasions. The piano has a bright tone and contrasts with Ma’s gentle, rounded sound.
If you know the lyrics of the songs, it’s very difficult not to sing along in your head with these very familiar tunes. There is a reassurance in the familiarity of the music. The success of the album lies in the carefully made arrangements, which are understated but communicative.
While the tracks can be taken individually, they form a greater whole, like stepping stones along a path. The return of ‘Amazing Grace’ brings the musical experience full circle. On returning to the beginning, the feeling of hope increases as we step towards happier times. A tasteful tribute to 2020, with music that will certainly provoke thought and emotion.
“Songs of Comfort & Hope”
Yo Yo Ma – Cello
Kathryn Stott
Sony Classics, CD 19439822372
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