How to separate the dancer from the dance? In the case of Yo-Yo Ma, it’s simply impossible to differentiate between the stunning sounds he creates with his cello and the extraordinary human being holding the instrument. Asked to create a new recital piece for him to be premiered this month in San Francisco, I thought about both the musician and the man as I composed Hymn for the Future.
The piece is inspired by the starry-sky photograph on the cover of Yo-Yo Ma’s latest release, Notes for the Future, which offers tributes to the next generation in a diversity of styles. The album’s aesthetic range of the album spans from classical to hip-hop and much in between, and the soundworld is equally rich – with electronic beats and imaginative production weaving around Yo-Yo’s playing.
Equally important is the humanistic impulse behind the album. Anyone who encounters Yo-Yo knows he has a passionate belief in the power of music to bridge cultures and transcend differences. In contrast to the tone of much of the conversation on this topic today, Yo-Yo speaks in a positive and aspirational way. And he does this with the highest musical integrity: few artists in any medium have crossed aesthetic boundaries so substantively. His collaborations with everyone from Bobby McFerrin to Edgar Meyer have elevated all sides of the equation.
Paying homage to the humanistic sentiment behind the musician, I created a soulful electro-acoustic hymn that conjures the artist amidst a magnificent celestial backdrop, dreaming of hopeful days ahead. I’ll be performing the piano part on Hymn for the Future when it premieres on November 13 at the new Bowes Center in San Francisco.