Yo-Yo Ma returns to Tanglewood stage

What makes Yo-Yo Ma so popular?

By K en Ross Special to The Republican

Why is Yo-Yo Ma so popular?

Why do so many people love him?

And if you don’t believe me, go to Tanglewood this Sunday afternoon.

One of the largest crowds of the summer will be there to hear the world-famous cellist playing Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Andris Nelsons.

The same will surely be true when Ma and pianist and longtime friend Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos perform an all-Beethoven program at Tanglewood on Aug. 25.

Thousands of people will show up to hear this once-in-a-generation musician. This is nothing new.

Every time Ma performs, he attracts thousands of adoring fans. More than any other classical musician in decades, the 67-year-old cellist packs concert halls like no other classical musician in the world. Trust me. I’ve seen it, time and time again. Think of it as “The Yo-Yo Ma Effect”whenever he performs, there’s a massive crowd.

The only classical musician who comes close is violinist Joshua Bell, who recently performed Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the BSO at Tanglewood on July 30. Why?

What is it about Ma that makes him so popular?

There are many reasons why. Actually, I think there are ten reasons why Ma is the most-beloved classical musician in the world.

Let us count the ways.

1. Prodigy

Like Mozart, Ma’s gift for music became clear at a very young age. He started playing the cello at the age of four

More Info

• Yo-Yo Ma and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Andris Nelsons perform on Sunday at 2:30 pm at Tanglewood in Lenox.

• Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos perform an all-Beethoven program on Aug. 25 at Tanglewood.

years old, according to Ma’s personal website. By the age of seven in 1962, he was studying how to play the cello at The Julliard School in New York, one of the best music schools in the world. That same year, he performed on live television for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower, with an introduction by Leonard Bernstein. So much for elementary school recitals.

2. Familiarity

Ma’s live television performance in 1962 was the first of many. Two years later, he performed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. During his lifetime, Ma has performed for nine Presidents, at the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City with Sting and twice on “Mister Rodgers’ Neighborhood.” You might have also noticed him on “The Simpsons” and more recently in the movie “Glass Onion.” He’s everywhere all at once.

3. Technique

You can’t become as famous as Ma without being a phenomenal musician. His technique has been routinely hailed by critics as flawless and exquisite. And like many of the greatest in what they do — Roger Federer playing tennis or Michael Jordan shooting a basketball – Ma makes everything look effortless, everything look easy — even when it’s some of the with Ma on a deep level.

5. Playful

Along with being passionate, Ma is playful. He has a great sense of humor and doesn’t take himself seriously. You can clearly see that when he’s on stage or talking with interviewers on television or anywhere else. This is someone who enjoys having fun, someone who’s confident enough to not take himself too seriously. In that respect, he’s practically Canadian. (Trust me. I’m married to one. The jokes never stop.)

6. Adventurous most complicated musical passages.

4. Passion

It’s not just how well Ma plays. It’s the passion he brings to playing the cello that makes him stand out. You can clearly see how much Ma enjoys doing what he does. You can’t fake passion. You can’t pretend you love doing something. And audiences recognize that and connect

MOOSE

Many classical musicians — and people in general — play it safe. Ma has always done things different. He doesn’t play the same pieces with the same orchestras. He’s constantly searching for something new and exciting, constantly exploring new possibilities. He regularly performs new works. He’s played with bluegrass musicians, Carlos Santana, James Taylor and on a cover album of Metallica songs. He’s played in museums, on stage with dancers with the Mark Morris Dance Company, Mikhail Baryshnikov and recently played in a cave in Kentucky. He constantly takes music fans somewhere unexpected.

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