180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE INCLUDES 4 PAGE BOOKLET 15TH ANNIVERSARY UNIQUE COLLABORATION BETWEEN JOHN WILLIAMS AND YO-YO MA AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME! Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams is a 2002 album of John Williams compositions performed by Yo-Yo Ma and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles. The album was recorded on April 4-6, 2001 at the Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California. For an instrument with such rich expressive powers, the cello has long suffered from a shortage of great concertos. Leave it to John Williams, the composer best known for her popular, emotionally charged scores to Star Wars, ET, and many other blockbuster movies, to ride to the rescue with a new "Cello Concerto", an intense, expressive, and rhythmically vital offering tailor-made for Yo-Yo Ma's dexterous touch. Like the composer's "Violin Concerto", this one is imbued with impressionistic textures and colors, but there's also a hard-driving, modern edge. Call it 21st-century Ravel. Williams wrote the concerto with Ma in mind, and it's a test of even Ma's formidable technique. It also boasts powerful orchestral writing, especially for the percussion and brass. Ma's virtuosity is dazzling, and her engagement with the music is typically deep. He makes clear that Williams's music isn't just for the movies; indeed, with her new concerto, Williams has done the cello a great service. Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and is now finally available on vinyl for the first time. A 4 page booklet with an extensive story written by John Williams is included.
