Yo-Yo Ma

Well, Terry, the first thing I want to tell you is that the cello's name is Petunia.

Well, Terry, the first thing I want to tell you is that the cello's name is Petunia.

Well, Terry, the first thing I want to tell you is that the cello's name is Petunia.

Yeah. And the reason it's named Petunia is because I was playing in Salt Lake City in Utah, probably about 25 years ago, and a high school student whose name I still remember as Brittany asked me, does your cello have a name? I said, no, but I'll play you a piece of music and if you can think of a name, maybe I'll keep it. And so I played a piece of music. She said, Petunia. I said, that's it.

Yeah. And the reason it's named Petunia is because I was playing in Salt Lake City in Utah, probably about 25 years ago, and a high school student whose name I still remember as Brittany asked me, does your cello have a name? I said, no, but I'll play you a piece of music and if you can think of a name, maybe I'll keep it. And so I played a piece of music. She said, Petunia. I said, that's it.

Yeah. And the reason it's named Petunia is because I was playing in Salt Lake City in Utah, probably about 25 years ago, and a high school student whose name I still remember as Brittany asked me, does your cello have a name? I said, no, but I'll play you a piece of music and if you can think of a name, maybe I'll keep it. And so I played a piece of music. She said, Petunia. I said, that's it.

And the name has stuck.

And the name has stuck.

And the name has stuck.

I did it once in my 20s. I did it once in my 40s. I did it once in my 60s. So every 20 years or so, I figured I might get it better.

I did it once in my 20s. I did it once in my 40s. I did it once in my 60s. So every 20 years or so, I figured I might get it better.

I did it once in my 20s. I did it once in my 40s. I did it once in my 60s. So every 20 years or so, I figured I might get it better.

Well, it was written for cello alone, so there was no background or foreground. It had to be all ground, right?

Well, it was written for cello alone, so there was no background or foreground. It had to be all ground, right?

Well, it was written for cello alone, so there was no background or foreground. It had to be all ground, right?

Sure. Well, I can play you one thing from Suzuki Book 5, which is... Which is great. Everybody who plays Suzuki Book Five will play this piece. But bourree is a dance, right? So you're thinking dance, and a dance, a particular dance with steps, and, you know, the dance master would create a dance every week for people to dance on the weekends. So people were really working hard at dances. So...

Sure. Well, I can play you one thing from Suzuki Book 5, which is... Which is great. Everybody who plays Suzuki Book Five will play this piece. But bourree is a dance, right? So you're thinking dance, and a dance, a particular dance with steps, and, you know, the dance master would create a dance every week for people to dance on the weekends. So people were really working hard at dances. So...

Sure. Well, I can play you one thing from Suzuki Book 5, which is... Which is great. Everybody who plays Suzuki Book Five will play this piece. But bourree is a dance, right? So you're thinking dance, and a dance, a particular dance with steps, and, you know, the dance master would create a dance every week for people to dance on the weekends. So people were really working hard at dances. So...

a kind of lightness to your step. It turns it into something that titillates someone else's imagination to say, oh yeah, I can dance to that. As Mark Morris Dance Group choreographed a whole suite to this music to dancers who then created a dance for this bourree. Does that make sense?

a kind of lightness to your step. It turns it into something that titillates someone else's imagination to say, oh yeah, I can dance to that. As Mark Morris Dance Group choreographed a whole suite to this music to dancers who then created a dance for this bourree. Does that make sense?