Yo-Yo Ma
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And I think as an immigrant, you're always aware of being able to be on the inside and the outside.
It has that, you know, poignancy. It has that wistful quality. And, you know, you're yearning for something and it could be towards one way or another and whatever. But I can tell you something else that when I was 19, In college they had an orchestra and I was asked to learn a piece of music that at first I was terrified or didn't even like, but I was incredibly attracted to it.
It has that, you know, poignancy. It has that wistful quality. And, you know, you're yearning for something and it could be towards one way or another and whatever. But I can tell you something else that when I was 19, In college they had an orchestra and I was asked to learn a piece of music that at first I was terrified or didn't even like, but I was incredibly attracted to it.
It has that, you know, poignancy. It has that wistful quality. And, you know, you're yearning for something and it could be towards one way or another and whatever. But I can tell you something else that when I was 19, In college they had an orchestra and I was asked to learn a piece of music that at first I was terrified or didn't even like, but I was incredibly attracted to it.
So this was sort of, in a way, going to the dark side. And it's a piece that was written... at the height of the Cold War, Shostakovich, social realism depicting literally that very thing in society. And it's funny how we get so naturally into certain music like that Schubert I loved as a 10, 12 year old. But for the Shostakovich, I wasn't born in the Soviet Union.
So this was sort of, in a way, going to the dark side. And it's a piece that was written... at the height of the Cold War, Shostakovich, social realism depicting literally that very thing in society. And it's funny how we get so naturally into certain music like that Schubert I loved as a 10, 12 year old. But for the Shostakovich, I wasn't born in the Soviet Union.
So this was sort of, in a way, going to the dark side. And it's a piece that was written... at the height of the Cold War, Shostakovich, social realism depicting literally that very thing in society. And it's funny how we get so naturally into certain music like that Schubert I loved as a 10, 12 year old. But for the Shostakovich, I wasn't born in the Soviet Union.
I did eventually visit the Berlin Wall and saw all what people went through to cross the Berlin Wall with all the flowers placed every 50 yards for somebody who tried it and didn't make it. But it was through reading a book about Shostakovich, who I think devoted his life to advocating for the voices of people that were part of that system. And what is interesting is,
I did eventually visit the Berlin Wall and saw all what people went through to cross the Berlin Wall with all the flowers placed every 50 yards for somebody who tried it and didn't make it. But it was through reading a book about Shostakovich, who I think devoted his life to advocating for the voices of people that were part of that system. And what is interesting is,
I did eventually visit the Berlin Wall and saw all what people went through to cross the Berlin Wall with all the flowers placed every 50 yards for somebody who tried it and didn't make it. But it was through reading a book about Shostakovich, who I think devoted his life to advocating for the voices of people that were part of that system. And what is interesting is,
Everybody knew in Russia, in the Soviet Union, knew what that music was about. And it's harder to censor notes than words. But the messages were absolutely clear. Once I understood that that was the kind of advocacy, it's no longer about my voice anymore. but it's about my advocacy for the voices of people that didn't have the voices anymore.