Recordings

An inveterate stylistic dabbler and crossover adventurer, Ma turns his hand here to period instrument practice. He even had his prized Stradivarius retrofitted to something like its original characteristics, and Koopman arranged nine familiar Bach excerpts to feature cello in ensembles of varying sizes and textures. Though imaginatively and stylishly done by all concerned, the pretty, out-of-context results may represent the ultimate mainstreaming of period music--a “greatest hits” collection of bonbons. The two hardly Baroque cello concertos by Luigi Boccherini here--G. 480 in G and G. 478 in D--are something else: vigorous, lovingly detailed voyages of discovery, retrospectively illuminated by Koopman’s cadenzas. The mellow, slightly wheezy sound may not be what everyone expects of Ma, but the sensitively caressed phrasing and subtle play of emotional shades are.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.