Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott have teamed up for the third time in "Songs of Comfort and Hope," dedicated to all the people who are going through tough times around the world.
Published : 10 Dec 2020, 02:19 PM
The album, coming out on Friday, starts by acknowledging the Black Lives Matter movement with "Ol' Man River."
Other tracks include "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Moscow Nights," "Waltzing Matilda," and the South African lullaby, "Thula Baba."
"All of these songs have specific meaning for people in different places," Ma said, noting that the coronavirus pandemic had been a global experience.
In November, Yo-Yo Ma and Stott performed in Taiwan under strict pandemic restrictions he described as surreal.
"I go straight from the room to the car to backstage to onstage and then go straight back. Yeah, don't see anybody, don't talk to anybody. It's really weird," he said.
"And then you go into a hall, it's like 5,000 seats and people, everybody's in masks and they're sitting together. It's kind of really special."
Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma with pianist Kathryn Stott, his long-time collaborator, offer 'Songs of Comfort and Hope,' a new album dedicated to people who are going through tough times around the world https://t.co/8s1rCm543P pic.twitter.com/2xq6lrVhoO
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 10, 2020