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 Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone. Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, Ennio Morricone, conductor. (Sony Classical 93456)
It has been said that the most highly skilled worker on any film is the composer of its musical score. No one other than Steven Spielberg has remarked that music is 50 percent of a movie. This past summer sadly saw the passing of three of Hollywood's greatest film composers: Jerry Goldsmith (Planet of the Apes), David Raksin (Laura), and Elmer Bernstein (The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird). Despite the "end of an era" laments, movie music seems to be flourishing in other corners of the classical music world. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who studied with Leonard Rose in both Juilliard's Pre-College Division (1964-71) and the School's Professional Studies program (1971-72), has been featured on the soundtracks to a number of films, including Seven Years in Tibet and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Now, for his latest Sony Classical release, he has taken up the cause of Italian film composer Ennio Morricone. Morricone's career in film music began at the height of the 1960s spaghetti Western craze and has flourished ever since. This album focuses on his big, romantic, and mostly recent scores, including Once Upon a Time in America, Cinema Paradiso, and The Untouchables. Morricone has crafted the lush arrangements specifically to highlight the singing tone of Ma's cello, while grouping much of the music into suites centered on the directors Giuseppe Tornatone, Sergio Leone, and Brian De Palma. In these arrangements, Ma's cello often serves as a stand-in for another solo instrument, whether it's the pan flute in the original Mission score or the ghostly, wordless vocal parts that inhabit The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. If there's any complaint here, it's that some of Morricone's edgier, more experimental scores are overlooked, and some of his trademark effects have been glossed over (the eerie whistling, dissonant harmonicas, thundering brass, etc.) Still, it's an enjoyable introduction to a composer often overlooked, and Ma brings both deep affection and star power to the enterprise. Eroica Trio Performs Beethoven. Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56, with the Prague Chamber Orchestra; Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11. (Angel/EMI Classics 5 62655 2)
Beethoven's Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano is generally not considered one of the composer's most winning works in the chamber music canon. It has a reputation for stiffness and formality and is often regarded as the stepchild of the more imposing works that Beethoven composed around the same time, including Fidelio, the Fourth Piano Concerto, the Piano Sonata No. 23 ("Appassionata"), and the Violin Concerto. This doesn't faze the Eroica Trio, which claims the distinction of playing "the Triple" more times than any other ensemble. In the Eroica's hands, we're less inclined to dwell on the work's shortcomings—the somewhat clunky development sections and lack of a showy cadenza—and more on Beethoven's subtle effects for the soloists and their interaction with the orchestra. We also appreciate what a workout this piece is for the performers. Cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio brings intensity and focus to the rapid passagework in the rondo finale and a singing tone to the largo movement. Her colleagues—pianist Erika Nickrenz and violinist Adela Pena—keep pace, culminating in an electrifying finale. If a surplus of impetuosity leads to an occasional forced phrase or scraped note, it is refreshing in an era of canned, overly polished studio recordings. It's worth noting that the Eroica's sense of teamwork has its roots at Juilliard, where its members, as students at the School in the mid-1980s, decided to join forces as the Eroica Trio. The Grammy-nominated ensemble went on to win the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music award in 1991, and signed with EMI Classics in 1997. This is their sixth release on that label, and it features the Prague Chamber Orchestra, a conductorless ensemble steeped in the old European performance tradition. As a bonus, the disc features a thoroughly enjoyable account of the early B-flat Trio, Op. 11. Mention this column at the Juilliard Bookstore to receive a 5-percent discount on this month's featured recordings. (In-store purchases only.)Brian Wise is a producer at WNYC radio and writes about music for The New York Times, Time Out New York, Opera News, and other publications.
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