Yo-Yo Ma Performs Shostakovich's Cello Concerti with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Released on Deutsche Grammophon, the disc also features Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Shostakovich's death, Deutsche Grammophon has released a new recording of both Shostakovich cello concertos by the celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The disc, which was recorded in Boston’s Symphony Hall, also features the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and conductor Andris Nelsons.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

Over the past decade, the BSO has been working on an anthology of works by Shostakovich, with one of the discs picking up a GRAMMY Award. The series covers all fifteen symphonies, new recordings of the complete cello, piano, and violin concertos – the latter with soloists Yuja Wang and Baiba Skride respectively – and the first commercial audio release in more than 20 years of the composer’s only full-length opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.

Yo-Yo Ma's discography includes over 100 albums, 18 of which were Grammy Award winners, and his many accolades include the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), Kennedy Center Honors (2011), the Polar Music Prize (2012), and the J. Paul Getty Medal Award (2016).

He is also a UN Messenger of Peace, and was the first artist ever to be appointed to the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees. Among other philanthropic work, he is a member of the board of Nia Tero, the US-based nonprofit working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements worldwide.

"This piece is as relevant today as it was then," Ma said of the Second Cello Concerto. "I think Shostakovich’s artistic truth was to represent the voice of the voiceless."

"Having Yo-Yo Ma, one of the greatest cellists of our time, join us on our journey through Shostakovich’s music has been an immense privilege and a joy for all of us at the BSO," Nelsons said. "Yo-Yo has a totally unique imagination which infects everyone around him. His incredible range and depth and his humanity are ever present when performing Shostakovich’s demanding cello concertos. We are very proud to present this recording with Deutsche Grammophon, including as part of our complete Shostakovich box set."