Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach

Series of six diverse films set around a common theme: J.S Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. "Six Gestures," combines Ma's cello performance with ice dance sequences by Torvill and Dean. In "Falling Down Stairs," choreographer Mark Morris struggles to overcome a creative block as he builds a new choreography on the spot. "Sarabande" takes the form of a dramatic film weaving numerous stories in a series of coincidences, examining the effect of music on the everyday lives of the characters. In "Struggle For Hope," Ma and Kabuki actor Tamasaburo Bando collaborate on a dance performance that draws its inspiration from two very distinct worlds. In "The Music Garden," Ma and landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy work together to transform Bach's music into a pattern of flowers in Boston and Toronto. "The Sound of the Carceri" explores the relationship between music and architecture as Ma is placed within the depths of three-dimensional re-creations of Piranesi's prison ("carceri") etchings.

Music