Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott have been friends and musical partners for 30 years. This disc, with its self-explanatory title, joyfully celebrates that collaboration with favourite works, some originally for cello, others arranged for the instrument: Gounod’s Ave Maria as well as Schubert’s; Fauré’s Après un rêve, Elgar’s Salut d’amour and Saint-Saëns’s The Swan. Both players have always been committed to the widest possible variety of repertoire. The most substantial piece is the Louange à l’éternité de Jésus from Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. The soulful Il bell’Antonio, Tema III by the Sicilian Giovanni Sollima (born 1962) leaves a strong impression. This is warm, engaged, vital music making by two of the finest musicians around.
