May
8, 2024, after Yo-Yo recorded a piece for solo cello and orchestra by John Williams, he asked me if I wanted to read a cello duet with him, "just for fun", reminiscing our childhood in Paris. I could not believe that, at the end of an evening of recording, he would still have the will and energy to play more music with me. But he insisted and there we were, out of the blue, casually and spontaneously sight reading a piece we never played together (Largo of the Vivaldi Concerto for two cellos), while every musician in the studio was packing and ready to go home.
Our friendship, since we were kids in Paris, has survived time and space and I will never forget that unique moment with one of the most extraordinary human beings on the planet and exceptional artist. I became a cellist because I heard him when I was five and then studied with the same teacher, back in France. Merci, dearest Yo-Yo! Infinite gratitude.