Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and French actor Marion Cotillard perform an intensely mystical duet

20 January 2025, 15:02

Marion Cotillard et Yo-Yo Ma interprètent « Le Pont » de Victor Hugo | Notre-Dame de Paris

By Will Padfield

Two world-class artists united for a performance of spellbinding power in the newly reopened Notre Dame Cathedral. 

When Notre Dame Cathedral reopened last month, six years after the fire that almost destroyed the building, it gave the world some of the best musical moments of 2024.

During the star-studded ceremony inside the cathedral, brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon played a violin and cello duet and Lang Lang joined forces with the legendary conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

There were also less conventional musical moments, such as when the grand organ of Notre Dame was ‘awakened’ in a call-and-response dialogue between the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, and the organ.

An equally ‘dramatique’ moment of the ceremony came when Yo-Yo Ma collaborated with the French film star Marion Cotillard to perform a poem by Victor Hugo. Cotillard is one of France’s most recognisable actresses, appearing in an array of award-winning films, including La Vie en Rose, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. 

Yo-Yo Ma and Marion Cotillard in Notre Dame. Picture: Youtube screen grab

In the performance, Cotillard gives a chilling reading of Hugo’s poem Le Pont (The Bridge), whilst Ma interjects the poem with improvised gestures on his cello. The poem is deeply moving, dark and mysterious opening with a cry of desperation:

‘I had darkness before my eyes. The abyss

That has no shore and no peak,

Was there, gloomy, immense; and nothing moved there.’

Ma perfectly captures the essence of the text, complimenting Cotillard’s delivery with gentle brush strokes of the cello that are chilling to listen to. The timing between the two legendary performers is perfect, with both leaving space for the immense hall to carry the sound into every corner of the building.

Yo-Yo Ma is no stranger to improvised performances and has frequently raised the importance of it being embedded in musicians’ education, telling The Strad: “Classical musicians today have moved away from improvisation, but it’s an essential part of owning the music.”

If I Could Listen to Only 3 Classical Pieces for the Rest of My Life

Links to the videos I used: 0:16 ~ 2:58    • Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade - Legen...   3:06 ~ 5:56    • Beethoven - 5th Piano Concerto 'Emper...   6:05 ~ 9:06 Movement 1:    • H. Grimaud 1/3 Rachmaninov piano conc...   Movement 2:    • H. Grimaud 2/3 Rachmaninov piano conc...   Movement 3:    • H. Grimaud 3/3 Rachmaninov piano conc...   **No copyright infringement intended. **I don't monetize my videos.

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UPLB, through the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), brings you a free concert

 UPLB, through the Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA), brings you a free concert featuring the UP Symphony Orchestra (UPSO) titled “And… we’re back! UPSO returns to UPLB” on 24 January 2025 (Friday), 6 PM at the DL Umali Hall.

The concert celebrates the reopening of the DL Umali Hall, a landmark cultural venue in UPLB that has hosted countless significant academic, cultural, and artistic events over the years. It also marks the much-anticipated return of UPSO to UPLB, promising an evening of extraordinary music and unforgettable performances.

Pre-registration is currently full, but walk-ins are welcome, subject to the availability of seats.

See you there!

#UPSOreturnstoUPLB

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Rodolfo S. Comejo - his music and his life

Rodolfo S. Cornejo, a composer, pianist and conductor, was born on the 15th of May, 1909, in Manila. His parents are Miguel Cornejo, Sr. and Crisanta Soldevilla. In 1949, he married Nieves Guerrero, a lyric soprano. The couple had five children. 

Rodolfo Cornejo started piano lessons with Gelacio Reyes at age six. At age eight, he had his first recital, and he became the organist of the Pasay Catholic Church. He wrote his first composition, Glissando Waltz, at age 10. He also wrote and published a military march, Salute, at age 13. At 16, twenty-six of his works had been listed by the United Publishing Co.. While he was finishing his high school, he was already enrolled at the University of the Philippines (UP) Conservatory of Music. 

At the UP Conservatory, he studied under Dr. Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo and Alexander Lippay. Barely three years after completing his high school, he obtained his teacher's diplomas in piano, science and composition. He taught for a year at UP, then left for the United States. He acquired a bachelor's degree in piano and theory at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University in 1932. He won the Wesley Le Violette scholarship in composition, went on to complete his master's degree in 1933. He studied with Rudolf Ganz and Glenn Dillard Gunn. 

In 1934, he returned to the Philippines, founded and directed the Manila Conservatory of Music. He again left for the US in 1939 to pursue doctorate studies in composition. He earned his doctorate degree in 1947 at the Neotarian College in Kansas City, USA. In his US sojourns, Cornejo was a soloist with various orchestras, such as the New York City Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra Association, and many others. During World War II, he played at concerts for the Allied Armed Forces. In 1941, he became researcher and official composer of the Philippine government-in-exile. In 1945, the Chicago Musical College awarded him an honorary doctorate in music. 

In the Philippines, he became director of the Cosmopolitan Colleges Conservatory of Music from 1948 to 1949. He also concertized. He wrote scores for twenty-seven films during his 10 years as musical director of Sampaguita Pictures. He is founding member of the League of Filipino Composers.

He wrote over 300 compositions. These ranged from classical to pop. His major works include The Season - Song Cycle (1932), A La Juventud Filipina (1935), Philippine Symphony No. 1 (1939), No.2 (1942),  and No. 3 (1947) all for piano solo; Oriental Fantasy (1944) and Philippine Fantasy with Marimba Solo (1962). He wrote music for the ballets Ibong Adarna (1970) and Baile de Ayer (1974). His cantata Christ the Redeemer for soloists, narrator, mixed chorus and orchestra, premiered at the Philamlife Auditorium in 1977. He also wrote a musical A Glimpse of Philippine Life and Culture, which premiered at the Seattle Opera House in 1978. He is listed in the International Who's Who in Music. 

Rodolfo Cornejo died in Manila on the 11th of August, 1991.

Rodolfo Cornejo: Philippine Rhapsody No. 1 - Karen Fatima Francisco