Songs Of Hope And Comfort

December is a time of anticipation. We wait and we hope - veni, come! The songs on this album encompass many nuances and moods - from joy and jubilant celebration to deep melancholy and longing. They move between folk tunes, English carols and traditional Christmas songs from different times and parts of the world, between Bach and Ives, Bulgaria and Norway. Several of the songs refer to the passing of the year, the cycle of nature and rhythms of daily life: lullabies for peace of mind and comfort, and songs about surrendering ourselves to the unfathomable and unknowable in the midst of our everyday concerns: the stars will always shine in the sky - and dawn will come.

Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott come together again, this time for Songs of Comfort and Hope, set for release on December 11, 2020 on Sony Classical. Available now for preorder, Songs of Comfort and Hope is inspired by the series of recorded-at-home musical offerings that Ma began sharing in the first days of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States. Throughout the spring and summer, Yo-Yo Ma’s #SongsofComfort grew from a self-shot video of Antonín Dvořák’s “Goin’ Home” into a worldwide effort that has reached more than 18 million people.

Unable to find the right words for a friend in need, French film composer Anne Chmelewsky turns instead to music’s power to express the inexpressible. Here, in the unusual ensemble of trombone, strings, harp, vibraphone and piano, she creates exquisite beauty, coloured by a tender, almost otherworldly playfulness. Each instrument adds its magic: Harp, for instance, lends “Presque Valse” a beguiling innocence, while pulsing vibraphone gives an underlying urgency to “Ru”. In perhaps Chmelewsky’s most enticing track, “Jessica’s Escape”, lush strings and trombone inspire feelings of hope and warmth. In fact, you’ll find comfort and solace in every gorgeous track here.