Hush, the Sony Classical recording that brought together vocalist Bobby McFerrin and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a unique crossover collaboration, has been certified a gold record by the Record Industry Association of America. Released in 1992, Hush spent 135 weeks on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart, 33 of those weeks at No.1.
On February 15, 1992, Hush entered the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No.93 on April 25. On February 29 of that year, it made its debut on the Classical Crossover chart at No.3, reaching No.1 on March 14 and holding that position until the following October 24. The recording remained on the Classical Crossover chart until April 29, 1995.
Ma and McFerrin formed an instant friendship when they met backstage while performing on Leonard Bernstein's 70th birthday celebration at Tanglewood in 1988. Hush was an outgrowth of their desire to collaborate, finding a common ground between McFerrin's distinctive vocal improvisations and Ma's classical virtuosity. The repertoire mingles original pieces by McFerrin with free interpretations of classical favorites such as the Bach/Gounod "Ave Maria" and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee". Peter G. Davis of New York Magazine called Hush "a delightful bagatelle from two deeply musical talents", and CD Review called the recording "...a treasure for any listener. Through their joyful give and take, lead and follow, and ebb and flow, these two masters built a new dance together. And they invite us all to dance along."
Since the release of Hush, McFerrin has begun devoting himself to conducting, and Paper Music (SK/ST/SM 64600), his Sony Classical recording with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, has been a best seller since its 1995 release. Among his recent releases as conductor is a unique recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos.20 and 23 (SK 62601), with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Chick Corea as soloist.
An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Ma can be heard in yet another ground breaking crossover recording for the label, Appalachia Waltz (SK 68460), on which he performs traditional and original music in the style of Appalachian fiddle music, with fiddler/violinist Mark O'Connor and bassist Edgar Meyer. Ma won his 10th Grammy Award in 1996 for his recording of the clarinet trios of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms (SK 57499) with pianist Emanuel Ax and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. His recent Sony Classical releases include Concertos from the New World (SK 67173), featuring the cello concertos of Dvorák and Herbert, and an all-star recording of Schubert's Trout Quintet and Arpeggione Sonata (SK 61964).
好聽,人聲雖然無歌詞,但他的歌聲讓我驚嘆
