The Walls by Sergio Assad feat. Yo-Yo Ma

Music has the power to pass through seemingly impenetrable walls. It can bring people together across physical, social, economic, cultural, and religious barriers. In this spirit, Sergio Assad composed The Walls, as a lament for the human divisions that inspired their creation, and as an aspiration to a future without walls. Originally written for solo guitar with guitar orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma asked his friend Sergio to adapt it for solo cello. In this recording, Yo-Yo Ma is accompanied by leading guitarists from across the globe, representing the diverse geographical and cultural areas portrayed in this evocative piece. Cast in five movements (“Great Wall of China”; “Hadrian’s Wall”; “Berlin Wall”; “Middle Eastern Walls”; and an epilogue, “No More Walls”), the piece draws our attention to these man-made barriers, ancient and contemporary. They stand as testaments to humanity’s inability to bridge cultural divides. And the ruins of the Chinese and Roman walls, in all their grandeur, show how all walls might som