Photos and Videos
Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill perform a classical composition arranged by John Williams.
Yo-Yo Ma's Not-So-Live Inaugural Performance
Too cold to play at the Inauguration
Getty Images
Inaugural committee officials say the famed quartet could not play live because the cold made their instruments fall out of tune.
advertisement
The musical composition heard by millions at the inauguration was actually an audio tape, recorded days earlier.
Carole Florman, spokesperson for the Join Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, says it was too cold for the instruments to stay in tune, so the famed quartet decided to use the taped version.
It was 28 degrees at 12:00 pm, when Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Izhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill began their performance.
The song, titled "Air and Simple Gifts," was composed specifically for Barack Obama's inauguration, just before Obama took the oath of office.
Ceremony attendees with seats near the musicians could hear them play, but the instruments were not amplified.
The next NBC Washington PNC Bank Community Shred is scheduled for June 16, 2012.
Check Out
© 2012 NBCUniversal, Inc. All rights reserved.
Portions by Broadcast Interactive Media.
A Division of NBCUniversal