Подмосковные вечера
On June 13, 2021, Ma was the guest on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs". His musical choices included "Tin Tin Deo" by the Oscar Peterson Trio and "Podmoskovnye Vechera - Moscow Nights" by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi. He selected as his book the 24 volumes of the "Encyclopædia Britannica" and as his luxury item a Swiss Army knife. He revealed that his career in music felt like a "gift" after scoliosis had threatened to stop him playing in his 20s.