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Artist: Sheku Kanneh-Mason
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Sheku Kanneh-Mason:

Shostakovich & Britten w/Sinfonia of London,Wilson

Decca Classics proudly presents Shostakovich & Britten, the new album from internationally acclaimed cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, out today. Featuring Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2, performed with John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London, alongside the cello sonatas of Shostakovich and Britten, this deeply personal recording pays tribute to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, the towering figure who inspired both composers—and Kanneh-Mason himself.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason has a long-standing connection and affinity to Rostropovich and Shostakovich. His 2018 debut album, Inspiration, featured Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto
—the piece that secured his victory at the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition and launched his international career. The album made chart history, making him the youngest cellist ever, at 18 years old, to break into the Top 20 of the UK Official Album Chart. Now, seven years later, he returns to the composer’s music with Cello Concerto No. 2, an introspective masterpiece composed for Rostropovich in 1966, and the Sonata in D minor, written in 1934 for Viktor Kubatsky.

“This concerto is a piece I’ve loved and studied for a long time,” Kanneh-Mason reflects. “It contains some of the most beautiful and sweetest moments in music, as well as some of the darkest and bleakest. To have all of that within one piece is very powerful.”

Following a widely acclaimed tour showcasing the concerto, his October 2024 performances with Sinfonia of London marked a triumphant culmination, earning rapturous reviews. iNews hailed them as “bloody fantastic” (?????), while The Guardian praised his “thoughtful yet tense interpretation,” adding, “the cello’s voice glowed all the brighter for it” (?????). The tour concluded with these celebrated performances, which were followed very shortly by sessions at St Augustine’s, Kilburn.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s performance captures the raw vulnerability and unrelenting depth of Shostakovich’s writing. Reflecting on the recording process, he recalls: “It was very intense spending seven hours in a world of emotions that have a genuine effect on me. John is always searching for more, and the orchestra was invested in every note, which is really the dream for this piece.”

John Wilson adds, “It’s been a real joy to work with Sheku on this particular piece because we both seem to have the same idea of how we want to do it, which is what is on the page. And the fact that we had several opportunities to play is particularly rewarding and gratifying because you can get closer and closer to the truth as you go.”

Sheku Kanneh-Mason:

Song

Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His performance was greeted with universal excitement and was seen by nearly two billion people globally. 

Sheku initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition, the first black musician to take the title. He has released two chart-topping albums on the Decca Classics label, Inspiration (2018) and Elgar (2020). The latter reached #8 in the overall UK official album chart, making Sheku the first cellist in history to reach the UK top 10.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason has included some of his own arrangements including of Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ (written by Burt Bacharach) for solo pizzicato cello, Bach arrangements for multiple cellos, and the folk tune ‘Myfanwy’, his Welsh grandmother’s favourite song. Sheku said, “This is one of my absolute favourite melodies, and one that I’ve known for as long as I can remember. I spent a lot of my childhood in Wales with my family and particularly my Welsh Grandma, so this is for her.”

As well as performing solo Sheku is also joined by family and friends for many of the pieces on his new album Song. He improvises with jazz pianist Harry Baker on ‘Cry Me A River’, collaborates with singer-songwriter Zak Abel on their original song, ‘Same Boat’ and joins the South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza on Massenet’s ‘Élégie’.

The album also includes the world premiere on a new work (commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music, where Sheku studied) from British composer, Edmund Finnis, who wrote the ‘Five Preludes’ especially for Sheku, and a movement from Messiaen’s moving ‘Quartet for the End of Time’.

“I wanted to show who I am as a musician right now,” said Sheku Kanneh-Mason. “In doing so, I was able to showcase different styles and approaches to music.”

Sheku Kanneh-Mason:

Melody

For the first time ever, award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason releases an original composition entitled, "Melody." Written for solo cello, the digital single is out on Decca Classics.

Having just celebrated his 21st birthday, Sheku is happy to mark the occasion with his own work, simple and beautiful with its folksong-like lilt. Those lucky enough to have seen him in concert may have heard him perform it as a surprise encore, but he had no intention of officially releasing it until now.

Speaking from his family home in Nottingham, where he is currently in situ with his six siblings, parents and fellow Royal Academy of Music flatmate, Sheku says: "I wrote this tune a while back, inspired by folk music I love listening to. I never intended to release it but felt now would be a good time to share it. I hope it might encourage people to try something new and express their creativity during this difficult time."

Sheku Kanneh-Mason:

Elgar w/London Symphony Orchestra - Rattle

Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month.

Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and conducted by one of Sheku's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle, the work is a statement of intent from the 20-year-old musician whose rise to being "the world's new favourite cellist" (The Times) has taken nothing away from his ambition to continue evolving and learning as an artist. Sheku explains, "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going."

Sheku Kanneh-Mason:

Inspiration

18-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason came into the spotlight when he won the prestigious BBC Young Musician award in 2016. Signed to Decca Classics, his debut album features Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.1, the piece Sheku performed in the BBCYM final. Recorded live with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Inspiration also includes a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saëns' "Le Cygne (The Swan)" to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry."