Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello & Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

Description

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a leading cellist of the new generation known for his radiant stage presence, engages in a sparkling musical dialogue with his pianist sister, Isata, bringing their musical chemistry to a program that bridges Romantic lyricism and 20th-century innovation. Opening the program is Felix Mendelssohn’s first cello sonata, a work of luminous interplay that reveals both the cello’s expressive depth and the piano’s crystalline brilliance. Then, Nadia Boulanger’s striking miniatures demonstrate the full range of the cello’s capabilities, as do Robert Schumann’s folk-inspired short compositions. The program concludes with the trailblazing composer Rebecca Clarke, whose rich, expressive Viola Sonata is presented here in its cello arrangement. Written in 1919 for a competition, the work tied for first place with a sonata by Ernest Bloch.