Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Cello
Performers
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Cello
Program
J. S. BACH Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor
GWILYM SIMCOCK Prayer for the Senses (NY Premiere)
BRITTEN Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72
LEO BROUWER Sonata No. 2 for Solo Cello (NY Premiere)
EDMUND FINNIS Five Preludes for Solo Cello (NY Premiere)
CASSADÓ Cello Suite
Encore:
MARLEY "She Used To Call Me Dada" (transcr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason)
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.Salon Encores
Join us for a free drink at a post-concert reception in Weill Recital Hall’s Jacobs Room.
Learn More
Listen to Selected Works
At a Glance
J. S. BACH Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008
Bach’s six suites for solo cello emerged from obscurity a century ago to become a cornerstone of the modern repertoire. Suite No. 2, in plangent D minor, is characterized by a richly varied palette of textures, tone colors, and expressive effects.
GWILYM SIMCOCK Prayer for the Senses
Best known as a jazz pianist, Gwilym Simcock is also a resourceful composer who lists Ravel and Bartók among his influences alongside Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny. This short, improvisatory-feeling solo owes a debt to Bach and Britten as well.
BRITTEN Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72
Britten’s three cello suites are among the eight works he wrote for the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. In terms of both technique and expression, Suite No. 1 is a continual tour de force, ranging from declamatory brilliance to quiet meditation.
LEO BROUWER Sonata No. 2 for Solo Cello
Composer-guitarist Leo Brouwer is revered as a national treasure in his native Cuba. This sequel to his Sonata No. 1 for Solo Cello of 1960 was commissioned for Sheku Kanneh-Mason three years ago by England’s Royal Philharmonic Society.
EDMUND FINNIS Five Preludes for Solo Cello
British composer Edmund Finnis combines an avant-garde sensibility with a flair for creating what one critic calls “glistening, dancing music with an air of diffident mystery.” These five bewitching tonal sketches were also tailor-made for tonight’s soloist.
CASSADÓ Cello Suite
A protégé of Pablo Casals, who rediscovered J. S. Bach’s cello suites in the early 20th century, Gaspar Cassadó went on to become one of Spain’s foremost composers. Like many of his works, the Cello Suite draws on folk music of his native Catalonia.