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The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Music is never fixed in me' … cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason on surviving a ‘volcano of racism'
I saw Sheku Kanneh-Mason's cello case before I saw him – strapped to his back, making him taller. While we talked, the instrument sat beside us, like a temporarily silent twin. A few weeks before, though, I'd heard it sing in the Barbican, London, as he swept through Shostakovich's first cello concerto with the Czech Philharmonic, the piece with which he won BBC Young Musician nine years ago. It is hard to believe Kanneh-Mason is still only 26: he is touring with some of the best orchestras and conductors in the world, has an MBE, is a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, and, for the two billion people who watched, is the young cellist who played at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding. He is also the most celebrated young Black musician in Britain, famously one of seven talented musical siblings, and was a hugely popular performer at the Last Night of BBC Proms in 2023. But when he appeared on Desert Island Discs last year, he was asked if he thought Rule, Britannia! ought to be part of the festival finale. Quietly, but without hesitation, Kanneh-Mason said: 'No.' In his debut book, The Power of Music, he recounts what happened next: 'My truthful and understated remark … was greeted with an uproarious wave of censure and horror against me in the media, and an unguarded uprising of racist bile on social media.' He had stumbled on an 'ice-hard determination', he writes – the book is a mix of autobiography and musical manifesto – to preserve a place for a deeply troubling song. Its 'vigour and intent were born in Britain's burgeoning slave trade and at the height of its thundering imperialism', he writes. His remark let loose a 'volcano of racism'. On social media people called for him to be 'tagged, flogged and deported' and to 'keep [his] n***er mouth shut'. He finds it, he tells me now, 'very scary and sad, how angry and aggressive people can be about attacking groups of people'. The tidal wave of hate, he says, was 'disproportionate to the intensity of the comment I made. It just came from the heart. I didn't want to attack anyone with it.' All that, directed towards this gentle, unconfrontational young man. How did he and his family cope, I ask. 'I spoke to lots of other musicians who reached out,' he says. 'I find practising and playing always helpful. If there are things I am struggling with, that's the one place I can always be. Exploring something wonderful, beautiful and interesting.' Since we spoke, the Proms programme for 2025 has been announced. He is not performing, for the first time since 2017 (pure coincidence, say the BBC and his agent). In The Power of Music, he writes about playing in a way that is so grounded, joyous and straightforward that anyone who has had the good fortune to make music with others – choir, school band, amateur chamber group – will feel his words resonating. In his telling, his upbringing was less of a hothouse environment than one in which music was as much part of life as eating or playing football. He writes of the 'energetic conversation and teasing battle' of performing duo sonatas with his eldest sibling, pianist Isata, as if music-making was an extension of the babble round the dinner table. He now flat-shares in London with his brother, violinist Braimah, and their friend Plínio Fernandes, a guitarist – he likes to come home to a busy, sociable household, he says. Practice wasn't lonely, even though it was done alone, because they were all doing it. 'It wasn't some big project,' he says of the family's musicianship. 'My parents love music, and they loved learning instruments as children, and so they wanted us to also do that. It became clear very quickly that Isata was very into it and enjoyed it, and then the rest of us kind of followed on from that.' He adds: 'My parents also like the idea of learning something that you can do endlessly. You can constantly practise and explore and get more from music. And that's such a universe to give a child.' And yet, they were often the only Black children in the room, or concert hall, or masterclass. It could cut both ways, Kanneh-Mason tells me: at times, it made him 'very determined to therefore be on that stage'; at other times it made him feel that he wasn't sure he could. 'But my family, and particularly my parents, were very helpful, either talking to us very honestly or shielding us, depending on what was appropriate,' he says. In The Power of Music, he writes: 'The dominant image of a classical musician when I grew up did not look like me. It was difficult to find a projection of who I might be if I became a professional cellist, but the people around me simply refused to admit this was a barrier.' Now, his presence helps to change that for others, and he is actively involved in sharing what he has achieved with a younger generation (when we speak, he is about to travel to Antigua, where he and his siblings support a youth music project, and he has just written a children's book about an orchestra). It wasn't just the family home where music was fostered. I was surprised to learn from the book how important his Nottingham state school was to his and his siblings' musical formation – after all, he was in London having lessons at the Royal Academy of Music's Saturday school from a young age. But, he tells me, the school was full of music. He loved playing instruments he wasn't so advanced on – bass guitar and trumpet – in bands and for shows, and spent time 'being part of a bigger musical community, and just sharing ideas … Without that I certainly wouldn't be the musician I am.' But after the school was subsumed by a multi-academy trust, and suffered a number of funding cuts, its musical focus dimmed: 'I remember the visceral shock when we witnessed a host of music teachers losing their jobs,' he writes. He donated his £3,000 prize money from his BBC Young Musician award to keep the school's cello lessons going. 'It's completely different now, if I'm honest,' he says. He still has one sister at the school, and visited a couple of years ago. 'Everything is reduced. It's really sad to see. It is unrecognisable. And … it's very difficult, I think, for it to come back.' He passionately argues the case for the arts being available to everyone but, of Arts Council England's recent policy decisions, he writes: 'The idea of spreading funding outside London is laudable if it leads to extra money' but 'ransacking excellence at the centre' seems to 'go directly against the arts'. Despite this, Kanneh-Mason is, he tells me, 'optimistic – just because I am an optimistic person'. Luckily, he says, he has tons of energy. There is so much to do, so much to learn. He relishes the fact that music is mutable, changing, liquid in his hands; the Elgar concerto, for example, is 'never fixed in me … a restless, churning, growing thing'. He loves to draw and paint, he says, and takes a sketchbook with him on tour, using it 'when other people would take out a book'. But when a drawing is done, it's done, he says. Music is different. 'I like the process of building something that you can't see and you can't preserve. And so, you have to constantly keep going further, further.' It is an act of love, of love that lasts a lifetime, and of joy. The Power of Music: How Music Connects Us All, by Sheku Kanneh-Mason, is published by Viking on 1 May. Sheku Kanneh-Mason's new album Shostakovich and Britten is out on Decca Classics on 9 May.
The Guardian
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mahler Symphony No 3 album review – slightly sub-par outing for ‘least hysterical' work
Though these days Mahler is generally regarded as an Austrian composer, and spent the last decade of his life living and working in Vienna, he was born in Kaliště, in eastern Bohemia, in what was then part of the Austrian empire and is now in the Czech Republic. On disc at least the Czech Philharmonic, the country's leading orchestra and in the right repertoire one of Europe's finest, never seems to have taken Mahler's music to its heart. But chief conductor Semyon Bychkov is currently recording a cycle of the Mahler symphonies with the orchestra for Pentatone, and the release of the Third Symphony marks the halfway point of their project. In his sleeve note, Bychkov reveals that it was hearing a rehearsal of part of the Third Symphony when he was a boy chorister in Leningrad that fired his enthusiasm for Mahler. It's strange then that he is also quoted as maintaining that the Third contains some of the composer's 'least hysterical' music, an odd compliment (if that is what it is) for a work which perhaps more than any other by Mahler conforms to its composer's maxim that 'a symphony should contain the world'. In a curious way, Bychkov's approach to this longest of Mahler's scores (104 minutes in this performance) reinforces the idea that this is the least excitable of them; it would be misleading to characterise all of his performance as prosaic, but there is something rather matter-of-fact about a lot of the playing, and even in the wonderful hymn-like finale, the music rarely suggests the kind of ecstatic intensity that truly outstanding performances of the Third achieve. Claudio Abbado's incandescent account with the Berlin Philharmonic from the Royal Festival Hall, London, in 1999 (Deutsche Grammophon), or Bernard Haitink's with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, also recorded live (BR Klassik), attain levels of intensity that Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic never approach. Listen on Apple Music (below) or Spotify This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.
Korea Herald
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Fujita Mao, inspired by Korean musicians and culture, excited to present his first recital
26-year-old Japanese virtuoso discusses expanding his repertoire beyond Mozart and distancing from social media Japan's rising pianist Fujita Mao has gained international acclaim for his interpretations of Mozart, including a highly praised recording of the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas, his debut album released in October 2022. Having performed the complete sonatas at major venues like the Verbier Festival, Wigmore Hall, and concert halls across Japan, Fujita, 26, is now set to showcase a different side of his artistry. 'Mozart is, without a doubt, my favorite composer. More than 50 percent of the concertos I perform are by him, and I'm grateful he composed 27 -- it means I can continue to challenge myself every year. But I also want to expand my repertoire and explore beyond Mozart,' he said in a recent email interview. For his first recital in Korea, Fujita will take a break from Mozart to perform Alexander Scriabin's 24 Preludes, Op. 11 and Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28, along with Frederic Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28. 'Chopin and Scriabin's 24 preludes form a kind of musical cycle, showcasing a sense of harmonic circulation,' Fujita explained, adding that Chopin admired Bach and Bach's influence can be found throughout Chopin's works, particularly in his harmonic transitions and chromatic progressions. 'Scriabin, in turn, was deeply inspired by Chopin, which makes performing their Preludes together a fascinating contrast. Although Scriabin revered Chopin, he forged his own distinct musical path,' Fujita noted. 'This performance presents an excellent opportunity to explore and compare the two composers' tonal colors, harmonic language, and structural development, offering listeners a deeper appreciation of their musical evolution,' he added. Fujita also shared his excitment about presenting his first recital in Korea. 'I know many Korean artists, and I've always admired their musicianship. It makes me curious about their cultural and musical upbringing,' he said. 'In 2023, I visited Korea with the Czech Philharmonic, and before that, I performed at the Seoul Arts Center in a gala concert after the Tchaikovsky Competition. I noticed how incredibly focused and passionate Korean audiences are, which makes me even more thrilled to present my first solo recital here.' Beyond performing, Fujita has a deep personal interest in Korean culture. 'I enjoy Korean films and dramas, and my family and I often watch them together. And of course, I can't wait to try Korean food, especially the spicy dishes,' he added. Fujita began playing piano at three and won multiple international awards, including at the Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition. He gained global attention in 2019 when he won the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. His first Korean recital will take place at 5 PM on Feb. 23 at the Seoul Arts Center. Tickets range from 30,000 to 80,000 won. When asked about his interests beyond music, he shared, 'I've stepped away from social media entirely since last December. I used to follow updates on artists like Lim Yunchan and world orchestras, but I eventually realized that music itself connects us more deeply than online posts. While I still share updates when necessary, I now consider 'social media distancing' my hobby.'
Korea Herald
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Fujita Mao, inspired by Korean musicians and culture, excited to present his first recital
26-year-old Japanese virtuoso discusses expanding his repertoire beyond Mozart and distancing from social media Japan's rising pianist Fujita Mao has gained international acclaim for his interpretations of Mozart, including a highly praised recording of the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas, his debut album released in October 2022. Having performed the complete sonatas at major venues like the Verbier Festival, Wigmore Hall, and concert halls across Japan, Fujita, 26, is now set to showcase a different side of his artistry. 'Mozart is, without a doubt, my favorite composer. More than 50 percent of the concertos I perform are by him, and I'm grateful he composed 27 -- it means I can continue to challenge myself every year. But I also want to expand my repertoire and explore beyond Mozart,' he said in a recent email interview. For his first recital in Korea, Fujita will take a break from Mozart to perform Alexander Scriabin's 24 Preludes, Op. 11 and Fantasie in B minor, Op. 28, along with Frederic Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op. 28. 'Chopin and Scriabin's 24 preludes form a kind of musical cycle, showcasing a sense of harmonic circulation,' Fujita explained, adding that Chopin admired Bach and Bach's influence can be found throughout Chopin's works, particularly in his harmonic transitions and chromatic progressions. 'Scriabin, in turn, was deeply inspired by Chopin, which makes performing their Preludes together a fascinating contrast. Although Scriabin revered Chopin, he forged his own distinct musical path,' Fujita noted. 'This performance presents an excellent opportunity to explore and compare the two composers' tonal colors, harmonic language, and structural development, offering listeners a deeper appreciation of their musical evolution,' he added. Fujita also shared his excitment about presenting his first recital in Korea. 'I know many Korean artists, and I've always admired their musicianship. It makes me curious about their cultural and musical upbringing,' he said. 'In 2023, I visited Korea with the Czech Philharmonic, and before that, I performed at the Seoul Arts Center in a gala concert after the Tchaikovsky Competition. I noticed how incredibly focused and passionate Korean audiences are, which makes me even more thrilled to present my first solo recital here.' Beyond performing, Fujita has a deep personal interest in Korean culture. 'I enjoy Korean films and dramas, and my family and I often watch them together. And of course, I can't wait to try Korean food, especially the spicy dishes,' he added. Fujita began playing piano at three and won multiple international awards, including at the Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition. He gained global attention in 2019 when he won the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. His first Korean recital will take place at 5 PM on Feb. 23 at the Seoul Arts Center. Tickets range from 30,000 to 80,000 won. When asked about his interests beyond music, he shared, 'I've stepped away from social media entirely since last December. I used to follow updates on artists like Lim Yunchan and world orchestras, but I eventually realized that music itself connects us more deeply than online posts. While I still share updates when necessary, I now consider 'social media distancing' my hobby.'
