Out Today On Decca Classics: Sheku Kanneh-Mason Releases Brand New Solo Album 'Song'

The Sheku Kanneh-Mason story continues. Today, the celebrated cellist releases a brand new solo album, which reveals more about the young star and what inspires him than ever before. Song (referring to the unique singing tone of the cello) is out now on Decca Classics and is Sheku's most personal album yet, presenting a musical portrait of the gifted musician.

Stretching from Bach to Bacharach, Song sees Sheku present an extraordinary kaleidoscope of music. He and his cello travel effortlessly from simple folk tunes through to classical works including Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Stravinsky, to jazz melodies and an original pop song, written by the cellist himself - all the while demonstrating his innate ability to communicate with his listeners. This eclectic mix of styles, all tied together by the striking sound of Sheku's cello, reflects his breadth as a musician, demonstrating how he takes inspiration from many genres.

The new record follows Sheku's two previous Classical No.1 solo albums, Inspiration (2018) and Elgar (2020), with the latter reaching No.8 in the Official UK Album Chart, making him the first cellist in the history of the UK Charts to break into the Top 10.

Since his last, record-breaking, solo album, Sheku has been awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music, featured in two BBC documentaries about the Kanneh-Mason family, and released two albums with his siblings (Carnival, with all six siblings, and the duets album Muse, with sister Isata Kanneh-Mason, who features on four Song tracks). He has continued both to tour the globe performing in the world's greatest concert halls as well as lead workshops as Ambassador for UK music charity Music Masters, while accumulating over 215 million global streams. Sheku additionally boasts a busy international touring schedule this season (see below for details).

On Song, as well as performing solo, Sheku is joined by some of the musicians he loves working with, collaborating with both family and friends while showcasing his skills as both arranger and composer. He opens with his own versions of two beautiful folk tunes, one of them being Myfanwy, his Welsh grandmother's favorite song, arranged here for three cellos (all played by Sheku).

Sheku says, "This is one of my absolute favorite 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."

Sheku also shares his own take on Aretha Franklin's I Say a Little Prayer (written by Burt Bacharach) for solo pizzicato cello. As a child he would play around with melodies like this when procrastinating about cello practice, and then went on to perform it as an encore. He also improvises with friend and jazz pianist Harry Baker on the melody Cry Me A River, a song most famously recorded by Ella Fitzgerald. He further presents his own first arrangement of Bach for multiple cellos. For their original song, Same Boat, Sheku collaborates with a good friend, singer-songwriter Zak Abel. As Sheku explains, they wanted to combine "the raw intimate sound of Zak's voice with the organic sounds of the cello." And for Massenet's beautiful Elégie, he joins forces with another vocalist, the striking South African soprano, Pumeza Matshikiza.

Another world premiere on the album is 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, while, amongst several established works, the cellist also brings us a movement from the incredibly moving Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen, written when a prisoner of war in World War II.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason first caught the attention of the public when he won BBC Young Musician at the age of 17, and by his 19th birthday was performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, watched by 3 billion people around the world. He has since been named one of TIME Magazine's Next Generation Leaders, evidence of his ability to cross musical boundaries and draw new audiences into the world of classical music. With this astonishing new album, he does just that.

Song Tracklist
1. Traditional: Star of the County Down (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)
2. J. Parry: Myfanwy (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)
3. Lullaby for Kamila (Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Harry Baker for Cello and Piano)
4. Villa-Lobos: 2. Prelúdio (Modinha) (Arr. Parkin for 5 Cellos) [Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, W246]
5. Beethoven: 12 Variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen, Op. 66
6. Mendelssohn: No. 1, Andante espressivo [Songs without Words, Op. 62]
7. Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Op. 109
8. Massenet: Elégie for Soprano, Cello and Piano
9. Stravinsky: Chanson russe (Arr. Markevitch for Cello and Piano)
10. J.S. Bach: Come, sweet death, BWV 478 (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for 5 Cellos)
11. Messiaen: V. Louange à l'Eternité de Jésus [Quartet for the End of Time]
12. J.S. Bach: Savior of the Nations, Come, BWV 659 (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for 4 Cellos)
13. Cry Me a River (Arr. for Cello and Piano)
14. Falling in Love Again (Arr. Parkin for 2 Cellos)
15. Finnis: Prelude I
16. Finnis: Prelude II
17. Finnis: Prelude III
18. Finnis: Prelude IV
19. Finnis: Prelude V
20. Same Boat
21. I Say a Little Prayer (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)

Sheku Kanneh-Mason 2022 US Live Tour Schedule
October 10, 2022 - Granada Theatre (Community Arts Music Foundation of Santa Barbara) | Santa Barbara, CA
October 11, 2022 - Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Philharmonic Society of Orange County) | Costa Mesa, CA
October 12, 2022 - Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA Phil) | Los Angeles, CA
October 15, 2022 - Mondavi Center for the Arts (UC Davis) | Davis, CA
October 16, 2022 - Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco Symphony) | San Francisco, CA
October 19, 2022 - Hill Auditorium (University Musical Society) | Ann Arbor, MI
October 21, 2022 - Strathmore (Washington Performing Arts) | North Bethesda, MD
October 22, 2022 - Carnegie Hall | New York, NY
December 8, 9 and 10, 2022 - Kimmel Center (Philadelphia Orchestra) | Philadelphia, PA

For tickets and full international dates, please go to: shekukannehmason.com/live/

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