‘It’s a beautiful instrument’: The young virtuoso who learnt by hugging a cello

“It literally rests on your heart.”

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is speaking both literally and figuratively about the intense bond he shares with his instrument.

“How I was first taught to sit with the cello was to hug it,” the 27-year-old virtuoso says. “It’s a beautiful instrument to have that physical relationship with.”

And it’s that connection with his instrument – and his ability to communicate it to audiences – that has drawn praise from across the musical world, including from Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor Simone Young, who says the hype surrounding Kanneh-Mason “can never be big enough” and pronounced him a “genuine, huge musical talent”.

It’s a lot to heap on the shoulders of such a young performer, especially one whose breakthrough moments came when he won the BBC Young Musician award in 2016 then famously played in front of a global audience estimated at two billion at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle two years later.

But despite all that, in person, Kanneh-Mason is thoughtful, quietly spoken and at his most comfortable talking about the music rather than buzz that surrounds him.

This week, he makes his Sydney Opera House debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Young playing Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

“A lot of the emotion of the piece happens underneath the surface,” he says. “I think that’s only achieved if you really pay attention to what Elgar asks for in terms of where to take time and where not to take time. Where to crescendo and where not to crescendo.

“These simple kind of details I think are important. I’m trying to tell the story of this piece and try to get as close to the thing as possible. One can never get all the way there, but it’s a kind of investigation and exploring process.”

Kanneh-Mason recorded the much-loved work at London’s Abbey Road Studios with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra in 2019. He was still four months shy of his 21st birthday when the album was released.

I wonder whether he had any qualms about tackling such an iconic piece – and one the legendary Jacqueline du Pré made her own – at such a young age.

“In short, no,” he says. “Because I think that it’s a piece that I found immediately fascinating and one that I wanted to explore.”

Following his series in Sydney, Kanneh-Mason will perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, for the Australian premiere of Edmund Finnis’ Cello Concerto, conducted by Jaime Martín.

Kanneh-Mason grew up in Nottingham, one of seven children in an intensely musical family. And as with most siblings, there was a healthy amount of rivalry – in all but music.

“We would always want to get the biggest piece of chicken or win in board games and there were races and wrestling with my brother and all these things,” he says. “But I think music by nature shouldn’t be a competitive thing because when you’re playing together, that’s when it’s at its most beautiful and when you can learn from each other and be encouraging.”

Last year, the Kanneh-Masons released their second collaborative album of them playing together. He sees nothing daggy – once I explain what that term means – about performing en famille.

“It’s a very normal and natural thing for us to perform together,” he says. “I think people and audiences are also quite attracted by the idea of seven siblings being able to play together. We’re very happy to do it because we get on so well as people and as musicians. It’s also nice to see all of them doing their own individual things, so it’s a cool dynamic.”

And as far as playing at that wedding goes, Kanneh-Mason remains relaxed about what would turn out to be the biggest moment in his life to date.

“I accepted the gig because it seemed like an important occasion and I knew it would be broadcast around the world and so on,” he says. “But in terms of how many people would be watching it and talking about it afterwards, I wasn’t really thinking so much about it. It was a really cool opportunity.”

Considering how quickly Kanneh-Mason’s star has risen and how much he has achieved at such a tender age – he has already played with many of the world’s great orchestras – it’s fair to wonder what the future holds.

“It’s just really enjoyable to study a piece of music in detail and share it with an audience,” he says. “That process I think is really special and a real luxury because I want to just do that more and more in lots of different ways. Essentially, what drives me is this beautiful music and sharing it with people.”

Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, July 30, 31 and August 1. And with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, August 6 and 8.

Read more about Sheku Kanneh-Mason

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