Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason

Isata and Sheku Kannah-Mason team up for a recital of cello sonatas by Felix Mendelssohn, Fauré, Chopin and Beethoven, who pioneered the form.

The fluid dialogue between cello and piano heard in Mendelssohn’s First Cello Sonata might convince the listener that the genre had always existed – but it was still relatively new, with Beethoven’s sonatas crucial to its development. We hear Beethoven’s final Cello Sonata, at once introspective and highly innovative. Fauré’s Sonata No 1 is a sumptuous combination of songful cello lines and dexterous pianism, and Chopin – who almost never wrote for anything other than solo piano – made an exception for one of his best friends, cellist-composer Auguste Franchomme.

The Kanneh-Mason family have transformed the world of classical music with their stunning performances and sincere advocacy, and the collaboration between Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason is a joy to behold: ‘immensely engaging players: a star duo is born’ (The Independent).