Sinfonia of London Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Shostakovich
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
Dark. Brooding. Leave the Vodka at home…
Who’s on stage
It’s an all-star line up. Local lad John Wilson conducts his award-winning band Sinfonia of London and one of the best known names in classical music, Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
What they’re playing
Two moody Russian masterpieces by Shostakovich and Rachmaninov, plus a little-known gem by contemporary British composer Kenneth Hesketh.
Need to know
Price: £21 – £49
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
What you'll hear
Kenneth Hesketh PatterSongs (8′)
Dmitri Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 (33′)
Sergei Rachmaninov Symphony No. 1 (42′)
Who's playing
John Wilson conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Sinfonia of London
What's happening in the music?
To say the premiere of Rachmaninov’s First Symphony didn’t go all that well is an understatement. The conductor indulged his love of vodka just a bit too much pre-show and the concert was such a disaster that there was never a second performance in Rachmaninov’s lifetime. Which is a shame as it’s a darkly powerful piece with moments that are explosive, even violent. Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto is in the same vein, but more reflective and nostalgic. In contrast, Kenneth Hesketh’s music is an upbeat, energetic start to your evening.
Crackers about music
You can’t really get more local than tonight’s conductor, John Wilson. He was born in Gateshead and went to Breckenbreds Junior High School in Low Fell and Heathfield Senior High School. His love for music goes back to his earliest memories, with him telling The Irish Times
““I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t responding to music,” he says. “I was in my high chair, and whenever certain signature tunes came on the television, or when my dad put on certain records, I would rock myself out of my high chair, because I was crackers about music.
When I was four, I would go straight to my granny’s piano when we went to visit her on a Sunday, and I was banging away. By the time I was five, I had figured out how to get around the piano.”
It’s always great to welcome back John to his home town, even if The Glasshouse wasn’t even a glimmer in someone’s eye when he was growing up here!
