Kanneh-Masons showcase musical talents with debut album, recital in Seoul

The Kanneh-Masons, a family of seven musicians, are showcasing their exceptional talents through performances and a recently released family album. Two siblings, Isata and Sheku, will be performing a duo recital in Korea for the first time.

Isata, right, and Sheku Kanneh-Mason [UNIVERSAL MUSIC]

Is musical ability genetic? It may seem like it when looking at an entire family of musicians, like the Kanneh-Masons.

The Kanneh-Masons are seven brothers and sisters who all have exceptional music talents. Starting from the eldest sister, Isata Kanneh-Mason plays the piano, followed by Braimah on violin and Sheku on cello. Konya is next, playing violin and piano, then Jeneba, who plays cello and piano. Aminata can play both piano and violin, and the youngest, Mariatu, plays cello and piano.

The seven brothers and sisters have been showing the world that musical talent runs in their veins. Except for the youngest, Mariatu, the six older siblings all competed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. They made it to the semi-finals, having played the medley of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” Prokofiev’s “Montagues and Capulets” and Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be.” In 2019, all seven performed at the Royal Variety Performance, and in 2020, they recorded their first family album with Decca. The album, titled “Carnival,” features melodies by Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky and Eric Whitacre.

Two of the siblings — Isata and Sheku — are visiting Korea for the first time for a duo recital on Dec. 17 at the Lotte Concert Hal in southern Seoul. The two will perform Bridge’s “Sonata for Cello and Piano in d minor, H. 125,” Chopin’s “Sonata for Cello and Piano in g minor, Op. 65,” and Rachmaninoff’s “Cello Sonata in g minor, Op. 19.”

Isata’s first album with Decca debuted at the top of the UK Official Classical Artist Chart, and Sheka had performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Though Rachmaninoff’s cello sonata pieces have been performed numerous times on local stages, the other two sonata pieces for cello and piano are relatively lesser known. Sheku said it’s always special to have sonata pieces for piano and cello instead of violin, which were more common back in the day.

“Two of the sonatas were written by pianists — Chopin and Rachmaninoff — and both these composers have written mostly solo piano or concertos and very few pieces of chamber music. It’s particularly special that they chose cello and piano and not violin and piano, which was more common during that time period. I think both composers must have been drawn to the lyrical quality of the cello,” Sheku said in a recent email interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “As for the Bridge sonata, it is very special as he wrote the first movement before World War I and then completed it after he returned home. I feel he has written it with a different perspective of the world, and so you feel this as the work progresses.”

Isata and Sheku Kanneh-Mason [UNIVERSAL MUSIC]

Traveling together for a long time with just a sibling, let alone frequently working very closely together, may lead to some moments of sibling tension, naturally. But the two, who have been on their Asian tour for the past few months, say they “really enjoy playing together.”

“I think we see eye to eye on many things, but we play different instruments so that gives us something different to offer each other musically. There are always things you don’t see — I might become more aware of a certain element of the music, the baseline, the harmony,” Isata said.

The Sunday performance begins at 5 p.m. Tickets range from 50,000 won to 90,000 won. On public transportation, go to Jamsil Station, Line No. 2 or 8, exit 11.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]