美国国家公共电台 NPR--Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason celebrates his eclectic inspirations

Cellist¹ Sheku Kanneh-Mason celebrates his eclectic inspirations

Transcript²

Sheku Kanneh-Mason was six years old when he fell in love with the cello³. "I remember seeing a whole orchestra performing and being just excited by the look of the cello, and asked to have lessons," the British cellist said. "I think my mom was relieved because ... I clearly wasn't somehow interested in the violin, but the cello immediately I was really into and had a great teacher from the start."

Playing this instrument that mimics⁴ the human voice through its range and tone is an "embrace," Kanneh-Mason explains, "sort of like dancing with the instrument ... It's just great to be so close to this amazing music and for it to come out of the instrument that's so close to you."

Kanneh-Mason spoke⁵ with Rachel Martin while visiting Washington, where he performed at NPR's headquarters for a Tiny Desk concert released in November. (He called the experience "nice and intimate.") Surrounded by LPs, books and memorabilia of all sorts at Bob Boilen's desk, Kanneh-Mason performed some of the solo preludes⁶ composer Edmund Finnis wrote for him, along with his own arrangements of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" and the Welsh folk song "Myfanwy."

The latter carries special meaning for Kanneh-Mason, whose grandmother is Welsh. "As children particularly, we'd spent most of our summers and other of the school holidays in Wales and walking in the hills," he recalled. "The music is such a big part of the culture as well, particularly singing and, that's how I got to know this music." The melody, which the cellist accompanies with left-hand pizzicato, is about longing⁷ for love. "But I think for a lot of Welsh people, particularly ones who don't live in in Wales, it has this feeling of longing for home and longing for that place that is very, very special to us," he says.

Kanneh-Mason is the third-eldest of seven siblings⁸, all classically trained musicians. In addition to the Welsh connection, they also share Antiguan heritage, through their father Stuart Mason, and ties to Sierra Leone through their mother Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, who authored a memoir⁹ about raising her very musical family.

During pandemic-era lockdowns, the family practiced and performed livestreamed concerts together out of their parents' home in Nottingham. "It was full of people and music and food," he said. "We kept ourselves somehow or somewhat sort of entertained and sane¹⁰ a lot through music." They also played soccer outdoors and had a cooking competition — which he won. When his sister Isata's April 2020 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall was scrapped¹¹ as theaters shut down, the siblings gathered together for a small ensemble¹² performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto¹³.

Kanneh-Mason became a household name when he performed at Harry¹⁴ and Meghan's royal wedding in 2018 at Windsor Castle — he was just a teenager, and nearly two billion people tuned¹⁵ in. He also won the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year award, becoming the first Black musician to score the prize since its launch in 1978. And last year, at the age of 22, he was awarded an MBE, a British honor for outstanding achievement. Now, the cellist performs on stages around the world, sharing his love of classical, folk and pop.

He plays this eclectic mix on a cello that's more than 300 years old: Kanneh-Mason received a long-term loan of a cello built by Matteo Goffriller in Venice in 1700. It's an exceptional instrument the cellist has described as having a "kaleidoscope of tonal qualities." The Florian Leonhard Fellowship awarded the loan last year — a "dream come true" for Kanneh-Mason. Like many professional musicians, he cannot afford this antique piece of craftsmanship¹⁶, and its lifetime use was purchased for a seven-figure sum by an anonymous¹⁷ syndicate of private investors¹⁸, according to The Strad magazine. The late German cellist and conductor Johannes Goritzki previously¹⁹ played the instrument.

Kanneh-Mason tells young aspiring²⁰ musicians to always remind themselves of why they love music and what's important about it.

Courtesy of Ollie Ali

Growing up, Kanneh-Mason recalls the challenges of getting used to the routine of practice — in his case, half an hour or an hour before school and two or three hours after returning home.

"To be honest, it's what it takes ... there's no shortcut," he said, noting his parents were "very helpful" in encouraging him. "I've grown to understand it's a really luxurious²¹ process to spend time on your own and just explore this music and focus and do all the problem solving and things like that. It can be quite a beautiful experience, but it's hard work as well, of course."

He also had some advice for aspiring young musicians: "Always, as often as possible, remind yourself of why you love music and what's important about it, and [don't] lose sight of the importance of communicating music that can hopefully impact the audience that you are playing to. It can hopefully impact their life."

1 cellist   

n.大提琴手

参考例句：

• The cellist's bowing was very sensitive . 那位大提琴手的弓法十分细腻。 来自辞典例句
• World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded The Silk Road Project in 1998. 世界闻名的大提琴家马友友于1998年创建了丝路工程。 来自互联网

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

4 mimics   

n.模仿名人言行的娱乐演员，滑稽剧演员( mimic的名词复数 )；善于模仿的人或物v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的第三人称单数 )；酷似

参考例句：

• Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
• Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 preludes   

n.开端( prelude的名词复数 )；序幕；序曲；短篇作品

参考例句：

• In the moribund patient deepening coma are the usual preludes to death. 病人弥留之际，加深的昏睡通常是死的前兆。 来自辞典例句
• She preludes her remarks with a jest. 她开始讲话时先说一个笑话。 来自互联网

7 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

8 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

9 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

10 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

11 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

12 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

13 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• The piano concerto was well rendered.钢琴协奏曲演奏得很好。
• The concert ended with a Mozart violin concerto.音乐会在莫扎特的小提琴协奏曲中结束。

14 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

15 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 craftsmanship   

n.手艺

参考例句：

• The whole house is a monument to her craftsmanship. 那整座房子是她技艺的一座丰碑。
• We admired the superb craftsmanship of the furniture. 我们很欣赏这个家具的一流工艺。

17 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

18 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

19 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

20 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

21 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。