Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returned to the stage in London to deliver the UK premiere of Edmund Finnis’s new Cello Concerto, nearly a year after sustaining a fractured finger that sidelined him for eight months. The injury, sustained in November during the Los Angeles premiere of the piece, had raised concerns about Kanneh-Mason’s ability to maintain the technical precision and expressive intensity required by the demanding work. However, his performance demonstrated both agility and emotional depth, confirming his full recovery.

Finnis’s concerto, structured in three movements, emphasizes musical expression with underlying technical challenges. The opening movement features an ominous shimmer, where the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), under the direction of conductor Antonio Pappano, provides a largely atmospheric accompaniment to Kanneh-Mason’s plaintive cello lines. The second movement serves as a nocturnal lament, portraying the solo cello as a solitary figure navigating a sparse sonic landscape marked by “moon-glow” string overtones, as described by the composer. While these two movements held audiences in a spellbinding embrace, some critics noted a desire for greater contrast in tempo and mood across the piece.

The finale arrived as a brief, energetic conclusion, ending abruptly with a light, almost pop-like burst that appeared to surprise the performers and listeners alike. Despite this, Finnis’s work was recognized as an elegant addition to contemporary concert repertoire, blending poetic lyricism with moments of virtuosic display.

The concerto was presented alongside Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony, performed by the LSO and Pappano. The symphony, left unfinished at Bruckner’s death but consisting of three expansive movements, contrasted starkly with the ethereal quality of Finnis’s piece. While some view Bruckner’s Ninth as a metaphysical or spiritual exploration dedicated to God, Pappano’s interpretation emphasized its vital, dynamic forces, highlighting the celebratory aspects of life rather than solemn transcendence.

The concert underscored both Kanneh-Mason’s resilience and Finnis’s compositional nuance, framed within a broader program that connected contemporary expression with romantic grandeur.