Simone Young
Sheku Kanneh-Mason Johann Sebastian Bach
Johannes Brahms

In 1738, composer Carl Philip Emanuel Bach was employed at crown prince Fredrik's court in Berlin – Frederik was crowned King of Prussia two years later. In 1747, Carl Philip's father, Johann Sebastian Bach (1658-1750), visited and impressed the king with his playing. King Fredrik challenged J.S. Bach to write a six-part fugue over a given melody. The result was a masterpiece - known as Ricercar from The Musical Sacrifice. The piece has since been arranged by several composers, with Anton Webern's 1935 orchestration being one of the most played.

Edward Elgar's (1857–1934) fame took off during the Edwardian era, a carefree British heyday named after King Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910. During that decade, Elgar became the first Englishman in centuries to achieve international recognition as a composer. From 1914 on, the First World War shattered dreams and hopes for the future in Great Britain and the rest of Europe. Elgar's Cello Concerto from 1919 contains much of the grief the composer bore after the war years, but the mood brightens throughout the work.

Johannes Brahms (1833−1897) created his Symphony No. 3 during an intense working holiday in the summer of 1883. The four movements have many connections, and Brahms' close friend Clara Schumann wrote to him that they appeared as one piece, "which one heartbeat, each one a jewel." About the third movement, she noted that "it appears like a pearl, but it is gray, surrounded by a tear of melancholy..." The symphony's introduction has features in common with the third symphony of her late husband and Brahms' mentor, Robert Schumann.

Simone Young

Simone Young is considered one of the most important conductors of our time. After completing her musical studies in her native Sydney, she began her career on the podium in Germany. This launched her international career, which has taken her to all important opera houses and symphony orchestras around the world.

Alongside her extensive operatic performances, Ms. Young has also made a name for herself as a symphonic conductor. She has worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including among many others, the Philharmonic Orchestras of Berlin, London, Munich, New York, and Vienna. Following completion of her tenure in Hamburg, Ms. Young is appearing once again as a regular guest conductor with orchestras around the world, including the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, in addition to several North American orchestras, and with various orchestras in her native Australia

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is already in great demand from major orchestras and concert halls worldwide. He became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle, his performance having been greeted with universal excitement after being watched by nearly two billion people globally. Sheku initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, and subsequently became a Decca Classics recording artist. His latest album, Song, showcases his lyrical playing with a wide selection of arrangements and collaborations. Sheku’s 2020 album Elgar reached No. 8 in the main UK Official Album Chart, making him the first ever cellist to reach the UK Top 10. Sheet music collections of his performance repertoire along with his own arrangements and compositions are published by Faber.

Since his debut in 2017, Sheku has performed every summer at the BBC Proms, including in 2020 when he gave a breath-taking recital performance with his sister, Isata, to an empty auditorium due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was selected to appear in the coveted role as guest soloist at the 2022 Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.