A Family Affair

** Due to an injury, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has unfortunately had to cancel the concert originally scheduled for this evening with his sister Isata Kanneh-Mason. Muziekgebouw and Cello Biennal are grateful that Ella and Nicolas van Poucke, also a brother-and-sister duo, were willing to to step in as replacements. The programme is changed because of this.

Ella and Nicolas van Poucke can rightly be called a Dutch star duo. Ella is among the very top of her generation and is internationally acclaimed for her musical integrity, intensity and flawless instrumental command. Nicolas is a much sought‑after soloist, performing in major European concert halls such as the Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie and London’s Royal Festival Hall. Their performances are praised for their natural ensemble playing, warm tonal palette and deep musical communication.

Their shared affinity with the Romantic repertoire is evident in Mendelssohn’s Variations and Brahms’s Cello Sonata. Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata (1949) brings a modern dimension of lyricism and dramatic expression, while in Louange à l’éternité de Jésus, the fifth movement of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps, time seems to stand still in an almost otherworldly dialogue.

Ticket holders will be informed as soon as possible.