A performance of Michael Finnissy’s Chi Mei Ricercari on seven cellos from the Royal Academy of Music’s collection

Neil Heyde, cello and Zubin Kanga, piano

I feel very fortunate to have encountered Michael Finnissy relatively early in my musical life and I owe him – and especially the experience of working with his extraordinary music – a huge debt.

I am grateful to the Royal Academy of Music’s instrument team, and especially to Barbara Meyer, for assisting with the organisation of this event. Special thanks also go to the Academy students who had some of the cellos on loan and who in turn lent them to me for the afternoon!

You can read more about the pieces – and about my work with Michael with the Kreutzer Quartet – in a chapter in Critical Perspectives on Michael Finnissy: Bright Futures, Dark Pasts, ed. Ian Pace and Nigel McBride (Routledge, 2019)