The Royal Wedding cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has shot to the top of the US iTunes pop chart with his album ‘Inspiration’.

This is an incredible moment in classical and pop music.

Saturday’s wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex St George’s Chapel in Windsor was watched by millions around the world, and while all still recover from a weekend of celebrations, an extraordinary classical legacy has emerged.

The service featured musical highlights from soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, trumpeter David Blackadder, the chapel choir and organ, not to mention that powerful gospel performance from The Kingdom Choir, and finally: 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Following Sheku’s performance of works by Schubert, Fauré and Paradis at the signing of the register, there was an incredible surge in downloads of the cellist’s recent recording ‘Inspiration’.

On the album, Sheku performs Saint-Saëns, Offenbach, and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1.

The album also features Classic FM’s Orchestra in the Midlands, The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. It also includes a beautiful chamber arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ and the cellist’s own arrangement of one of his favourite songs, Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’.

Originally posted on CLASSICFM.COM