The shortlist has been announced for this year’s prestigious Gramophone Awards, which recognises the best recorded classical music released over the past 12 months.Three discs have been nominated for each category and the winners will be announced on October 6th at London’s Dorchester Hotel.
Notable artists in the shortlist include composer Poul Ruders, who is named in the category for contemporary music.
His album, Music of Poul Ruders Vol. 6 Piano Concerto No. 2; Bel Canto; Serenade on the Shores of the Cosmic Ocean, has received rave reviews from critics and will go up against Birtwistle’s Night’s Black Bird and D Matthews’ Terrible Beauty, Op. 104; Clarinet Quartet; String Trio; String Trio No. 2; Winter Passions.
Meanwhile, composer Richard Rodney Bennett is up for consideration in the Solo Vocal category with his acclaimed work Songs Before Sleep.
Gramophone’s Andrew Achenbach’s review of the work claims that it “amply demonstrates Bennett’s happy knack of plucking out of the ether a tune you seem to have known all along”.
Bennett, he adds, is “a distinguished composer for the concert hall, opera house, jazz lounge and silver screen, accomplished pianist and engaging crooner, he also possesses a very special gift for word-setting”.
Other categories include the best recorded music over the past year for baroque, chamber, choral, early music and recital.
In the opera category, a production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflote and Rossini’s Ermione will go up against Verdi’s Othello, recorded by the LSO.
While the judges will whittle the final 45 recordings down to 15 for each category, one prize will be chosen by the public.
The Artist of the Year category consists of composers and musicians who have recorded excellent music and work to enthuse audiences about classical music. This year’s shortlist includes conductor Ivan Fischer, pianist Lang Lang, tenor Jonas Kaufmann and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Past winners of the award have included The Sixteen and mezzo Joyce DiDonato, who won last year.