2009 Classical Grammy Awards

[Senta]

Just watching some of the Grammy Awards and thought I'd look up the Pre-Show Classical Results, here they are below. (Winners in bold.)

There were some excellent performances during the pre-show (including Hilary Hahn, who won ) and it can be watched as a webstream here:

http://www.grammy.com/grammy_awards/GRAMMY_Live.aspx

RESULTS:

Field 28 - Surround Sound

BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM

"Divertimenti," Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, surround mix engineers; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene)

"Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition; Night On Bald Mountain; Prelude To Khovanshchina," Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering engineer; Robert Woods, surround producer (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)

"Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works," John Newton, surround mix engineer; Jonathan Cooper & Mark Donahue, surround mastering engineers; Blanton Alspaugh, surround producer (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)

"Ringo 5.1 The Surround Sound Collection," Bruce Sugar, surround mix engineer; Chris Bellman, surround mastering engineer; Bill Crowley, Ringo Starr & Bruce Sugar, surround producers (Ringo Starr)

"Sensurround + B-Sides," Tohru Takayama, surround mix engineer; Keigo Oyamada, surround producer (Cornelius)

Field 29 - Production, Classical

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL

"Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique," Fred Vogler, engineer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

"Divertimenti," Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, engineers (Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene)

"Puccini: La Bohème," Michael Bishop, engineer (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)

"Respighi: Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions, Rossiniana." John Newton, engineer (JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)

"Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago," David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL

David Frost
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music (ARC Ensemble)
Schubert: Sonata In D Maj.; Liszt: Don Juan Fantasy (Min Kwon)
Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Yo-Yo Ma, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

David Groves
Baroque (Gabriela Montero)
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (Jonathan Biss)
Polish Spirit (Nigel Kennedy & Jacek Kaspszyk)
Respighi: Roman Trilogy, Il Tramonto (Antonio Pappano)
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Martha Argerich)

Judith Sherman
Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5 (Pacifica Quartet)
Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky And Lutoslawski (Gloria Cheng)
Reich: Daniel Variations (Grant Gershon, Alan Pierson, Los Angeles Master Chorale & London Sinfonietta)
Riley, Terry: The Cusp Of Magic (Kronos Quartet & Wu Man)
String Poetic (Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida)

Robert Woods
Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night On Bald Mountain, Prelude To Khovanshchina (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, Lieutenant Kijé Suite (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Puccini: La Bohème (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
Ravel: Boléro (Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra)
Revolutionary (Cameron Carpenter)

Robina G. Young
Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18, Nos. 1-6 (Tokyo String Quartet)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' (Andrew Manze & Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra)
Birds On Fire (Fretwork)
Heavenly Harmonies (Stile Antico)
Scattered Rhymes (Paul Hillier, Orlando Consort & The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)

Field 30 - Classical

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM
   
"Maria," Cecilia Bartoli; Christopher Raeburn, producer; Wolf-Dieter Karwatky & Philip Siney, engineers/mixers (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla)

"O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night," Craig Hella Johnson, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)

"Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos," Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn; Sid McLauchlan & Arend Prohmann, producers; Stephan Flock, engineer/mixer (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

"Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary," Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Jonathan Cooper & Mark Donahue, mastering engineers

"Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny," James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Chorus; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra)

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

"D'Indy: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1," Rumon Gamba, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

"Glazunov: Symphony No. 6, La Mer, Introduction And Dance From Salome," José Serebrier, conductor (Royal Scottish National Orchestra)

"Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20," Alan Gilbert, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

"Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4," Bernard Haitink, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

"Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements," Chris Walden, conductor (Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra)

BEST OPERA RECORDING

"Tan Dun: The First Emperor," Tan Dun, conductor; Michelle DeYoung, Plácido Domingo, Elizabeth Futral, Paul Groves, Wu Hsing-Kuo & Hao Jiang Tian; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

"Lully: Psyché," Paul O´Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Colin Balzer, Karina Gauvin, Carolyn Sampson & Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; Boston Early Music Festival Chorus)

"Monteverdi: L'Orfeo," Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor; Sara Mingardo, Monica Piccinini, Anna Simboli & Furio Zanasi; Jean-Pierre Loisil, producer (Concerto Italiano)

"Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin," Valery Gergiev, conductor; Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Ramón Vargas; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

"Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny." James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra; Los Angeles Opera Chorus)

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE

"O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night," Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)

"Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works," Charles Bruffy, conductor (Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir)

"Symphony Of Psalms," Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Berliner Philharmoniker; Rundfunkchor Berlin)

"Szymanowski, Karol: Stabat Mater." Antoni Wit, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, chorus master (Jaroslaw Brek, Iwona Hossa & Ewa Marciniec; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir)

"Tippett: A Child Of Our Time," Colin Davis, conductor; Joseph Cullen, chorus master (Steve Davislim, Mihoko Fujimura, Matthew Rose & Indra Thomas; London Symphony Orchestra; London Symphony Chorus)

BEST INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST(S) PERFORMANCE (WITH ORCHESTRA)

"Bloch/Lees:Violin Concertos," John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Elmar Oliveira (National Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine)

"Harrison: Pipa Concerto," Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Wu Man (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

"Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20," Leif Ove Andsnes (Norwegian Chamber Orchestra)

"Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 2 & 5," Charles Dutoit, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet (L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande)
   
"Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos," Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

BEST INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST PERFORMANCE (WITHOUT ORCHESTRA)

"In A State Of Jazz," Marc-André Hamelin

"Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky, And Lutoslawski," Gloria Cheng

"Red Cliff Capriccio," Wei Li

"Revolutionary," Cameron Carpenter

"Strange Toys," Joan Jeanrenaud

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE

"Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51, No. 2, Piano Quintet Op. 34," Stephen Hough; Takács Quartet

"Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5," Pacifica Quartet

"Folk Songs," Trio Mediaeval

"Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music," ARC Ensemble

"String Poetic," Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida

BEST SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

"Divertimenti," Øyvind Gimse, conductor; TrondheimSolistene

"Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto; Hayashi: Viola Concerto; Takemitsu: Nostalgia," Roman Balashov, conductor; Yuri Bashmet; Moscow Soloists (Wu Man)

"Im Wunderschoenen Monat Mai," Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor; Barbara Sukowa; Schoenberg Ensemble

"Monk: Impermanence," Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble

"Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary," Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale

BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL PERFORMANCE

"Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan," Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)

"Fussell, Charles: Wilde," Sanford Sylvan (Gil Rose; Boston Modern Orchestra Project)
"Gomidas Songs," Isabel Bayrakdarian (Eduard Topchjan; Serouj Kradjian; Chamber Players Of The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra)

"Maria," Cecilia Bartoli (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla)

"Terezín: Theresienstadt," Anne Sofie Von Otter (Christian Gerhaher & Daniel Hope; Bengt Forsberg & Gerold Huber)

BEST CLASSICAL CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION

"Dalbavie: Concerto Pour Flûte," Marc-André Dalbavie (Peter Eötvös)
   
"Gandolfi: The Garden Of Cosmic Speculation," Michael Gandolfi (Robert Spano)

"Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan," John Corigliano (JoAnn Falletta)

"Violin Concerto No. 2," George Tsontakis (Douglas Boyd)

"Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements," Chris Walden (Chris Walden)

BEST CLASSICAL CROSSOVER ALBUM

"Baroque," Gabriela Montero

"Indigo Road," Ronn McFarlane

"Olde School," East Village Opera Company

"The Othello Syndrome," Uri Caine Ensemble

"Simple Gifts," The King's Singers

[imperfection]

Gets a big fat "Meh" from me.

[Dr. Dread]

I watched the Grammys (yes, I know; I'm a bad boy) and it freaked me out when they slapped Elliott Carter's face up on the screen. I was so shocked, I didn't catch why they were doing  it. 

[springrite]

Gets a big fat "Meh" from me.

That was my usual reaction as the Grammy classical award is the least credible of all the "major" awards. However, in the past few years it has gotten better. At least we are not getting the same "let's just go by the names we know best" vein (when Solti, Perlman, Ma, etc. pretty much had their monopoly). But still, I wouldn't base any of my purchasing decisions on the Grammy.

[Sef]

That was my usual reaction as the Grammy classical award is the least credible of all the "major" awards. However, in the past few years it has gotten better. At least we are not getting the same "let's just go by the names we know best" vein (when Solti, Perlman, Ma, etc. pretty much had their monopoly). But still, I wouldn't base any of my purchasing decisions on the Grammy.

Having been at the CSO performance of Shostakovich's 4th Symphony (and therefore ever so slightly biased), I would recommend that purchase.

[bhodges]

Having been at the CSO performance of Shostakovich's 4th Symphony (and therefore ever so slightly biased), I would recommend that purchase.

Count me biased, too!  It's a spectacular recording, one of the best of this symphony I've ever heard.  I'm very happy to see it cited with an award. 

--Bruce

[hornteacher]

I'm biased too, but Hilary's Schoenberg is marvelous.

[aquablob]

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE[/i][/b]


"Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5," Pacifica Quartet

Quartet-in-residence at my school — we are very proud of them! They have a performance at our venue this Friday, where I am sure we will receive them warmly!

[Senta]

Can anyone tell me more about the Weill opera/recording? Has anyone heard it?

I see it won several awards, but I am not familiar with the work or the recording at all. I do see one of the cast members is Audra McDonald, a favorite singer of mine! 

[not edward]

I own three of this year's Grammy award winners. That's a rarity.

Though to be honest, I would recommend two and a half of them (don't think Hahn's Sibelius is much cop, though).

[karlhenning]

Quartet-in-residence at my school — we are very proud of them! They have a performance at our venue this Friday, where I am sure we will receive them warmly!

Excellent!

[ChamberNut]

Definitely looks like "Pop Classics Awards", not so much Classical Music Awards.  And why can't they be part of the regular Grammy evening awards ceremony?   A pity.

Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, you won yourself a classical music award! 

[Dr. Dread]

Definitely looks like "Pop Classics Awards", not so much Classical Music Awards.  And why can't they be part of the regular Grammy evening awards ceremony?   A pity.

Because no one listens to that stuff.

[ChamberNut]

Because no one listens to that stuff.

Well yes, it certainly is better to have it this way, then to completely disrespect and discredit the Classical Music genre.

[karlhenning]

Definitely looks like "Pop Classics Awards", not so much Classical Music Awards.

It's sort of the PR wing . . . .

[DavidRoss]

Hey, I just noticed that the MTT/SFS Das Lied von der Erde didn't even get nominated.  What's up with that?  Seems every previous issue in the cycle got a nod and this one's terrific.  Did it come out too late to get nominated?  (Don't ask me to figure out how the dates make sense--or anything else having to do with the Grammys!)

[Kuhlau]

I'm biased too, but Hilary's Schoenberg is marvelous.

Never mind the Schoenberg - her reading of the Sibelius Violin Concerto is very far from the typical run-through that so many up-and-coming violinists have made of it as they tick it off the list of 'concerti I must record because everyone else has'. Her performance of that work rocketed up my chart of favourite accounts to about second or third position.

As for Sir Simon Rattle's win, this has rattled some over at CMG.

FK

[hornteacher]

Never mind the Schoenberg - her reading of the Sibelius Violin Concerto is very far from the typical run-through that so many up-and-coming violinists have made of it as they tick it off the list of 'concerti I must record because everyone else has'. Her performance of that work rocketed up my chart of favourite accounts to about second or third position.

I agree.  She's said in interviews she wanted to bring something different to the Sibelius because so many people record it.  For the longest time I loved the Mutter/Previn recording (I still do), but HH has made me listen to the concerto with new ears.

[haydnguy]

This is the point that I thought was most interesting about the Grammys.


Modern Music Sweep For Classical Grammys

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100446889

[aquablob]

Quartet-in-residence at my school — we are very proud of them! They have a performance at our venue this Friday, where I am sure we will receive them warmly!

Follow-up regarding last night's performance by our resident Grammy winners, the Pacifica Quartet:

The players were welcomed with a lengthy ovation upon taking the stage, obliging them to bow many times before taking their seats! Before they were "permitted" to begin their program, the director of our music school gave a short speech, informing any who were not already "in the know" of the recent Grammy award, which of course prompted "ooh"s, "ah"s, and more applause. He congratulated and thanked the ensemble on behalf of the music faculty, students, administration, and entire university community, and presented the musicians with a lovely bottle of bubbly ("not to be enjoyed during intermission").

The program:

Mendelssohn Op. 12
Prokofiev Op. 92

(Intermission)

Mendelssohn Op. 44 No. 2

And an encore was demanded: Astor Piazzolla's "Four for Tango"; if you are unfamiliar with this short and amusing piece (as was I), you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew4u7RsdFtU&feature=related

A very pleasant evening!