Awards,
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014
Twenty-one recordings in seven categories were selected by an expert jury for public online voting. The nominations represented the best of all the recordings reviewed by BBC Music Magazine during the year, and featured an eclectic array of household names as well as newcomers to the field.
The votes are now in, and the winning recordings were announced on 8th April, together with the special jury awards. Below we list the winning recordings and the Jury's Awards; the full list of both winners and runner-up finalists can be found here.
Recording of the Year
The jury says… "Tonally burnished, technically startling, ripely emotional – it’s been years since a new CD of Elgar’s great concerto made this kind of visceral impact. Barenboim accompanies superbly, and the Carter coupling is commandingly astringent. A magnificent concerto debut, from an artist still in her twenties when the Elgar was recorded."
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Category Winners
The jury says… "I was marvelling at how well Britten’s recording had scrubbed up for BluRay Audio in its latest incarnation, confident that there was no new contender to which I’d rather turn, when this happened. Intensely focused singing, solo and choral (glinting with young voices), a dramatically persuasive performance, and a gloriously immersive recording. Profoundly moving."
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
The jury says… "If you suspect that almost 80 minutes of solo baroque violin is a tough sell, just surrender yourself to the musical ingenuity of Bach, Pisendel, Matteis, Tartini and Biber, in the hands of someone who speaks their language as effortlessly and fluently as they could possibly wish. It’s simply gorgeous."
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC
The jury says… "Another Grimes? Yes, and this one’s special. Recorded live, in conjunction with Aldeburgh’s ‘Grimes on the Beach’ project, these CDs have a storm-tossed, salty tang about them. An excellent cast is helmed by the plangent, dignified Grimes of Alan Oke, and Giselle Allen’s intense, edgy Ellen. A totally gripping issue."
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
The jury says… "No other Heldentenor can touch Kaufmann in this repertoire: radiance, refinement and expressive eloquence mark these magnificent performances of arias and lieder, warmly supported by Runnicles. His range is breath-taking from the overwhelming power of the Sword Monologue from Die Walküre to the hushed intimacy of the Wesendonck lieder."
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Jury Awards
Igor Levit (piano)
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Christopher Purves, Barbara Hannigan, Bejun Mehta, Victoria Simmonds, Allan Clayton, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, George Benjamin
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Jaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Lukas Jakobski, Jeremy White, Hubert Francis, Zheng Zhong Zhou, Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sir Antonio Pappano
Available Format: DVD Video
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
