Established in 1986 and presented by the French Ministry of Culture, the annual Victoires de la Musique Awards recognise outstanding achievements by French artists (or, in the case of the Recording of the Year, in French repertoire). Last night’s ceremony at Paris’s La Seine Musicale was broadcast live on French television and included performances from award-winners Stéphane Degout and Nicholas Angelich and nominees Alexandre Kantorow and Ambroisine Bré, as well as Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak, Philippe Jaroussky, and Edgar Moreau.

Enregistrement de l'année

Nominated

Victoire d'honneur - Lang Lang

The Chinese pianist (whose first album in three years, Piano Book, is released in April on Deutsche Grammophon) received a special award in recognition of his achievements over the past two decades; he performed Chopin’s Grand valse brillante Op. 18 at the ceremony.

Artiste lyrique - Stéphane Degout

The versatile French baritone has had a prolific year on the recording front, ranging from Charpentier’s Leçons de ténèbres and a terrific journey through the underworld on his Rameau and Gluck album Enfers to the central role of The King in the premiere of Sir George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence. The song recital Harmonie du soir (with soprano Sophie Karthäuser) was a highlight of last year’s Debussy centenary, and his compelling Nuits d’été with Les Siècles last month got this year’s Berlioz anniversary off to a superb start.

Nominated - Elsa Dreisig (soprano), Sandrine Piau (soprano)

Soliste instrumental - Nicholas Angelich

The American pianist’s historically-informed recording of Beethoven’s Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos (performed on a Pleyel grand with Laurence Equilbey and the period-instrument Insula Orchestra) was issued on Erato in September, and was described as ‘an account full of character, and finely paced’ by Gramophone, whilst BBC Music Magazine praised his ‘refined articulation’; in June he joined Anne Gastinel and Gil Shaham for the Triple Concerto on Naïve, with Paavo Järvi conducting the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Nominated - Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello)

Révélation soliste instrumental - Thibaud Garcia

The 24-year-old Franco-Spanish guitarist’s second solo album on Warner, Bach Inspirations, was released in October and more than lived up to the promise of his 2016 debut on the label, Leyendas; Gramophone observed that ‘in his flowing, pellucid interpretations Garcia himself seems to be inspired by Bach’s name’. You can watch Katherine’s exclusive video interview with him (filmed at the French Institute in London in October) here.

Nominated - Théo Fouchenneret (piano), Alexandre Kantorow (piano)

Révélation artiste lyrique - Eléonore Pancrazi

The Corsican-born French mezzo was a finalist in the inaugural Glyndebourne Cup last year, and went on to sing Le Prince Charmant in Glyndebourne On Tour’s production of Massenet’s Cendrillon in the autumn (‘a lovely, seductive mezzo’ - Classical Source); she also reached the finals of the Voix Nouvelles Competition and took second prize at the International Cesti Competition in 2017. Future engagements include the title-roles in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice in Clermont-Ferrand and a circus-themed adaptation of Carmen in Rouen.

Nominated - Ambroisine Bré (mezzo), Guilhem Worms (bass-baritone)

Compositeur - Guillaume Connesson

The French composer (b.1970) took the palm for his violin concerto Les horizons perdus, written for Renaud Capuçon and premiered in Brussels in September. A 2-CD collection of Connesson’s chamber music was released on Sony last year, including Constellations for viola and piano, the Adams Variations for clarinet quartet, and the ‘sept miniatures préhistoriques’ Jurassic Trip; his Chants de l’Agarthe appears on cellist Maria Kliegel’s Voyages Sonores, released last week on Genuin.

Nominated - Benjamin Attahir (Serpent et Orchestre), Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (Concerto pour piano)