For six decades, the Grammys (presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) have been one of the major events in the global record-industry year, and the shortlist for the 2021 Awards has just been announced, with nominees including Igor Levit, Luna Pearl Woolf, and Thomas Adès. The winners will be revealed on Sunday 31st January.
Best Orchestral Performance
Aspects of America: Pulitzer Edition
Music by Piston; Gould & Hanson
Oregon Symphony, Carlos Kalmar
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Concurrence
ISO Project, Vol. 2
Vikingur Ólafsson (piano), Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir (cello), Daniel Bjarnason
Available formats: CD + Blu-ray Audio, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Gustavo Dudamel
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Best Opera Recording
Norman Dello Joio: The Trial at Rouen
Heather Buck (soprano), Stephen Powell, Luke Scott (baritones), Ryan Stoll (bass-baritone), Jeremy Ayres Fisher (tenor)
Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose (released on Boston Modern Orchestra Project)
Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, William Boggs
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Eric Owens (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess), Latonia Moore (Serena), Golda Schultz (Clara), Denyce Graves (Maria), Frederick Ballentine (Sportin’ Life), Alfred Walker (Crown), Ryan Speedo Green (Jake)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, David Robertson
Available format: 3 CDs
Joyce DiDonato (Agrippina), Elsa Benoit (Poppea), Luca Pisaroni (Claudio), Franco Fagioli (Nerone), Jakub Józef Orliński (Ottone), Andrea Mastroni (Pallante), Carlo Vistoli (Narciso), Biagio Pizzuti (Lesbo), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Giunone)
Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Elena Tsallagova (Donna Clara), Emily Magee (Ghita), David Butt Philip (Der Zwerg), Mick Morris Mehnert (Der Zwerg - actor), Philipp Jekal (Don Estoban)
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Donald Runnicles, Tobias Kratzer
Available format: DVD Video
Elena Tsallagova (Donna Clara), Emily Magee (Ghita), David Butt Philip (Der Zwerg), Mick Morris Mehnert (Der Zwerg - actor), Philipp Jekal (Don Estoban)
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Donald Runnicles, Tobias Kratzer
Available format: Blu-ray
Best Choral Performance
The Crossing, Donald Nally
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, JoAnn Falletta
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Joseph Charles Beutel (bass-baritone), Anna Dennis (soprano)
Cathedral Choral Society, The Clarion Choir, Chamber Choir of St. Tikhon's Monastery, Kansas City Chorale, Orchestra Of St. Luke's, Leonard Slatkin
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Paul Moravec: Sanctuary Road
An oratorio based on the writings of William Still
Laquita Mitchell (soprano), Raehann Bryce-Davis (mezzo), Joshua Blue (tenor), Malcolm J. Merriweather (baritone), Dashon Burton (bass-baritone), Paul Moravec (narrator)
Oratorio Society of New York Orchestra and Chorus, Kent Tritle
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Benedict Sheehan: Once Upon a Time
Skylark Ensemble, Sarah Walker (storyteller), Matthew Guard
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Pacifica Quartet, Otis Murphy (saxophone)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ted Hearne, Josephine Lee, Ayanna Woods, Steven Bradshaw, Isaiah Robinson, Philip White, Saul Williams, Sol Ruiz, Sophia Byrd, Rage Thormbones
Place Orchestra, Chicago Children's Choir
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Third Coast Percussion, Devonté Hynes
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Dover Quartet
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Kirill Gerstein (piano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Igor Levit (piano)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Augustin Hadelich (violin), Charles Owen (piano), Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Jakub Hruša
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Daniil Trifonov (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Richard O'Neill (viola), Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Clairières
Songs By Lili and Nadia Boulanger
Nicholas Phan (tenor), Myra Huang (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Brian Giebler (tenor), Steven McGhee (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Sarah Brailey (soprano), Dashon Burton (bass-baritone)
Experiential Orchestra and Chorus, James Blachly
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
American Composers at Play: William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto
Stephen Powell (Attacca Quartet, William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto, Charles Neidich & Jason Vieaux) (released on Acis Productions)
Best Classical Compendium
Mark Stone (baritone), Kirill Gerstein (piano), Christianne Stotijn (mezzo)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Peter Herresthal (violin), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Clément Mao-Takacs
Available format: SACD
Sasha Cooke (mezzo), Ryan McKinny (bass-baritone)
San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Matt Haimovitz (cello), Devon Guthrie, Nancy Anderson (sopranos), Elise Quagliata (mezzo)
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, NOVUS NY, Julian Wachner
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Kirill Gerstein (piano), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adès
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, JoAnn Falletta
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, William Boggs
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Ted Hearne, Josephine Lee, Ayanna Woods, Steven Bradshaw, Isaiah Robinson, Philip White, Saul Williams, Sol Ruiz, Sophia Byrd, Rage Thormbones
Place Orchestra, Chicago Children's Choir
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Best Engineered Classical Album
Richard Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua
Engineer: Bernd Gottinger
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, JoAnn Falletta
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Engineers: David Frost & John Kerswell; Mastering Engineer: Silas Brown
Eric Owens (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess), Latonia Moore (Serena), Golda Schultz (Clara), Denyce Graves (Maria), Frederick Ballentine (Sportin’ Life), Alfred Walker (Crown), Ryan Speedo Green (Jake)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, David Robertson
Available format: 3 CDs
Devonté Hynes: Fields
Engineer: Kyle Pyke; Mastering Engineers: Jesse Lewis & Kyle Pyke
Third Coast Percussion, Devonté Hynes
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ives: Complete Symphonies
Engineers/Mastering Engineers: Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Gustavo Dudamel
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B flat minor 'Babi Yar'
Engineers: David Frost & Charlie Post; Mastering Engineer: Silas Brown
Alexey Tikhomirov (bass), Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Riccardo Muti
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
