The six contenders in each category for the 2021 Gramophone Awards were announced earlier today; though there will be no live audience this year, an online ceremony (presented by Editor-in-Chief James Jolly and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason) will be live-streamed on Medici TV and Gramophone's social media channels on the evening of October 5th, when details of special prizes including Artist, Orchestra and Recording of the Year will also be unveiled...
You can read full reviews of all the shortlisted recordings via a special digimag here
Chamber
Elgar & Beach: Piano Quintets
Garrick Ohlsson (piano), Takács Quartet
'Ohlsson and the Takács are to be congratulated for the warmth of their interpretation'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10 James Ehnes (violin), Andrew Armstrong (piano)
'A wonderfully positive conclusion to a life-enhancing cycle'.
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Simpson: Geysir and Mozart: Gran Partita
Mark Simpson, Fraser Langton (clarinet), Nicholas Daniel, Emma Fielding (oboe), Amy Harman, Dom Tyler (bassoon), Oliver Pashley, Ausias Garrigos Morant (basset horns), Ben Goldscheider, Angela Barnes, James Pillai, Fabian van de Geest (horn), David Stark (double bass)
'A performance of risk-taking virtuosity'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Telemann: La Querelleuse
The Counterpoints & Friends
'This debut disc is, hands down, some of the best recorded Telemann out there'.
Available Format: CD
Proust, Le Concert Retrouvé
Theotime Langlois de Swart (violin), Tanguy de Williencourt (piano)
'It’s a breathtaking, astonishing disc, and I cannot recommend it too highly'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Nordic Rhapsody
Johan Dalene (violin), Christian Ihle Hadland (piano)
'Artistry of a high order from this gifted young Swedish virtuoso'.
Available Format: SACD
Choral
Biber: Requiem
Freiburger Barockconsort, Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
'These are rarities on record all right, linked by a rich and serious tone well suited to Vox Luminis’s familiar strengths'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Bruckner: Latin Motets
Latvian Radio Choir, Sigvards Kļava
'The unforced natural expressivity of the singing as well as the accuracy of the intonation at all dynamic levels puts this new version very near the top of the list'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Dussek: Messe Solemnelle
Stefanie True (soprano), Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano), Gwilym Bowen (tenor), Morgan Pearse (bass), Choir of the AAM, Academy of Ancient Music, Richard Egarr
'Dussek himself could scarcely have hoped for a performance as fine as this one, with the Academy on top form'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Haydn: Die Schöpfung
Anna Lucia Richter (soprano), Maximilian Schmitt (tenor), Florian Boesch (baritone), Il Giardino Armonico, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Giovanni Antonini
'[Antonini] catches as exhilaratingly as anyone both the spirit and the letter of Haydn’s unsullied vision'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Purcell: Royal Odes
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor), Charles Daniels (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass), The King’s Consort, Robert King
'This is achingly excellent playing – the opening Symphonies alone would be worth the price of the disc'.
Available Format: CD
Smyth: The Prison
Sarah Brailey (soprano), Dashon Burton (bass-baritone), Experiential Orchestra and Chorus, James Blachly
'In this beautifully prepared and executed performance, The Prison emerges most certainly as a work of sweet sounds and concordance'.
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Concerto
Beethoven: Triple Concerto & Piano Trio Op. 36 (Symphony No. 2)
Isabelle Faust (violin), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Alexander Melnikov (piano), Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado
'The charm and wit with which all concerned inject the music make it more akin to a mini-opera buffa than a concerto'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Paris: Chausson, Rautavaara, Prokofiev
Hilary Hahn (violin), Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franck
'I doubt whether the [Prokofiev] has ever been played ‘better’ than it is here'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Elgar: Violin Concerto & Violin Sonata
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Stephen Hough (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
'Capuçon’s interpretation is undoubtedly an exceptional one in its affection and sympathy for the long, plangent lines of Elgar’s score'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Martinů: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 - Bartók: Sonata for Solo Violin
Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), Bamberger Symphoniker, Jakub Hruša
'This is, for me, the top recommendation for these two works and, frankly, is how Martinů should always be played'.
Available Format: SACD
Poulenc: Piano Concerto & Concert champêtre
Mark Bebbington (piano), John Roberts (oboe), Jonathan Davies (bassoon), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan Latham-Koenig
'A recording rich in sensual gratification and intellectual nourishment'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Shostakovich: Violin Concertos
Alina Ibragimova (violin), State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia 'Evgeny Svetlanov', Vladimir Jurowski
'If there’s one factor above all that sets these performances apart it’s the osmosis between soloist and conductor'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Contemporary
Andriessen: The only one
Nora Fischer (mezzo), Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
'Complex yet direct, it nevertheless serves as a fitting, if sad, farewell to a composer equally deserving of that description'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Finnissy: Pious Anthems and Voluntaries
Choir of St John's College Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha
'The Choir of St John’s College rise to [Finnissy's] challenges gamely, their advocacy naturally essential to the success of the project'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Liza Lim: Extinction Events and Dawn Chorus
Klangforum Wien, Peter Rundel, Stefan Asbury
'Throughout there is a sense of wonder mixed with despair, of nature grown delirious'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
John Pickard: The Gardener of Aleppo and other chamber works
Susan Bickley (mezzo), Nash Ensemble, Martyn Brabbins
'The Nash Ensemble are on top form here, and BIS’s sound is stunning'.
Available Format: SACD
Christopher Rouse: Symphony No. 5, Supplica & Concerto for Orchestra
Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero
'An orchestra with a notable past (and hopefully future), the Nashville Symphony rises admirably to these pieces’ not inconsiderable challenges'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Plaisirs illuminés
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Sol Gabetta (cello), Camerata Bern
'[Kopatchinskaja] is very much part of an ensemble of equals, and the playing throughout is superb in its focus, precision and concentration'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Early Music
Gesualdo: Madrigali, Libri Terzo & Quarto
Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew
'Fully integrated with the musical line, the singers avoid melodrama through intimate, small gestures as if acting for screen, not stage'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Josquin: Masses
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
'Who better to navigate such extraordinary music than the masters of tranquillity and clarity themselves, The Tallis Scholars?'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Machaut: The lion of nobility
Orlando Consort
'Another wonderful and fascinating instalment in this impressive series'.
Available Format: CD
Monteverdi: Il Terzo Libro de Madrigali
Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini
'Alessandrini amplifies the musical variety within the book, emphasising the vertical clarity and blend in truly polyphonic madrigals'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Johannes Ockeghem: Les chansons
Cut Circle, Jesse Rodin
'I think this recording sets new standards for the recording of such music and will be a model for many more to come'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The Sweetest Songs: Music from the Baldwin Partbooks III
Contrapunctus, Owen Rees
'The programming alone would warrant a strong recommendation but it’s more than matched by Contrapunctus’s advocacy'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Instrumental
Bach: Pour La Luth Ò Cembal
Sean Shibe (guitar)
'Shibe applies the musical and interpretative qualities that characterise its predecessors...to remind us that Bach might have been singular but he contained multitudes.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Bach: Cello Suites
Alisa Weilerstein (cello)
'Weilerstein calls on a varied tonal palette, reaching across a considerable dynamic range and employing subtle shifts in shading, articulation and expressive vibrato'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord)
'Pinnock particularly shines when he imbues a Prelude and Fugue coupling with distinctive characters'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Solo II: Bach & Kurtág
Tabea Zimmermann (viola)
'Zimmermann’s alert range of articulations and rhythmic lifts...means that the music never loses its way or its sense of forward motion, and her mind is full of intelligent and happy ideas'.
Available Formats: CD, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Dowland: A Fancy
Bor Zuljan (lute)
'This is an original, improvisatory yet often deeply introspective recital, masterfully curated'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Handel: Suites pour Clavecin
Pierre Hantaï (harpsichord)
'His performances are clean-cut and thought-out, full of pert little trills and mordents, tasteful rhythmic dislocations and a variety of spreadchord formulations'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Piano
JS Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2 (Excerpts)
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
'As ever with Anderszewski, there are interpretative surprises along the way, but the sequence is both natural-sounding and innately refreshing'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Debussy - Chopin - Mussorgsky
Behzod Abduraimov (piano)
'Abduraimov’s visionary interpretation [of Pictures] is on a par with the very finest'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Liszt
Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
'One may miss Arrau’s golden-toned largesse or the gaunter classicism of Fleisher, Curzon and Brendel, yet Grosvenor’s Liszt Sonata clearly belongs in such company'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Liszt & Thalberg: Opera transcriptions & fantasies
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
'I think this new release is among the very best of all the recordings he has given us'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
The Beethoven Connection
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
'Bavouzet’s keen intelligence and pristine musicianship are evident throughout'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
French Duets
Steven Osborne (piano), Paul Lewis (piano)
'This offers not only the perfect escape from our current locked-down state but also the most sublime example of peerless pianism'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Opera
Britten: Peter Grimes
Stuart Skelton (Grimes), Erin Wall (Ellen), Roderick Williams (Balstrode), Susan Bickley (Auntie), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Mrs Sedley), Robert Murray (Bob Boles), James Gilchrist (Horace Adams), Marcus Farnsworth (Ned Keene); Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
'An exciting, committed, necessary and brilliantly recorded version for our times'.
Available Formats: 2 SACDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Dallapiccola: Il Prigioniero
Anna Maria Chiuri (La Madre), Michael Nagy (Il Prigioniero), Stephan Rugamer (Il Carceriere/Il Grande Inquisitore), Adam Riis (Primo Sacerdote), Steffen Bruun (Secondo Sacerdote); Danish National Concert Choir, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda
'It’s an outstanding, essential album, every second of it'.
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
John Eccles: Semele
Anna Dennis (Semele), Richard Burkhard (Jupiter), Helen Charlston (Juno), Aoife Miskelly (Ino), William Wallace (Athamas), Héloïse Bernard (Iris); Academy of Ancient Music, Julian Perkins
'It will be a hard act, in both performance and presentation, for any competitor to follow'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Purcell: The Fairy Queen, 1692
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Anna Dennis (soprano), Mhairi Lawson (soprano), Ashley Riches (bass-baritone), Roderick Williams (baritone), Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh
'McCreesh’s labour of love has abundant nuances and transcendent beauty'.
Available Formats: 2 CDs, Hi-Res+ FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Salieri: Armida
Lenneke Ruiten (Armida), Teresa Iervolino (Ismene), Florie Valiquette (Rinaldo), Ashley Riches (Ubaldo); Les Talens Lyriques, Chœur de Chambre de Namur, Christophe Rousset
'The richness and beauty of the playing, under the unerring direction of Christophe Rousset, is beyond praise'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten
Stephen Gould (Der Kaiser), Camilla Nylund (Die Kaiserin), Wolfgang Koch (Barak, der Farber), Nina Stemme (Die Farberin), Evelyn Herlitzius (Die Amme), Sebastian Holecek (Geisterbote); Wiener Staatsoper, Christian Thielemann
'This is essential listening for anyone interested in this remarkable work'.
Available Formats: 3 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Orchestral
Charles Ives: Complete Symphonies
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Gustavo Dudamel, Marta Gardolińska
'I do like Dudamel’s performance of the Second Symphony...he and his Angelenos are eager to communicate that Ives has all but arrived'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard
'Fresh, fascinating but not uncontroversial accounts, which is just what this neglected early Nielsen needs'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Respighi: Pines, Fountains & Festivals of Rome
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
'This is a high-voltage interpretation, virtuosically played and strong on detail and drama'.
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 & Scenes adapted from Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Martyn Brabbins
'A reading notable for its unhurried demeanour, clarity of texture and orchestral playing of conspicuous finesse and lustre'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi
'Essential for the composer’s fans, highly recommended for newcomers'.
Available Formats: 3 CDs, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
English Music For Strings
Sinfonia of London, John Wilson
'Sumptuous is one word – but because this is Wilson that goes hand-in-hand with the keenest articulation'.
Available Formats: SACD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Voice & Ensemble
Clair-Obscur
Sandrine Piau (soprano), Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté, Jean-François Verdier
'Piau’s voice is light and deftly controlled, and it’s matched beautifully by dappled orchestral accompaniment'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Sarah Connolly (mezzo), Robert Dean Smith (tenor), Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Vladimir Jurowski
'I cannot imagine a more revealing exposition of Mahler’s instrumental colorations'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Rossini: Amici e Rivali
Michael Spyres (tenor), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), I Virtuosi Italiani, Corrado Rovaris
'This is a must-have album for discerning fans of vocal fireworks'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Beethoven - Wagner - Verdi
Lise Davidsen (soprano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder
'Another fine album from an artist who, quite simply, is one of the greatest voices to be heard today'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Verdi
Ludovic Tézier (baritone), Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Frédéric Chaslin
'This is surely the finest Verdi recital – from any voice type – to have appeared for several years, if not a decade'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Anima Rara
Ermonela Jaho (soprano), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Andrea Battistoni
'An emotionally gripping album that should not be missed'.
Available Formats: Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Song
Jake Heggie: Unexpected Shadows
Jamie Barton (mezzo), Jake Heggie (piano), Matt Haimovitz (cello)
'Barton’s all-embracing talent – her powerful presence, her spectacular vocal equipment – has a whole lot of Heggie to get hold of here'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
And Love Said...
Jodie Devos (soprano), Nicolas Krüger (piano)
'A recital that bristles with life and love, at once engaging, beguiling and moving. Highly recommended'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Arion: Voyage of A Slavic Soul
Natalya Romaniw (soprano), Lada Valešová (piano)
'Make no mistake, Romaniw is a great talent. The plush richness of her soprano is astonishing.'
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Chanson d'Amour
Sabine Devieilhe (soprano), Alexandre Tharaud (piano)
'It is a joy to hear these 29 mélodies sung so well, with superb French diction'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
El Nour
Fatma Said (soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano), Burcu Karadag (ney), Rafael Aguirre (guitar), vision string quartet
'Said is an engaging storyteller...her French diction sharply animated, with shiny top notes glinting brilliantly'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
Paradise Lost
Anna Prohaska (soprano), Julius Drake (piano)
'It allows Prohaska and Drake to explore an uncommonly wide stylistic range...the best of it is very fine and infinitely rewarding'.
Available Formats: CD, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, MP3
