1st September 2021

Awards, Gramophone Awards 2021 - The Shortlist

by Chris O'Reilly

Gramophone Awards 2020 Shortlist 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

'Ohlsson and the Takács are to be congratulated for the warmth of their interpretation'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'A wonderfully positive conclusion to a life-enhancing cycle'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC

'A performance of risk-taking virtuosity'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This debut disc is, hands down, some of the best recorded Telemann out there'.

Available Format: CD

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'It’s a breathtaking, astonishing disc, and I cannot recommend it too highly'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Artistry of a high order from this gifted young Swedish virtuoso'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Choral

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Dussek himself could scarcely have hoped for a performance as fine as this one, with the Academy on top form'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'[Antonini] catches as exhilaratingly as anyone both the spirit and the letter of Haydn’s unsullied vision'.

Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This is achingly excellent playing – the opening Symphonies alone would be worth the price of the disc'.

Available Format: CD

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'In this beautifully prepared and executed performance, The Prison emerges most certainly as a work of sweet sounds and concordance'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Concerto

'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: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'I doubt whether the [Prokofiev] has ever been played ‘better’ than it is here'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'This is, for me, the top recommendation for these two works and, frankly, is how Martinů should always be played'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'A recording rich in sensual gratification and intellectual nourishment'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'If there’s one factor above all that sets these performances apart it’s the osmosis between soloist and conductor'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

Contemporary

'Complex yet direct, it nevertheless serves as a fitting, if sad, farewell to a composer equally deserving of that description'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'The Nash Ensemble are on top form here, and BIS’s sound is stunning'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'An orchestra with a notable past (and hopefully future), the Nashville Symphony rises admirably to these pieces’ not inconsiderable challenges'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'[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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Early Music

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Who better to navigate such extraordinary music than the masters of tranquillity and clarity themselves, The Tallis Scholars?'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'Another wonderful and fascinating instalment in this impressive series'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'Alessandrini amplifies the musical variety within the book, emphasising the vertical clarity and blend in truly polyphonic madrigals'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'The programming alone would warrant a strong recommendation but it’s more than matched by Contrapunctus’s advocacy'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Instrumental

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Pinnock particularly shines when he imbues a Prelude and Fugue coupling with distinctive characters'.

Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC

'This is an original, improvisatory yet often deeply introspective recital, masterfully curated'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'Abduraimov’s visionary interpretation [of Pictures] is on a par with the very finest'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'I think this new release is among the very best of all the recordings he has given us'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'Bavouzet’s keen intelligence and pristine musicianship are evident throughout'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

Opera

'An exciting, committed, necessary and brilliantly recorded version for our times'.

Available Formats: 2 SACDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'It’s an outstanding, essential album, every second of it'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'It will be a hard act, in both performance and presentation, for any competitor to follow'.

Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'McCreesh’s labour of love has abundant nuances and transcendent beauty'.

Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC

'The richness and beauty of the playing, under the unerring direction of Christophe Rousset, is beyond praise'.

Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This is essential listening for anyone interested in this remarkable work'.

Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Orchestral

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Fresh, fascinating but not uncontroversial accounts, which is just what this neglected early Nielsen needs'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This is a high-voltage interpretation, virtuosically played and strong on detail and drama'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'A reading notable for its unhurried demeanour, clarity of texture and orchestral playing of conspicuous finesse and lustre'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Essential for the composer’s fans, highly recommended for newcomers'.

Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Sumptuous is one word – but because this is Wilson that goes hand-in-hand with the keenest articulation'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Voice & Ensemble

'Piau’s voice is light and deftly controlled, and it’s matched beautifully by dappled orchestral accompaniment'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'I cannot imagine a more revealing exposition of Mahler’s instrumental colorations'.

Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This is a must-have album for discerning fans of vocal fireworks'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Another fine album from an artist who, quite simply, is one of the greatest voices to be heard today'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'This is surely the finest Verdi recital – from any voice type – to have appeared for several years, if not a decade'.

Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'An emotionally gripping album that should not be missed'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Song

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'A recital that bristles with life and love, at once engaging, beguiling and moving. Highly recommended'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Make no mistake, Romaniw is a great talent. The plush richness of her soprano is astonishing.'

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'It is a joy to hear these 29 mélodies sung so well, with superb French diction'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'Said is an engaging storyteller...her French diction sharply animated, with shiny top notes glinting brilliantly'.

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

'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, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC

Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive

Chris grew up in London and studied cello from the age of 5. He never did enough practice to get really good at it, but caught a passion for Classical music which would stick with him forever. He has wide ranging musical tastes, still plays Chamber music and particularly loves Mahler.

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Awards, Gramophone Awards 2021 - The Shortlist

Chamber

Choral

Concerto

Contemporary

Early Music

Instrumental

Piano

Opera

Orchestral

Voice & Ensemble

Song

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