The winners of Germany's premiere classical music awards (formerly the Echo Klassik Awards, but re-branded in 2018) were revealed this morning in advance of next month's celebratory concert at St.-Elisabeth-Kirche and presentation ceremony at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Read on for full details of the winners in each category, including Igor Levit, Lea Desandre, Vladimir Jurowski and Kian Soltani.
Female Singer of the Year - Lea Desandre
Lea Desandre (mezzo), Jupiter, Thomas Dunford
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Male Singer of the Year - Jonas Kaufmann
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Instrumentalists of the Year - Beatrice Rana, Tianwa Yang and Dominik Wollenweber
Beatrice Rana (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Tianwa Yang (violin), Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jun Märkl
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Dominik Wollenweber (cor anglais), Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Conductor of the Year - Vladimir Jurowski
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Vladimir Jurowski
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
Composer of the Year - Pēteris Vasks
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Ivan Repušić
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Young Artists of the Year - Äneas Humm, Pene Pati, Dominik Wagner, Magdalena Hoffmann
Embrace
Songs by Hensel, Liszt, Ullmann & Grieg
Äneas Humm (baritone), Renate Rohlfing (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Pene Pati (tenor), Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Choeur de l'Opéra national de Bordeaux, Emmanuel Villaume
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Dominik Wagner (double bass), Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Emmanuel Tjeknavorian
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Magdalena Hoffmann (harp)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Ensembles/Orchestras of the Year - Kammerakademie Potsdam, Huelgas-Ensemble
Kammerakademie Potsdam, Antonello Manacorda
Available formats: 2 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
En Albion
Medieval Polyphony in England
Huelgas-Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Solo Recording (Singing) - Jeanine De Bique, Joyce DiDonato, Miriam Feuersinger, Christian Gerhaher
Jeanine De Bique (soprano), Concerto Köln, Luca Quintaville
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev
Available format: CD
Miriam Feuersinger (soprano), Capricornus Consort Basel
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Solo Recording (Instrumental) - Viviane Chassot, Eckhard Manz, Igor Levit
Viviane Chassot (accordion)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Eckhard Manz (organ)
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Igor Levit (piano)
Available formats: 3 CDs, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Concerto Recording - Renaud Capuçon, Stefan Temmingh, Albrecht Mayer
Renaud Capuçon (violin), Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Leipzig 1723
Bach - Telemann - Graupner - Fasch
Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Chamber Music - Sharon Kam/Antje Weithaas/Julian Steckel/Enrico Pace, Trio 21meter60, Armida Quartett
Sharon Kam (clarinet), Antje Weithaas (violin), Julian Steckel (cello), Enrico Pace (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Trio 21meter60
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Armida Quartett
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Classical Without Borders - Armida Quartett, Moby, Francesco Tristano
Armida Quartett
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Francesco Tristano (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Symphonic Music - Niederrheinische Sinfoniker/Mihkel Kutson, Berlin Barock Solisten/Reinhard Goebel
Niederrheinische Sinfoniker, Mihkel Kutson
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Berlin Barock Solisten, Reinhard Goebel
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Choral - Singer Pur
Singer Pur
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Opera
Elsa Dreisig (Fiordiligi), Marianne Crebassa (Dorabella), Lea Desandre (Despina), Bogdan Volkov (Ferrando), André Schuen (Guglielmo), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Alfonso)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Joana Mallwitz, Christof Loy
Available format: DVD Video
Jonas Kaufmann (Paul), Marlis Petersen (Marietta), Andrej Filonczyk (Frank/Fritz), Jennifer Johnston (Brigitta), Mirjam Mesak (Juliette), Corinna Scheurle (Lucienne), Manuel Günther (Gaston/Victorin), Dean Power (Graf Albert)
Bayerische Staatsoper, Kirill Petrenko, Simon Stone
Available format: 2 DVD Videos
World Premiere Recording - Goldberg Baroque Ensemble/Goldberg Vocal Ensemble
Goldberg Baroque Ensemble, Goldberg Vocal Ensemble, Andrzej Szadejko
Available formats: SACD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit)
Audiovisual Music Production - Jakub Józef Orliński/Sebastian Pańczyk/Dobro Films
Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor), Capella Cracoviensis, Jan Tomasz Adamus, Sebastian Pańczyk
Available formats: CD + DVD Video, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Editorial Achievement - Florian Uhlig
Florian Uhlig Schumann Complete Piano Works
Uhlig embarked on his survey of Schumann's complete piano music (using a combination of the latest critical editions and first editions) back in 2010, and crossed the finishing-line with a programme of variations in October 2020; an appendix of early works in second editions was released last September, with Pizzicato noting that 'the pianist gets by without showmanship or idiosyncrasy. He remains connected to Schumann’s music and keeps himself rather in the background as an interpreter'.
Innovative Listening Experience - Kian Soltani
Kian Soltani (cello)
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Film Music - Frank Strobel
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Frank Strobel
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
New Classical - Ludovico Einaudi
Ludovico Einaudi (piano)
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Bestseller - John Williams: The Berlin Concert
Berliner Philharmoniker, John Williams
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 192 kHz, 24 bit)
