Awards,
Gramophone Awards 2019: The Winners!
The ten category-winners of this year's Gramophone Awards have just been announced: among the victors are Philippe Jaroussky, Christian Gerhaher, Bertrand Chamayou, and Yuja Wang.
The overall Recording of the Year will be announced on 16th October at the Awards Ceremony at the Connaught Rooms in London, as will the Lifetime Achievement Award and Artist of the Year. Until 6th January 2020 we're offering discounts of up to 30% off the winning recordings.
Chamber
Debussy: Les Trois Sonates, The Late Works
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (piano), Tanguy de Williencourt (piano), Magali Mosnier (flute), Antoine Tamestit viola), Xavier de Maistre (harp), Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Javier Perianes (piano)
'Listen to it in a single sitting, and in the right playing order: it’s extraordinarily moving.' (Tim Ashley, November 2018 issue)
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Choral
‘Perfectly balanced and beautifully recorded, this is another outstanding release from Lionel Meunier and his team.’ (Lindsay Kemp, September 2018 issue)
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Concerto
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5
Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Orchestre National de France, Emmanuel Krivine
'One can well believe that Saint-Saëns found his inspiration for the opening measures of the finale in the pounding of the paddle steamer’s wheels as it travelled up the Nile. The final octave peroration played pìu mosso makes for a thrilling conclusion.’ (Jeremy Nicholas, October 2018 issue)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Contemporary
Brett Dean: Hamlet (DVD)
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger/Player-King), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio) London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
‘Screen viewing allows for total focus on an astonishing central performance from Allan Clayton. His portrayal of Hamlet’s decline would be noteworthy even without singing that is full of expressive meaning and always imbued with stringent beauty even in rage.’ (Andrew Mellor, Awards Issue 2018)
Available Format: DVD Video
Brett Dean: Hamlet (Blu-ray)
Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), John Tomlinson (Ghost/Grave-Digger), Jacques Imbrailo (Horatio), David Butt Philip (Laertes); London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Vladimir Jurowski
LPCM 2.0 DTS-HD 5.1
Available Format: Blu-ray
Early Music
‘This is the first recording by Cupertinos for Hyperion and it is a pleasure to have a Portuguese ensemble tackle its native repertory.’ (Fabrice Fitch, January 2019 issue)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Instrumental
‘The three Ligeti Études are supreme tests of pianistic colouring as well as intellectual agility, and here too Wang offers a tour de force of quasi-orchestral detail.’ (David Fanning, December 2018 issue)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Opera
Halévy: La Reine de Chypre
Véronique Gens, Cyrille Dubois, Étienne Dupuis; Flemish Radio Choir & Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Hervé Niquet
‘Chorus, orchestra and Hervé Niquet’s conducting are exemplary. An absolutely thrilling recording.’ (Richard Lawrence, September 2018 issue)
Available Formats: 2 CDs + Book, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Orchestral
‘A mandatory purchase for its interpretative insights, committed playing and tangibly realistic sound.' (Richard Whitehouse, November 2018 issue)
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC, Hi-Res+ FLAC
Recital
‘Jaroussky is at his best in these whispery, crooned laments where the voice treads the line between sound and silence.’ (Alexandra Coghlan, April 2019 issue)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Solo Vocal
‘Despite the constant self-reflection, their approach never – to my ears at least – comes close to self-indulgence. With excellent sound from Sony, this is an album to treasure and to savour – and to listen to again and again.’ (Hugo Shirley, February 2019 issue)
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
