Classic FM Arts partners head for GRAMMY Awards

The voices of Classic FM, The Sixteen, the LSO and Philharmonia are leading the charge of British classical performers in the nominations for the prestigious GRAMMY Awards.

The Sixteen's nomination in the Best Choral Performance category is for their recording of Handel Coronation Anthems on the CORO label, and comes at the end of an incredible year which saw the ensemble crowned Artist of the Year at the Classic FM Gramophone Awards in October.

Speaking to Classic FM following the nominations, conductor and found of The Sixteen, Harry Christophers said: "I thought winning the Classic FM Gram Artist of the Year and an Award for our disc of Coronation Anthems was the icing on the cake for a most wonderful thirtieth anniversary year - to be nominated for a Grammy is even more wonderful recognition for a group of musicians who are quite simply a joy to conduct and more importantly to have as friends."

Classic FM partner orchestra the Philharmonia are nominated for their recording of Bruckner's Symphony No.5 with conductor Benjamin Zander and the London Symphony Orchestra who picked up nominations in three categories for their recording of Britten's opera Billy Budd.

Also up for an award are chamber group Stile Antico, who are nominated in the category for Best Small Ensemble Performance for their album Song of Songs. The exciting ensemble of young British singers, who also won the 2009 Gramophone Award for Early Music in October, reached the top of the US Classical Chart earlier this year with Song of Songs and have been received rave reviews for their North American tour this summer.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Sunday 31 January, 2010 in Los Angeles. See the full list of Classical nominations below:

Best Classical Album

Bernstein: Mass
Marin Alsop, conductor
Asher Edward Wulfman; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir & Peabody Children's Chorus

Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox & Susan McMane, Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Katarina Karnéus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef, Elza van den Heever & Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Girls Chorus & San Francisco Symphony Chorus

Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé
James Levine, conductor; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges
Alastair Willis, conductor
Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Chattanooga Boys Choir, Chicago Symphony Chorus & Nashville Symphony Chorus
    
Shostakovich: The Nose
Valery Gergiev, conductor; Andrei Popov, Sergei Semishkur & Vladislav Sulimsky;
Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre; Chorus Of The Mariinsky Theatre


Best Orchestral Performance

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Simon Rattle, conductor
Susan Graham; Berliner Philharmoniker

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Benjamin Zander, conductor
Philharmonia Orchestra

Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloé
James Levine, conductor
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre

Szymanowski: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4
Antoni Wit, conductor
Jan Krzysztof Broja, Ewa Marczyk & Marek Marczyk; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra


Best Opera Recording

Britten: Billy Budd
Daniel Harding, conductor
Ian Bostridge, Neal Davies, Nathan Gunn, Jonathan Lemalu, Matthew Rose & Gidon Saks; London Symphony Orchestra; Gentlemen Of The London Symphony Chorus


Messiaen: Saint François D'Assise
Ingo Metzmacher, conductor
The Hague Philharmonic; Chorus Of De Nederlandse Opera


Musto, John: Volpone
Sara Jobin, conductor;
Lisa Hopkins, Joshua Jeremiah, Museop Kim, Jeremy Little, Rodell Rosel & Faith Sherman; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Wolf Trap Opera Company)
      
Shostakovich: The Nose
Valery Gergiev, conductor
Andrei Popov, Sergei Semishkur & Vladislav Sulimsky

Tan Dun: Marco Polo
Tan Dun, conductor
Stephen Bryant, Sarah Castle, Zhang Jun, Nancy Allen Lundy, Stephen Richardson & Charles Workman; Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; Cappella Amsterdam
   

Best Choral Performance

Handel: Coronation Anthems
Harry Christophers, conductor
Alastair Ross; The Sixteen Orchestra; The Sixteen

Mahler: Symphony No. 8; Adagio From Symphony No. 10
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Ragnar Bohlin, Kevin Fox & Susan McMane, Laura Claycomb, Anthony Dean Griffey, Elza van den Heever, Katarina Karnéus, Quinn Kelsey, James Morris, Yvonne Naef & Erin Wall; San Francisco Symphony; Pacific Boychoir, San Francisco Symphony Chorus & San Francisco Girls Chorus

Penderecki: Utrenja
Antoni Wit, conductor
Gennady Bezzubenkov, Iwona Hossa, Piotr Kusiewicz, Piotr Nowacki & Agnieszka Rehlis; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Boys' Choir & Warsaw Philharmonic Choir

Song Of The Stars: Granados, Casals & Blancafort
Dennis Keene, conductor
Erica Kiesewetter; Mark Kruczek & Douglas Riva; Voices Of Ascension

A Spotless Rose
Paul McCreesh, conductor
The Gabrieli Consort



Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance with Orchestra

Bartók: 3 Concertos
Pierre Boulez, conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer, Neil Percy, Tamara Stefanovich & Nigel Thomas; Berliner Philharmoniker & London Symphony Orchestra

Bermel, Derek: Voices For Solo Clarinet And Orchestra
Gil Rose, conductor; Derek Bermel
Track from: Bermel, Derek: Voices

Korngold: Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 35
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor; Philippe Quint (Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineria)
Track from: Korngold Violin Concerto; Schauspiel Overture; Much Ado About Nothing

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor; Evgeny Kissin (Philharmonia Orchestra)

Salonen, Esa-Pekka: Piano Concerto
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Yefim Bronfman Los Angeles Philharmonic


Best Instrumental Soloist Performance without Orchestra

Caroline Goulding
Caroline Goulding

Chopin
Maria João Pires

Journey To The New World
Sharon Isbin (Joan Baez & Mark O'Connor)

Oppens Plays Carter
Ursula Oppens

Sonatas & Etudes
Yuja Wang


Best Chamber Music Performance

Ginastera: String Quartets (Complete)
Enso Quartet (Lucy Shelton)

The Hungarian Album
Guarneri Quartet

Intimate Letters
Emerson String Quartet

Schumann/Bartók: The Berlin Recital
Martha Argerich & Gidon Kremer

Takemitsu, Toru: And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind
Yolanda Kondonassis, Cynthia Phelps & Joshua Smit


Best Small Ensemble Performance

Bach: Orchestral Suites For A Young Prince
Monica Huggett, conductor; Gonzalo X. Ruiz; Ensemble Sonnerie

Josquin: Missa Malheur Me Bat
Peter Phillips, conductor; Tallis Scholars

Lang, David: The Little Match Girl Passion
Paul Hillier, conductor; Ars Nova Copenhagen & Theatre Of Voices

Song Of Songs
Stile Antico (Alison Hill & Benedict Hymas)

Vivaldi: Concertos
Daniel Hope & Anne Sofie von Otter; Chamber Orchestra Of Europe (Kristian Bezuidenhout)




Best Classical Vocal Performance

Bach
Anne Sofie von Otter

Bel Canto Spectacular
Juan Diego Flórez

Recital At Ravinia
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

Un Frisson Français
Susan Graham

Verismo Arias
Renée Fleming


Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Crumb, George: The Winds Of Destiny
George Crumb (James Freeman)
Track from: Crumb: American Songbooks 2 & 4

Higdon, Jennifer: Percussion Concerto
Jennifer Higdon (Marin Alsop)
Track from: Alsop Conducts MacMillan, Adès, & Higdon
 
Pärt, Arvo: In Principio
Arvo Pärt (Tõnu Kaljuste)
Track from: Pärt, Arvo: In Principio

Sierra, Roberto: Missa Latina 'Pro Pace'
Roberto Sierra (Andreas Delfs)

Wyner, Yehudi: Piano Concerto "Chiavi In Mano"
Yehudi Wyner (Robert Spano)
Track from: Wyner, Yehudi: Orchestral Works