The Gramophone Awards 2020: Recording of the Year, winning artists and how to watch

6 October 2020, 17:56 | Updated: 7 October 2020, 16:25

Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2020

The Gramophone Awards are online for 2020 – here’s everything you need to know about this year’s winners, performers and featured artists, as well as how to watch the awards.

Every year, Gramophone hosts the Gramophone Awards to celebrate the very best artists, pieces and recordings in classical music.

And on Tuesday 6 October, Gramophone announced the winners of the 2020 Gramophone Classical Music Awards – including the coveted Recording of the Year prize, which was awarded to Classic FM’s Orchestra in the Midlands, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla for their Weinberg Symphonies on DG.

Artist of the Year went to brilliant pianist Igor Levit, and violinist Itzhak Perlman was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, in the virtual gala concert streamed by Medici and on the Gramophone website, as well as Classic FM’s Facebook Page.

Ten category winners in the Gramophone Awards 2020 were revealed before that – with pianists Benjamin Grosvenor and Igor Levit, Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan, and The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla among the brilliant artists being honoured in this year’s classical music awards.

You can catch up on the ceremony above if you missed it. And view the full list of winners below.

Read more: Watch behind-the-scenes exclusives from the Gramophone Awards 2019 >

Sandrine Piau, Benjmain Grosvenor and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla among the winners in the Gramophone Awards 2020
Sandrine Piau, Benjmain Grosvenor and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla among the winners in the Gramophone Awards 2020. Picture: Sandrine Expilly / Patrick Allen / Frans Jansen

Gramophone Awards 2020: Recording of the Year, Artist of the Year, and other special awards

  1. Recording of the Year: Weinberg Symphonies – CBSO/Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

    Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2020: Recording of the Year: Weinberg Symphonies – CBSO/Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
    Recording of the Year: Weinberg Symphonies – CBSO/Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Picture: Gramophone / DG
  2. Artist of the Year: Igor Levit

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Artist of the Year: Igor Levit
    Artist of the Year: Igor Levit. Picture: Gramophone
  3. Orchestra of the Year: Philadelphia Orchestra

    Orchestra of the Year: Philadelphia Orchestra
    Orchestra of the Year: Philadelphia Orchestra. Picture: Gramophone
  4. Beethoven 250 Award: Martin Helmchen, DSO Berlin/Andrew Manze

    Beethoven 250 Award: Martin Helmchen, DSO Berlin & Andrew Manze
    Beethoven 250 Award: Martin Helmchen, DSO Berlin & Andrew Manze. Picture: Gramophone / Alpha Classics
  5. Lifetime Achievement Award: Itzhak Perlman

    Lifetime Achievement Award: Itzhak Perlman
    Lifetime Achievement Award: Itzhak Perlman. Picture: Gramophone
  6. Special Achievement Award: Robert von Bahr

    Special Achievement Award: Robert von Bahr
    Special Achievement Award: Robert von Bahr. Picture: Gramophone
  7. Young Artist of the Year: Natalya Romaniw

    Young Artist of the Year: Natalya Romaniw
    Young Artist of the Year: Natalya Romaniw. Picture: Gramophone
  8. Label of the Year Award: Alpha Classics

    Label of the Year Award: Alpha Classics
    Label of the Year Award: Alpha Classics. Picture: Gramophone / Alpha Classics
  9. Concept Album: ‘From the Ground Up: Chaconnes’

    Concept Album: ‘From the Ground Up: Chaconnes’
    Concept Album: ‘From the Ground Up: Chaconnes’. Picture: Gramophone / Signum

Gramophone Awards 2020: Full list of category winners

  1. Chamber – winner

    Bartók: Piano Quintet • Veress: String Trio

    Vilde Frang; Barnabás Kelemen; Lawrence Power; Nicolas Altstaedt; Alexander Lonquich

    Alpha Classics

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Chamber Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Chamber Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Alpha Classics
  2. Choral – winner

    Bach: St Matthew Passion

    Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki

    BIS

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Choral Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Choral Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / BIS
  3. Concerto – winner

    Chopin: Piano Concertos

    Benjamin Grosvenor; Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Elim Chan

    Decca

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Concerto Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Concerto Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Decca
  4. Contemporary – winner

    Adès: Piano Concerto • Totentanz

    Kirill Gerstein; Mark Stone; Christianne Stotijn; Boston Symphony Orchestra / Thomas Adès

    Deutsche Grammophon

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Contemporary Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Contemporary Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / DG
  5. Early Music – winner

    Gesualdo: Madrigali, Libri primo & secondo

    Les Arts Florissants / Paul Agnew

    Harmonia Mundi

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Early Music Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Early Music Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Harmonia Mundi
  6. Instrumental – winner

    Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas

    Igor Levit

    Sony Classical

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Instrumental Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Instrumental Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Sony Classical
  7. Opera – winner

    Handel: Agrippina

    Joyce DiDonato; Elsa Benoit; Luca Pisaroni; Franco Fagioli; Jakub Józef Orliński; Andrea Mastroni; Carlo Vistoli; Biagio Pizzuti; Marie-Nicole Lemieux; Il Pomo d'Oro / Maxim Emelyanychev

    Erato

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Opera Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Opera Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Erato
  8. Orchestral – winner

    Weinberg: Symphonies Nos 2 & 21

    City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica / Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

    Deutsche Grammophon

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Orchestral Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Orchestral Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / DG
  9. Recital – winner

    ‘Si J’ai aimé’

    Sandrine Piau; Le Concert de la Loge / Julien Chauvin

    Alpha Classics

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Recital Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Recital Category Winner. Picture: Gramophone / Alpha Classics
  10. Solo Vocal – winner

    Janáček: The diary of one who disappeared

    Nicky Spence; Julius Drake

    Hyperion

    Gramophone Awards 2020 Solo Vocal Category Winner
    Gramophone Awards 2020 Solo Vocal Category Winner. Picture: Hyperion

How to watch the Gramophone Awards online

The Gramophone Awards 2020 ceremony was broadcast at 7pm BST on Tuesday 6 October – on Medici.tv, the Gramophone website and Classic FM’s Facebook Page. You can watch the ceremony on demand on those platforms, or in the video above.

The online gala is free to watch and was hosted by Gramophone’s editor-in-chief, James Jolly, and mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsay. The digital event was broadcast from Glyndebourne, and featured special filmed performances from pianists Bertrand Chamayou and Benjamin Grosvenor, soprano Carolyn Sampson, the Bach Collegium Musicum and Stile Antico – as well as the announcement of the Artist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Orchestra of the Year, and Recording of the Year awards, among others.

James Jolly said: “What a line-up of fantastic recordings – a wonderful reminder of the power and variety of classical music. 2020’s crop is truly vintage and the range of music and music-making is inspiring.

“A number of artists are returning to the Awards but it’s good to see some fine artists recognised for the first time, including two terrific women conductors.”

The Gramophone Awards 2020 virtual gala took place at 7pm on Tuesday 6 October. Visit www.gramophone.co.uk to find out more.

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