Gramophone magazine has announced the winners of this year’s Gramophone Classical Music Awards. Winners including soprano Carolyn Sampson, violinist Hilary Hahn and Gabrieli Consort artistic director Paul McCreesh took the opportunity to advocate for music education in their acceptance speeches.
The Awards, which aim to celebrate the exceptional recordings, artists and labels of the past year were presented in partnership with Presto Music and took place in London on 2 October.
The 2024 Artist of the Year award (sponsored by Classic FM) was presented to soprano Carolyn Sampson, who this year celebrated her 100th recording. Sampson also performed Duparc’s L’invitation au voyage with pianist and long-term collaborator Joseph Middleton during the ceremony.
She said: ‘I am a product of what was then Bedfordshire County Youth Music. I’m thrilled that Andrew Manze got an Award as well, as he is also a product of Bedfordshire County Youth Music. What you see over the years is these services really struggling and there are some really wonderful people in Bedfordshire trying to keep the threads of these things going so that other people can grow and become future Artists of the Year. If we’re ever feeling downhearted in the arts, we must remember we should keep going and do all the things we can to celebrate music and build up these young people.’
20-year-old South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim was victorious in the Piano category for his debut recording on Decca of Chopin’s Études. This was the first time a pianist has ever had two albums shortlisted in the same category of the Awards; he was also named Young Artist of the Year. He accepted his award with a performance of Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet No. 104.
American violinist Hilary Hahn won the Recording of the Year Award for her album of Ysaÿe’s solo violin sonatas on Deutsche Grammophon. The album was also the winner of the Instrumental category. Opera Rara won Label of the Year in recognition of its work unearthing forgotten gems from the opera archives, while the publicly voted Orchestra of the Year award went to the Czech Philharmonic.
Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his extraordinary career in his 80th year. The award was presented by actor Simon Callow. Artists from around the world, including Audra McDonald, Thomas Hampson and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, sent in video messages to congratulate Tilson Thomas on his Award.
Further awards included:
- Concept album SATIE Letters to Eric Satie – Bertrand Chamayou (Erato)
- Chamber (sponsored by Wigmore Hall) SCHUMANN Piano Quartet and Quintet – Isabelle Faust, Anne Katherina Schreiber, Antoine Tamestit, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Alexander Melnikov (Harmonia Mundi)
- Choral ELGAR The Dream of Gerontius – Gabrieli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh (Signum)
- Concerto BRITTEN Violin Concerto – Isabelle Faust, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Jakub Hrůša (Harmonia Mundi)
- Contemporary (sponsored by PRS/PPL) SAARIAHO Maan Varjot, Château de l’âme, True Fire, Offrande – Olivier Latry, Orchestre Philharmonie de Radio France (Radio France)
- Early music OBRECHT Missa Maria zart – Cappella Pratensis, Stratton Bull (Challenge)
- Instrumental YSAŸE Solo Violin Sonatas – Hilary Hahn (Deutsche Grammophon)
- Opera (sponsored by Mascarade Opera) JANÁČEK Káťa Kabanová – Corinne Winters, Evelyn Herlitzius, David Butt Philip, Vienna Philharmonic, Jakub Hrůša (Unitel; DVD)
- Orchestral (sponsored by Lark Music) VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Job: A Masque for Dancing, Old King Cole, The Running Set – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Manze (Onyx)
- Piano (sponsored by Shigeru Kawai) CHOPIN Études – Yunchan Lim (Decca)
- Song SCHUBERT Die schöne Müllerin – Konstantin Krimmel, Daniel Heide (Alpha)
- Voice and ensemble PUCCINI The Great Puccini – Jonathan Tetelman, PKF Prague Philharmonia, Carlo Rizzi (Deutsche Grammophon)
Gramophone editor Martin Cullingford said: ‘This year's winners are a powerful demonstration of the sheer breadth of classical music-making today… From early music to contemporary, from solo to orchestral and opera, it's a real privilege to be able to honour the life-affirming work of so many extraordinary classical musicians.’
Highlights from the ceremony will be available to watch soon on the Gramophone website.
This article was published in collaboration with Classical Music, a fellow MA Education & Music title. You can view the item on the CM website here.
