Sunday, February 8, 2015

Classical Grammy Awards


The classical winners of 2015 Grammy Awards collected their prizes and exited the proceedings before the telecast began. (Musn’t scare the children or risk the ratings.) Most mass media will ignore them or consign them to the fine print. Here’s the honor roll:

• Orchestral Work: John Luther Adams: “Become Ocean”Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Ludovic Morlot (Canteloupe)

• Orchestral Performance: John Adams: “City Noir”St. Louis Symphony Orchestra/David Robertson (Nonesuch)

[John Adams and John Luther Adams are not the same composer.]

• Opera Performance: Marc-Antoine Charpentier: “La descente d’Orphée aux enfers”Boston Early Music Festival Vocal and Instrumental ensembles/Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs (cpo)

• Choral Performance: “The Sacred Spirit of Russia”Conspirare/Craig Hella Johnson (Harmonia Mundi)

• Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: “In 27 Pieces – the Hillary Hahn Encores”Hilary Hahn, violin; Cory Smythe, piano (Deutsche Grammophon)

• Classical Instrumental Solo: “Play”Jason Vieaux, guitar (Azica)

• Classical Vocal Solo: “Douce France”Anne Sophie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; et al. (Naïve)

• Classical Compendium: Harry Partch: “Plectra and Percussion Dances”Partch (Bridge)

• Best Engineered Album: Michael Bishop, for Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4, “Dona nobis pacem,” “The Lark Ascending”Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Spano; et al. (ASO Media)

• Classical Producer of the Year: Judith Sherman, for nine recordings