Uchida prevailed in the Piano Category for her recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations
Mitsuko Uchida, Leif Ove Andsnes and Daniel Barenboim were among the winners at last night's Gramophone Classical Music Awards.
The former's recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations – her first studio recording since 2016 – claimed the Piano Award, while Andsnes received the Special Achievement Award for his work with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra on their two Mozart Momentum volumes for Sony Classical.
Argentine legend Daniel Barenboim was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his exceptional contribution to classical music during his career. In the same evening, Barenboim announced he was taking a step back from the performing stage due to health reasons.
Gramophone Awards 2022 © Ed Telling
The awards ceremony was the first in-person Gramophone Awards since 2019. The evening was jam-packed with performances from some of the classical world's best soloists and ensembles. Award winner Andsnes was joined on stage by Swedish violinist Johan Dalene, who was awarded Young Artists of the Year, for a live performance of a movement from Grieg's Violin Sonata No 2. Elsewhere, there were live performances from the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, the Orchestra for the Age of Enlightenment, pianist Bruce Liu, former winner cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca, and pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, representing Label of the Year, Chandos.
Full list of winners:
Opera & Recording of the Year
Korngold: Die tote Stadt (Sols; Bayerisches Staatsorchester / Kirill Petrenko)
Instrumental
Ysaÿe: Six Solo Violin Sonatas (James Ehnes)
Early Music
Josquin: ‘Baisiez Moy’ (Thélème / Jean-Christophe Groffe)
Orchestral
Mahler: Symphony No 7 (Bayerisches Staatsorchester / Kirill Petrenko)
Concerto
Bartók. Beethoven. Berg: Violin Concertos (Frank-Peter Zimmermann; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Kirill Petrenko)
Piano
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (Mitsuko Uchida)
Concept Album
Enargeia (Emily D'Angelo; Das Freie Orchester Berlin / Jarkko Riihimäki)
Contemporary
Abrahamsen: The Snow Queen (Sols; Chorus and Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera / Cornelius Meister)
Chamber
’Round Midnight (Quatuor Ebène; Antoine Tamestit; Nicolas Altstaedt)
Choral
JS Bach: St Matthew Passion (Sols; Pygmalion / Raphaël Pichon)
Song
Rachmaninov: Songs – ‘Dissonance’ (Asmik Grigorian; Lukas Geniušas)
Voice & Ensemble
‘BariTenor’ (Michael Spyres; Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra / Marko Letonja)
Spatial Audio
Ravel: Orchestral Works (Sinfonia of London / John Wilson)
Special Awards
Label of the Year
Chandos
Artist of the Year
Barbara Hannigan
Young Artist of the Year
Johan Dalene
Special Achievement
Mozart Momentum (Leif Ove Andsnes; Mahler Chamber Orchestra)
Lifetime Achievement
Daniel Barenboim
Orchestra of the Year
Budapest Festival Orchestra
