GRAMMY WATCH - Classical Music Categories - Picks & Predictions

The Classical categories are always a crap shoot for me. I do my best to research the nominees, but there are always so many. For this post, I am listing only my picks and predictions. For the complete list, as always, visit the Grammy website. Some years, I am on the money and others not so much. My picks are what I like from what I have heard. Predictions, on the other hand, are hard for me as a lot of times I have to base it on history and instinct. Although, that pretty much is what predicting the way an industry may go, as opposed to another, is all about. It depends on if this year will be one when a label or symphony orchestra votes in a bloc or not. Yes, this does happen with the Grammy Awards, in my opinion, and historically it shows it's face more so in these Classical categories more than anywhere else. We shall see. Wish me luck - I'm going in...

Best Classical Vocal Performance

My Pick & Prediction:

OMBRE DE MON AMANT - FRENCH BAROQUE ARIAS

Anne Sofie Von Otter (William Christie; Les Arts Florissants)

[Deutsche Grammophon] (pictured, CREDIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER)

Best Classical Contemporary Composition

My Pick & Prediction:

DAUGHERTY, MICHAEL: DEUS EX MACHINA

Michael Daugherty (Giancarlo Guerrero)

Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony [Naxos]

Best Small Ensemble Performance

My Pick:

VICTORIA: LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH

Peter Phillips, conductor; The Tallis Scholars [Gimell]

My Prediction:

CEREMONY AND DEVOTION - MUSIC FOR THE

TUDORS - Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen [CORO]

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)

It will be a battle between the Decca artists.

My pick:

CHOPIN: THE NOCTURNES - Nelson Freire [Decca]

My prediction:

PAGANINI: 24 CAPRICES - Julia Fischer [Decca]

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)

My pick:

MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 23 & 24

Mitsuko Uchida (The Cleveland Orchestra) [Decca]

My prediction:

DAUGHERTY: DEUS EX MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Terrence Wilson (Nashville

Symphony) Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony [Naxos]

Best Choral Performance

My pick & prediction:

VERDI: REQUIEM

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master (Ildar

Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario

Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony

Chorus) [CSO Resound]

Best Opera Recording

My pick & prediction:

SULLIVAN: IVANHOE

David Lloyd-Jones, conductor; Neal Davies, Geraldine

McGreevy, James Rutherford, Toby Spence & Janice Watson;

Brian Pidgeon, producer (BBC National Orchestra Of Wales;

Adrian Partington Singers) [Chandos]

Best Orchestral Performance

My Pick:

STRAVINSKY: PULCINELLA; SYMPHONY IN THREE

MOVEMENTS; FOUR ÉTUDES

Pierre Boulez, conductor (Roxana Constantinescu, Kyle

Ketelsen & Nicholas Phan; Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

[CSO Resound]

My Prediction:

DAUGHERTY: METROPOLIS SYMPHONY; DEUS EX

MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Terrence Wilson; Nashville

Symphony) [Naxos]

Best Classical Album

My Pick:

VERDI: REQUIEM

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master;

Christopher Alder, producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus &

Christopher Willis, engineers/mixers (Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga

Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario Zeffiri; Chicago

Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus) [CSO Resound]

My prediction:

DAUGHERTY: METROPOLIS SYMPHONY; DEUS EX

MACHINA

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer;

Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers

(Terrence Wilson; Nashville Symphony Orchestra) [Naxos]

Producer of the Year, Classical

My Pick: David Frost

My Prediction: Blanton Aspaugh

Best Engineered Album, Classical

My pick & prediction:

VOCABULARIES

Steve Miller, Allen Sides & Roger Treece, engineers (Bobby

McFerrin) [Emarcy]

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS - Sunday, February 13, 2011.