GRAMMY WATCH – Classical Music Categories – My Picks and Predictions

Here are my picks and predictions for then Classical Music Categories for the 58^th Annual Grammy Awards.  Usually, I look for likenesses and labels.  There are a lot of older voting members in this branch of the Academy and historically they seem to go with those who have been around a bit.

Best Orchestral Performance
• Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
      Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
      [Reference Recordings]

• Dutilleux: Métaboles; L'Arbre Des Songes; Symphony No. 2, 'Le Double'
      Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
      [Seattle Symphony Media]

• Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphony No. 10
      Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
      [Deutsche Grammophon]

• Spirit Of The American Range
      Carlos Kalmar, conductor (The Oregon Symphony)
      [Pentatone]

• Zhou Long & Chen Yi: Symphony 'Humen 1839'
      Darrell Ang, conductor (New Zealand Symphony Orchestra)
      [Naxos]

My Pick and Prediction:

• Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphony No. 10
      Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
      [Deutsche Grammophon]

~

Best Opera Recording
• Janáček: Jenůfa
      Donald Runnicles, conductor; Will Hartmann, Michaela Kaune and Jennifer Larmore; Magdalena Herbst, producer (Orchestra Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin; Chorus Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin)
      [Arthaus]

• Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria
      Martin Pearlman, conductor; Fernando Guimarães and Jennifer Rivera; Thomas C. Moore, producer (Boston Baroque)
      [Linn Records]

• Mozart: Die Entführung Aus Dem Serail
      Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Diana Damrau, Paul Schweinester and Rolando Villazón; Sid McLauchlan, producer (Chamber Orchestra Of Europe)
      [Deutsche Grammophon]

• Ravel: L'Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade
      Seiji Ozawa, conductor; Isabel Leonard; Dominic Fyfe, producer (Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus and SKF Matsumoto Children's Chorus)
      [Decca]

• Steffani: Niobe, Regina Di Tebe
      Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Karina Gauvinand Philippe Jaroussky; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)
      [Erato]

My Pick and Prediction:

• Monteverdi: Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria
      Martin Pearlman, conductor; Fernando Guimarães and Jennifer Rivera; Thomas C. Moore, producer (Boston Baroque)
      [Linn Records]

~

Best Choral Performance
• Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
      Bernard Haitink, conductor; Peter Dijkstra, chorus master (Anton Barachovsky, Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Hanno Müller-Brachmann and Mark Padmore; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)
      [BR Klassik]

• Monteverdi: Vespers Of 1610
      Harry Christophers, conductor (Jeremy Budd, Grace Davidson, Ben Davies, Mark Dobell, Eamonn Dougan and Charlotte Mobbs; The Sixteen)
      [Coro]

• Pablo Neruda - The Poet Sings
      Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (James K. Bass, Laura Mercado-Wright, Eric Neuville & Lauren Snouffer; Faith DeBow and Stephen Redfield; Conspirare)
      [Harmonia Mundi]

• Paulus: Far In The Heavens
      Eric Holtan, conductor (Sara Fraker, Matthew Goinz, Thea Lobo, Owen McIntosh, Kathryn Mueller and Christine Vivona; True Concord Orchestra; True Concord Voices)
      [Reference Recordings]

• Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
      Charles Bruffy, conductor (Paul Davidson, Frank Fleschner, Toby Vaughn Kidd, Bryan Pinkall, Julia Scozzafava, Bryan Taylor and Joseph Warner; Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale)
      [Chandos]

My Pick:

• Monteverdi: Vespers Of 1610
      Harry Christophers, conductor (Jeremy Budd, Grace Davidson, Ben Davies, Mark Dobell, Eamonn Dougan and Charlotte Mobbs; The Sixteen)
      [Coro]

My Prediction:

• Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
      Charles Bruffy, conductor (Paul Davidson, Frank Fleschner, Toby Vaughn Kidd, Bryan Pinkall, Julia Scozzafava, Bryan Taylor & Joseph Warner; Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale)
      [Chandos]

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
• Brahms: The Piano Trios
      Tanja Tetzlaff, Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt
      [Ondine]

• Filament
      Eighth Blackbird
      [Cedille Records]

• Flaherty: Airdancing For Toy Piano, Piano and Electronics
      Nadia Shpachenko and Genevieve Feiwen Lee
      Track from: Woman At The New Piano
      [Reference Recordings]

• Render
      Brad Wells and Roomful Of Teeth
      [New Amsterdam Records]

• Shostakovich: Piano Quintet and String Quartet No. 2
      Takács Quartet and Marc-André Hamelin
      [Hyperion]

My Pick and Prediction:

• Shostakovich: Piano Quintet and String Quartet No. 2
      Takács Quartet and Marc André Hamelin
      [Hyperion]

Best Classical Instrumental Solo
• Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes
      Augustin Hadelich; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
      Track from: Dutilleux: Métaboles; L'Arbre Des Songes; Symphony No. 2, 'Le Double'
      [Seattle Symphony Media]

• Grieg & Moszkowski: Piano Concertos
      Joseph Moog; Nicholas Milton, conductor (Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern)
      [Onyx Classics]

• Mozart: Keyboard Music, Vol. 7
      Kristian Bezuidenhout
      [Harmonia Mnudi]

• Rachmaninov Variations
      Daniil Trifonov (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
      [Deutsche Grammophon]

• Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
      Ursula Oppens (Jerome Lowenthal)
      [Cedille Records]

My Pick and Prediction:

• Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L'Arbre Des Songes
      Augustin Hadelich; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
      Track from: Dutilleux: Métaboles; L'Arbre Des Songes; Symphony No. 2, 'Le Double'
      [Seattle Symphony Media]

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
• Beethoven: An Die Ferne Geliebte; Haydn: English Songs; Mozart: Masonic Cantata
      Mark Padmore; Kristian Bezuidenhout, accompanist
      [Harmonia Mundi]

• Joyce and Tony - Live From Wigmore Hall
      Joyce DiDonato; Antonio Pappano, accompanist
      [Erato]

• Nessun Dorma - The Puccini Album
      Jonas Kaufmann; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Kristīne Opolais, Antonio Pirozzi and Massimo Simeoli; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)
      [Sony Classical]

• Rouse: Seeing; Kabir Padavali
      Talise Trevigne; David Alan Miller, conductor (Orion Weiss; Albany Symphony)
      [Naxos]

• St. Petersburg
      Cecilia Bartoli; Diego Fasolis, conductor (I Barocchisti)
      [Decca]

GREAT CATEGORY!

My Pick:

• Nessun Dorma - The Puccini Album
      Jonas Kaufmann; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Kristīne Opolais, Antonio Pirozzi and Massimo Simeoli; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)
      [Sony Classical]

My Prediction:

• St. Petersburg
      Cecilia Bartoli; Diego Fasolis, conductor (I Barocchisti)
      [Decca]

Best Classical Compendium
• As Dreams Fall Apart - The Golden Age Of Jewish Stage And Film Music (1925-1955)
      New Budapest Orpheum Society; Jim Ginsburg, producer
      [Cedille Records]

• Ask Your Mama
      George Manahan, conductor; Judith Sherman, producer
      [Avie Records]

• Handel: L'Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato, 1740
      Paul McCreesh, conductor; Nicholas Parker, producer
      [Signum Classics]

• Paulus: Three Places Of Enlightenment; Veil Of Tears and Grand Concerto
      Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
      [Naxos]

• Woman At The New Piano
      Nadia Shpachenko; Marina A. Ledin and Victor Ledin, producers
      [Reference Recordings]

My Pick:

• Paulus: Three Places Of Enlightenment; Veil Of Tears and Grand Concerto
      Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
      [Naxos]

My Prediction:

• Woman At The New Piano
      Nadia Shpachenko; Marina A. Ledin and Victor Ledin, producers
      [Reference Recordings]

Either one could win and I would be satisfied.  SO glad I discovered these two albums.

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
• Barry: The Importance Of Being Earnest
      Gerald Barry, composer (Thomas Adès, Barbara Hannigan, Katalin Károlyi, Hilary Summers, Peter Tantsits and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group)
      [NMC Recordings]

• Norman: Play
      Andrew Norman, composer (Gil Rose and Boston Modern Orchestra Project)
      Track from: Norman: Play
      [BMOP/Sound]

• Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances
      Stephen Paulus, composer (Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices and Orchestra)
      Track from: Paulus: Far In The Heavens
      [Reference Recordings]

• Tower: Stroke
      Joan Tower, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero, Cho-Liang Lin and Nashville Symphony)
      Track from: Tower: Violin Concerto; Stroke; Chamber Dance
      [Naxos]

• Wolfe: Anthracite Fields
      Julia Wolfe, composer (Julian Wachner, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street and Bang On A Can All-Stars)
      [Cantaloupe Music]

My Pick and Prediction:

• Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances
      Stephen Paulus, composer (Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices and Orchestra)
      Track from: Paulus: Far In The Heavens
      [Reference Recordings]

Rest in Peace, Stephen Paulus – too bad you couldn’t live to get the Grammy Awards you are going to win this year! Bravo and Thank YOU for your beautiful and inspiring works.

THE 58^TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be telecast live on CBS, Monday February 15, 2016 at 8PM/EST – PM/PST.  For everything GRAMMY, including a Full List of this year’s Nominees visit their website at http://www.grammy.com/

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