Hans Abrahamsen
(c) Lars Skaaning
From the list of their 16 winning audio and video productions, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) has chosen the overall winner of the Recording of the Year Award. The award goes to the Video Opera category.
Hans Abrahamsen: The Snow Queen
Barbara Hannigan, Rachael Wilson, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Rose
Caroline Wettergreen, Dean Power, Kevin Conners, Owen Willets
Orchestra & Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper
Cornelius Meister
Andreas Kriegenburg
Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings
BSOREC1002
The Jury statement says: « The winter music of Hans Abrahamsen finds in the tale of Hans Christian Andersen the appropriate framework for a writing torn between complexity and simplicity. The role of Gerda is brightly and intensely interpreted by Barbara Hannigan, the singer being doubled by an actress, a child, and even a doll! Kay, male role, is sung by a mezzo, Rachael Wilson, vibrant in her commitment. The orchestra, conducted with great inspiration by Cornelius Meister, allows us to hear the icy sound of music with an elusive character, while the filming of Christoph Engel shows us the very beautiful scenography of Harald B. Thor. »
