Today the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced the winners of 26 awards for the 2022 edition. « Our international and independent Jury has selected the winners from a nomination list comprising 377 productions and a wide range of artists and labels. Our winners are the expression of the highest artistry, and the list of awards shows that our jury is not content with a superficial evaluation of the music industry but performs a comprehensive and in-depth analysis. The winner list comprises many renowned as well as lesser-known and young musicians and no less than 17 labels! » said Remy Franck, President of the Jury.
The conductor Adam Fischer wins the Lifetime Achievement Award; clarinettist and conductor Martin Fröst is Artist of the Year. Italian violinists Gennaro Cardaropoli and Julian Kainrath are Young Artist of the Year resp. winner of the Discovery Award. Sebastian Androne wins the Composer Award. Château de Versailles Spectacles is Label of the Year. The Orchestra Award goes to Francisco Coll. Special Achievement Awards are granted to conductor Pierre Cao and pianist Michael Korstick. In the audio and video categories, 17 productions have been awarded.
The winners receive the ICMA trophies during the annual Award Ceremony that will take place at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg on 21 April. This evening will also include a Gala Concert with the participation of a number of the winners and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. The concert will be broadcast live by Luxembourg’s public radio 100.7 and later by radio stations of the European Broadcasting Union’s worldwide network.
The International Classical Music Awards are the preeminent awards for classical music on an international level. The jury consists of professional music critics of the most important magazines, online services and radio stations: Andante (Turkey), Crescendo (Belgium), Das Orchester (Germany), Deutsche Welle (Germany), IMZ (Austria), MDR-Klassik (Germany), Musical Life (Russia), Musica (Italy), Musik & Theater (Switzerland), Opera (UK), Orpheus Radio (Russia), Papageno (Hungary), Pizzicato (Luxembourg), Polskie Radio Chopin (Poland), Radio 100,7 (Luxembourg), Radio Romania Muzical (Romania), Resmusica.com (France), Scherzo (Spain), Rondo Classic (Finland), Unison (Croatia).
SPECIAL AWARDS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Adam Fischer, conductor
For decades Adam Fischer has enriched the discographic catalogues with mostly complete recordings of symphonists like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Mahler as well as selected operas. His interpretations, always full of character, display tonal refinement and a broad spectrum of colour as well as striking tempos, drama and clarity. In particular, his many interpretations of 18th century repertoire enable the listeners to experience new views. Adam Fischer always stands for artistic alternatives in the best sense.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Martin Fröst, clarinet
Martin Fröst is an artist who breaks boundaries and who is certainly not limited to the core repertoire of his instrument, but is constantly looking for something new. He plays Vivaldi as well as new works with equally imaginative virtuosity and finds a fresh, inspired grip on the classics. In his hands, the clarinet becomes an extension of the human voice and a magic wand of new sound worlds. The transition to conducting orchestras was a natural step for Fröst, and in that role he also shows the same sovereign and wide-ranging musicianship and transfers his own energy to the entire orchestra.
YOUNG ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gennaro Cardaropoli, violin
At only 24 years of age, Gennaro Cardaropoli is one of the purest talents on the international violin scene: the only Italian to win the Grumiaux Prize, in recent years he has performed in Vienna, Berlin and New York and has made his recording debut with Warner Classics. And in his playing one can clearly hear the heritage of Salvatore Accardo’s school, together with an expressive elegance and a subtlety in phrasing that are reserved only for great artists.
DISCOVERY AWARD
Julian Kainrath, violin
The violinist Julian Kainrath, born in Merano in 2005, is a scholarship holder of the Liechtenstein Music Academy. He has already attracted attention on several occasions. At the Verbier Festival 2019 he met Marc Bouchkov, who has been his mentor ever since. Meeting the pianist Till Fellner a year later opened up further opportunities for him to showcase his talent and develop himself. Last summer, at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, the next artistically important encounter came with Ilya Gringolts. ICMA follows Julian Kainrath’s continuous and consistent development with great interest and is documenting this with the Discovery Award 2022.
COMPOSER AWARD
Sebastian Androne
Romanian composer Sebastian Androne is a true talent, mixing creativity and versatility both in contemporary music and also in soundtracks for cinema and theatre. Born in 1989, he studied in Romania, France, Great Britain and Switzerland. He is a prizewinner of the some of the important international competitions dedicated to composers, including the International Film Music Competition in Zürich (2018). Music means to communicate with the audience – this is Androne’s artistic credo, expressed in his almost 100 works.
LABEL OF THE YEAR
Château de Versailles Spectacles
With the release of nearly 50 CDs and a dozen DVDs, the Château de Versailles Spectacles label has taken just four years to establish itself as one of the most relevant in the international market, especially in the field of Baroque and Early Music. And it has done so through the attractiveness of the works (many of them world premiere recordings, and practically all of them recorded in the Palace of Versailles), the quality of the ensembles and artists, the excellent quality of the sound recordings and a presentation so luxurious that it can only be described as Versaillesque.
ORCHESTRA AWARD
Francisco Coll, composer
In just a few years, the young Valencian composer Francisco Coll, winner of the ICMA Composer Award 2019, has become one of the great realities of contemporary European musical creation. His works, characterized by overflowing imagination and structural richness, as well as by an unquestionable and very attractive technical virtuosity, are commissioned by some of the most important international soloists, ensembles and orchestras. Moreover, his ability to communicate with a wide audience seems to guarantee a bright future for this only disciple of Thomas Adès. For all this he receives this year the Orchestra Award granted by the Luxembourg Philharmonic.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Pierre Cao, conductor
After winning the Malko Conducting Competition in 1968, Pierre Cao became Assistant Conductor of the former RTL Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the chamber orchestra Les Musiciens. He was one of the founders of the INECC (European Institute of Choral Singing). In 1999 he created the choir Arsys Bourgogne and became the Artistic Director of Les Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay. A passionate and uncompromising teacher, he was also particularly attracted to the Baroque movement, and his work in this field makes him a point of reference.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Michael Korstick, piano
Despite having been called Mr Beethoven, Michael Korstick shows in a very broad repertoire and on almost 60 recordings an astonishingly determined and sovereign style of playing, which however remains free of airs and graces, always striving for clarity of the composer’s message. Though he meticulously prepares every interpretation, his performances achieve a spontaneity that makes the music sound newly minted.
AUDIO & VIDEO CATEGORIES
EARLY MUSIC
Basevi Codex – Music at the Court of Margaret of Austria
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Boreas Quartett Bremen
Audite
97.783
The brilliant Dorothee Mields and the excellent Boreas Quartett Bremen take us on a fascinating musical journey through time and inspire us with their high art of interpretation, with a perfect mixture of intimacy, simplicity and feeling for the improvisational gesture of the works.
BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL
The Mad Lover
Eccles – Purcell – Dunford – Matteis
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin
Thomas Dunford, lute
Harmonia Mundi
HMM902305
With this CD, the violin of Théotime Langlois de Swarte and the lute of Thomas Dunford come together in a very intimate vision of English melancholic music at the turn of the 18th century, exploring the theme of madness in love. Welcomed for the first time by Harmonia Mundi, this unique duo represents two of the most talented musicians of the young generation. The slow movements are immensely touching, in a language close to improvisation. In the variations, both musicians lead us into a whirlwind of perfectly mastered virtuosity. Very great art!
BAROQUE VOCAL
Anima Aeterna
Fux – Handel – Nucci – Zelenka
Jakub Józef Orliński, countertenor
Il Pomo d’Oro, Francesco Corti
Erato
9029674390
The perfect recipe for a successful production: outstanding voices – Jakub Józef Orliński and Fatma Said – an orchestra and a conductor perfectly attuned to the specificity of baroque music, and repertoire featuring several world premieres and other less known pieces. Orliński, one of the greatest countertenors of our time, shows not only excellent vocal abilities, but also a rare musical intelligence. A must-have for all those who love baroque music.
VOCAL MUSIC
Schumann: Complete Songs
Christian Gerhaher, baritone
Gerold Huber, piano
Sony Classical
19439780112
Schumann’s Lieder are not only pearls of lyricism, but the most colourful and dramatic pieces of theatre – each one in a small, closed form. Presenting them all in their richness and variety is an incredible challenge. Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber – with important help from the singers Camilla Tilling, Julia Kleiter, Sibylla Rubens, Wiebke Lehmkuhl and Martin Mitterrutzner – do it with deep and insightful comprehension and vocal artistry of the highest possible quality. They do not only sing, but narrate stories and relish the detail of the poetry. The effect is indeed pure musical poetry.
CHORAL MUSIC
Gioachino Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle
Sandrine Piau, soprano, Josè Maria Lo Monaco, mezzo-soprano
Edgardo Rocha, tenor, Christian Senn, baritone
Francesco Corti, Cristiano Gaudio, piano – Daniel Perer, harmonium
Coro Ghislieri
Giulio Prandi
Arcana
A494
The Petite Messe Solennelle is an enigmatic and mysterious masterpiece. Perhaps it is only with this recording (which for the first time makes use of the new critical edition), wonderfully conducted by Giulio Prandi with the Ghislieri Choir and four top class singers, that we can truly understand the mysteries of the old Rossini, who winks at the opera theatre but from a now distanced perspective.
OPERA
Vincenzo Bellini: Il Pirata
Javier Camarena, Marina Rebeka, Franco Vassallo
Antonio Di Matteo, Gustavo De Gennaro, Sonia Fortunato
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania
Fabrizio Maria Carminati
Prima Classic
PRIMA010
This recording of Bellini’s Il Pirata, comes from where the opera is set: Sicily. With his light, supple and still very youthful voice, Javier Camarena is an ideal interpreter of the title role. Marina Rebeka interprets Imogene expressively and with dramatic impetus. With his rich baritone, Franco Vassallo is a very impressive Ernesto. All the other roles are well cast, and there are also good performances from the orchestra and chorus of the Teatro Massimo Bellini that all add up to make this recording a real treat.
SOLO INSTRUMENT
Niccolò Paganini: 24 Caprices
Alina Ibragimova, violin
Hyperion
CDA68366
Alina Ibragimova is one of the brightest violinists of our time. Her latest album with Paganini’s 24 Caprices sets a new high standard, with the violinist displaying nonchalant virtuosity, amazing imagination if not borderline audacity. Her very personal interpretation offers continuously enriching surprises with each Caprice.
Ex aequo
Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path – Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 – In the Mists
Lars Vogt, piano
Ondine
ODE1382-2
In this Janáček programme, Lars Vogt expresses the intimacy of the music very sensitively. This subtle atmosphere is created because Vogt, like the great Ivan Moravec before him, is a singer at the piano, combining tension with naturalness, and turns accents into nuanced, music-inherent developments, unobtrusive throughout in the character of an improvisational reflection.
CHAMBER MUSIC
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 8-10
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin
Martin Helmchen, piano
BIS
2537
Violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann took a long time before recording Beethoven’s sonatas, having found only with Martin Helmchen the partner to tackle this challenge with him. Now the cycle has found its completion with the final three sonatas. Always focused on the music and not on self-expression, they bring an organic soulfulness to their music-making. Each colleague feels when to stand back and give his partner more prominence. At the same time, everything seems extremely energetic, spontaneous and fresh.
CONCERTOS
Beethoven – Berg – Bartók
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin
Berliner Philharmoniker
Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Kirill Petrenko
Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings
BPHR210151
Nearly four decades of fruitful artistic cooperation connects Frank Peter Zimmermann and the Berliner Philharmoniker. The superb two-CD box showcases the violinist with Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko as well as conductors Daniel Harding and Alan Gilbert exploring the famous concertos by Beethoven, Berg and Bartók. Zimmermann’s warm and richly shaded tone oscillates between highest subtlety, introversion and powerful expression. His multifaceted craftsmanship forms a perfect complement to the organic and colour-saturated sound of the renowned orchestra.
SYMPHONIC MUSIC
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (3 versions)
Bamberger Symphoniker
Jakub Hrůša
Accentus Music
ACC 30533
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 has never been presented as lavishly on CD than in this four-CD set. Bamberger Symphoniker under the baton of Jakub Hrůša have recorded all three existing versions plus alternative movements and fragments of this monumental symphony. The listeners are very well served by these recordings and the most rewarding of them all is undoubtedly the 1874 version which has never been heard in a more fresh and colourful, imaginative, and richly blossoming performance than in this one under Jakub Hrůša. The recorded sound is also exceptional.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Francisco Coll
Violin Concerto – Hidd’n Blue – Mural – 4 Iberian Miniatures – Aqua Cinerea
Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Gustavo Gimeno
Pentatone
PTC 5186951
Francisco Coll, winner of the ICMA 2019 Composer Award, writes music distinguished by depth and individuality, combining modern musical language with the colourfulness and energy inherent in the musical culture of Spain. These outstanding creative qualities attracted Patricia Kopatchinskaja, famous for her love of discoveries. She shows off her stupendous skills in the premiere recording of Coll’s Violin Concerto and Four Iberian Miniatures. The composer reveals himself as a symphonist and master of orchestral writing in the other pieces on this disc. The jury also highlights the sound of the Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxembourg under its chief conductor, Gustavo Gimeno, compatriot of Coll, and the excellent technical level of the recording.
ASSORTED PROGRAMS
Nikolai Kapustin
Piano Concerto No. 4 – Concerto for violin, piano & strings – Chamber Symphony Op. 105
Frank Dupree, piano, Rosanne Philippens, violin
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn
Case Scaglione, Frank Dupree
Capriccio
C5437
Nikolai Kapustin was posthumously christened a ‘Russian in Gershwin’s clothing’. Whoever listens to the recording by Frank Dupree and the Württembergisches Kammerorchester is immediately convinced: this is no exaggeration. Kapustin’s music sounds filigree, virtuosic and full of relish, in an exciting and immediately gripping, transparent performance. The young violinist Rosanne Philippens also comes into play virtuously and confidently in the Double Concerto.
HISTORICAL RECORDINGS
The Complete Wilhelm Furtwängler on Records
Various composers
Berliner Philharmoniker, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Warner Classics
019025232405
Warner Classics has reissued a complete set of Wilhelm Furtwängler’s studio recordings, reuniting for the first time Deutsche Grammophon, Polydor, HMV, Decca and Telefunken in one release. This boxed set, which is indispensable to our knowledge of the conductor’s art, benefits from the expert work of Stéphane Topakian (editorial manager) and Christophe Hénault (sound restoration).
PREMIERE RECORDINGS
Antonio Salieri: Armida
Lenneke Ruiten, Florie Valiquette, Teresa Iervolino, Ashley Riches
Chœur de chambre de Namur, Les Talens Lyriques
Christophe Rousset
Aparté
AP244
Aparté presents the world premiere recording of three-act opera Armida by Antonio Salieri. An intense love drama involving just four characters, it is perfectly performed by the soloists together with the orchestra Les Talens Lyriques and the Choeur de Chambre de Namur. The opera was premiered in 1771 in Vienna, and 250 years later we are grateful to Christophe Rousset for providing the opportunity to listen to this fantastic recording of a true masterpiece by the young Salieri.
VIDEO PERFORMANCE
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Die tote Stadt
Jonas Kaufmann, Marlies Petersen, Andrzej Filonczyk, Jennifer Johnston
Mirjam Mesak, Corinna Scheuerle, Manuel Günther, Dean Power
Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Bayerisches Staatsorchester
Kirill Petrenko
Regie: Simon Stone
Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings
BSOREC1001
In this sensational production from Munich, the Bayerische Staatsoper was right to cast Jonas Kaufmann in the tenor role. His brilliant performance is the major highlight of this album. Kirill Petrenko’s commitment to the Bayerische Staatsorchester is evident, and the vital breath of his conducting is always in harmony with the sensual score. The chorus and children’s choir are equally central to this recording which brilliantly marks the birth of a new label.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES
A World Without Beethoven?
Sarah Willis, Martin Roddewig
C-Major
757008
A world without Beethoven? It’s simply unimaginable. In Martin Roddewig’s documentary, the famous horn player Sarah Willis of the Berliner Philharmoniker travels through the realms of rock and classical music, jazz and film scores. In interviews with musicians and managers, the documentary shows how profoundly Beethoven’s innovations have shaped the music of centuries to come. This film is witty and highly entertaining.
