IMG Artists congratulates its artists shortlisted for the 2023 Gramophone Awards. Baritone Stéphane Degout, conductor Sir Antonio Pappano and soprano Sandrine Piau each earned two nominations. They are joined by conductor Alexander Liebreich, pianists Leif Ove Andnses and Mitsuko Uchida and bass-baritone Joel Allison.
The prestigious awards will be announced on 4 October, with the gala ceremony and performances streamed live.
Click here to read Gramophone’s illuminating Shortlist Digital Magazine.
CONCERTO
Alexander Liebreich, conductor
Kalabis: Harpsichord Concerto, Op. 42; Krása: Kammermusik; Martinů: Harpsichord Concerto, H246 (Hyperion)
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord; Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
“Esfahani and conductor Alexander Liebreich achieve a remarkably balanced, warm sound, each line and texture precise and needle-sharp.” – Guy Rickards
Stéphane Degout, baritone
Ravel: Piano Concertos / Mélodies (Harmonia Mundi)
Cédric Tiberghien, piano; Les Siècles; François-Xavier Roth, conductor
“There’s one more treat in store, Mallarmé’s ‘Sainte’, a song unfamiliar to me, in a perfectly poised reading by Degout. Beautifully recorded, this is headily seductive and has Award winner written all over it.” – Harriet Smith
PIANO
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85 (Sony Classical)
“Andsnes is the first big name to champion the Poetic Tone Pictures. We need more high-profile pianists on major labels to show the same initiative and introduce their fans to piano music beyond the safe, predictable, and over-recorded.” – Jeremy Nicholas
OPERA
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Puccini: Turnadot (Warner Classics)
Sondra Radvanovsky and Ermonela Jaho, soprano; Jonas Kaufmann, Gregory Bonfatti, Siyabonga Maqungo, Michael Spyres and Francesco Toma, tenor; Mattia Olivieri and Michael Mofidian, baritone; Michele Pertusi, bass; Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome
“Pappano captures all the savagery of the score, its ceremonial pomp and oriental glitter magnificently recorded. It’s bloodthirsty stuff; even the pizzicato strings are laced with menace. …This recording holds its own against venerable competition.” – Mark Pullinger
VOICE AND ENSEMBLE
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Insieme – Opera Duets (Sony Classical)
Jonas Kaufmann, tenor; Ludovic Tézier, baritone; Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
“Antonio Pappano, pacing the music with his unerring sense of drama, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia coat these Verdi duets in luxury wrapping.” – Mark Pullinger
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Rivales: Airs and Duets (Alpha)
Véronique Gens, soprano; Le Concert de la Loge; Julien Chauvin, conductor
“The air for Pauline from Fanny Morna (1799) by Persuis is… sweetly sung by Piau, with a contrasting second part and then a reprise. …Piau sings it most winningly. …The two singers are magnificent.” – Richard Lawrence
SONG
Stéphane Degout, baritone
Nadia & Lili Boulanger: Les Heures claires (The complete Songs) (Harmonia Mundi)
Raquel Camarinha, soprano; Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano; Anne de Fornel, piano; Sarah Nemtanu, violin; Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello
“Degout has the soul and sensitivity of a song.” – David Patrick Stearns
Sandrine Piau, soprano
Voyage Intime (Alpha)
David Kadouch, piano
“It’s a remarkable disc. …Piau’s way of singing off the line while deploying subtle gradations of colour and dynamics to illuminate the text finds its counterpart in Kadouch’s poetic yet detailed playing. …As Death comes to claim Schubert’s Maiden, Piau’s bleached tone and the quiet insistence of the underlying piano chords are profoundly unsettling, and the song further shocks at its close when Piau reveals a sepulchral lower register.” – Tim Ashley
Congratulations also to Kirill Gerstein, who performs on the Orchestral nominee, Weinberg Symphonies Nos 3 & 7; Flute Concerto No. 1 (DG) featuring flautist Marie-Christine Zupancic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and conductor Mirga Gražinytė‑Tyla
Leif Ove Andsnes, Mitsuko Uchida and Kirill Gerstein are represented in association with Enticott Music management
