Double Halle Success in Gramophone Awards

There was double success for the Hallé at this year’s Gramophone Awards – the world’s most influential classical music prizes – were announced at London’s Dorchester Hotel.

The Manchester based orchestra won through in the Concerto and Opera categories.  Bryn Terfel was on hand to accept the award for the Hallé’s acclaimed recording of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. See the full list of winners This year’s Recording of the Year – chosen in a secret ballot by a special panel of critics from the 16 category-winning discs, themselves selected by Gramophone’s 50-strong reviewers panel – has been named as “Infelix Ego”, the 13th (and final) volume of the Byrd Edition, performed by the British vocal ensemble The Cardinall’s Musick under Andrew Carwood, on Hyperion.

It is only the second time an Early Music recording has won the Recording of the Year.

The Artist of the Year – the result of an international, online poll – was named as American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who beat off a formidable list of fellow nominees included Plácido Domingo, Lang Lang and Antonio Pappano.

Pianist Alfred Brendel was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, while the Special Achievement Award was given to the founder of the Chandos label, Brian Couzens.

The Argentinean cellist Sol Gabetta was named Young Artist of the Year, and James Inverne gave his Editor’s Choice Award to Marin Alsop’s recording of Bernstein’s Mass on Naxos. Label of the Year was announced as the Scotland-based Linn Records, and André Rieu received the Specialist Classical Chart Award, a reflection of the dominance in the chart of his “Forever Vienna” album throughout much of the past year.