Twelve awards in eleven categories went to artists from Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics. At the ceremony in the Konzerthaus Berlin, Martha Argerich was honored with a lifetime achievement award.
At 85, the pianist continues to perform and support young musicians. The award is a recognition of an influence that goes beyond the concert stage: her recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, created over nearly six decades, are part of the musical growth of generations of performers and listeners.
Among this year's winners is Yunchan Lim, honored as instrumentalist of the year for her performance of Bach's “Goldberg Variations“ recorded at Carnegie Hall. An award in the same category went to French hornist Sarah Willis for “Cuban Christmas“. At the gala, she performed with The Sarahbanda to present her interpretation of Mozart's "A Little Night Music" arranged with vocals.
Lang Lang won the Bestseller award for "Piano Book 2", which features works by Bach, Chopin and Liszt alongside music from films, anime and video games. Alice Sara Ott was awarded in the New Classic/Neoclassic category for "Jóhann Jóhannsson - Piano Works", which includes world premiere recordings of piano transcriptions.
The awards also highlighted two unusual approaches to sound. In the chamber album "Pur ti miro", Wu Wei, Martin Stegner and Janne Saksala combine the Chinese wind instrument shen with viola and double bass. Producer Rainer Maillard received the award for innovative listening experience for Mikhail Pletnev's „Chopin & Scriabin: Préludes“ - the first all-analog new recording by DG since the 1980s.
Anna Lucia Richter and André Schuen were named female and male singer of the year, and Andris Nelsons was named conductor of the year. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla won for symphonic recording with „Back to Nature: Čiurlionis & Gražinis“. The award for solo vocal recording went to Katharina Konradi and Daniel Heide for „Franz Liszt: Un Cycle Imaginaire“.
„Our artists represent different generations, cultures and musical voices“, says Kleopatra Sofroniou, General Manager Classics at Deutsche Grammophon. “This diversity keeps classical music alive.“.