Classical Grammys for 2021 Winners

 

Here are the Classical Grammy winners for 2021.  The most import award for this year is a Lifetime Achievement Grammy awarded to Marilyn Horne. Congratulations.

Because of my own personal prejudices, I am happy for the Ives win, Porgy and Bess win (but would have also been happy for Agrippina), and a piece by Michael Tilson Thomas sung by Isabel Leonard.  I am unfamiliar with the rest.

75. Best Orchestral Performance
Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

• ASPECTS OF AMERICA - PULITZER EDITION
  Carlos Kalmar, conductor (Oregon Symphony)
   
• CONCURRENCE
  Daníel Bjarnason, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
   
• COPLAND: SYMPHONY NO. 3
  Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
   
• IVES: COMPLETE SYMPHONIES
  Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
   
• LUTOSłAWSKI: SYMPHONIES NOS. 2 & 3
  Hannu Lintu, conductor (Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

76. Best Opera Recording
Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.

• DELLO JOIO: THE TRIAL AT ROUEN
  Gil Rose, conductor; Heather Buck & Stephen Powell; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)
   
• FLOYD, C.: PRINCE OF PLAYERS
  William Boggs, conductor; Alexander Dobson, Keith Phares & Kate Royal; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Florentine Opera Chorus)
   
• GERSHWIN: PORGY AND BESS
  David Robertson, conductor; Frederick Ballentine, Angel Blue, Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
   
• HANDEL: AGRIPPINA
  Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor; Elsa Benoit, Joyce DiDonato, Franco Fagioli, Jakub Józef Orliński & Luca Pisaroni; Daniel Zalay, producer (Il Pomo D'Oro)
   
• ZEMLINSKY: DER ZWERG
  Donald Runnicles, conductor; David Butt Philip & Elena Tsallagova; Peter Ghirardini & Erwin Stürzer, producers (Orchestra Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin; Chorus Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin)

77. Best Choral Performance
Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

• CARTHAGE
  Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
   
• DANIELPOUR: THE PASSION OF YESHUAH
  JoAnn Falletta, conductor; James K. Bass & Adam Luebke, chorus masters (James K. Bass, J'Nai Bridges, Timothy Fallon, Kenneth Overton, Hila Plitmann & Matthew Worth; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus & UCLA Chamber Singers)
   
• KASTALSKY: REQUIEM
  Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Charles Bruffy, Steven Fox & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Joseph Charles Beutel & Anna Dennis; Orchestra Of St. Luke's; Cathedral Choral Society, The Clarion Choir, Kansas City Chorale & The Saint Tikhon Choir)
   
• MORAVEC: SANCTUARY ROAD
  Kent Tritle, conductor (Joshua Blue, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Dashon Burton, Malcolm J. Merriweather & Laquita Mitchell; Oratorio Society Of New York Orchestra; Oratorio Society Of New York Chorus)
   
• ONCE UPON A TIME
  Matthew Guard, conductor (Sarah Walker; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)

78. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

• CONTEMPORARY VOICES
  Pacifica Quartet
   
• HEALING MODES
  Brooklyn Rider
   
• HEARNE, T.: PLACE
  Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra
   
• HYNES: FIELDS
  Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion
   
• THE SCHUMANN QUARTETS
  Dover Quartet

79. Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

• ADÈS: CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA
  Kirill Gerstein; Thomas Adès, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
   
• BEETHOVEN: COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS
  Igor Levit
   
• BOHEMIAN TALES
  Augustin Hadelich; Jakub Hrůša, conductor (Charles Owen; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)
   
• DESTINATION RACHMANINOV - ARRIVAL
  Daniil Trifonov; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
   
• THEOFANIDIS: CONCERTO FOR VIOLA AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
  Richard O'Neill; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)

80. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with 51% or more playing time of new material.

• AMERICAN COMPOSERS AT PLAY - WILLIAM BOLCOM, RICKY IAN GORDON, LORI LAITMAN, JOHN MUSTO
  Stephen Powell (Attacca Quartet, William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto, Charles Neidich & Jason Vieaux)
   
• CLAIRIÈRES - SONGS BY LILI & NADIA BOULANGER
  Nicholas Phan; Myra Huang, accompanist
   
• FARINELLI
  Cecilia Bartoli; Giovanni Antonini, conductor (Il Giardino Armonico)
   
• A LAD'S LOVE
  Brian Giebler; Steven McGhee, accompanist (Katie Hyun, Michael Katz, Jessica Meyer, Reginald Mobley & Ben Russell)
   
• SMYTH: THE PRISON
  Sarah Brailey & Dashon Burton; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Chorus; Experiential Orchestra)

81. Best Classical Compendium
Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 51% playing time of the album, if other than the artist.

• ADÈS CONDUCTS ADÈS
  Mark Stone & Christianne Stotijn; Thomas Adès, conductor; Nick Squire, producer
   
• SAARIAHO: GRAAL THÉÂTRE; CIRCLE MAP; NEIGES; VERS TOI QUI ES SI LOIN
  Clément Mao-Takacs, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer
   
• SEREBRIER: SYMPHONIC BACH VARIATIONS; LAMENTS AND HALLELUJAHS; FLUTE CONCERTO
  José Serebrier, conductor; Jens Braun, producer
   
• THOMAS, M.T.: FROM THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK & MEDITATIONS ON RILKE
  Isabel Leonard; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Jack Vad, producer
   
• WOOLF, L.P.: FIRE AND FLOOD
  Matt Haimovitz; Julian Wachner, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer

82. Best Contemporary Classical Composition
A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

• ADÈS: CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA
  Thomas Adès, composer (Kirill Gerstein, Thomas Adès & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
   
• DANIELPOUR: THE PASSION OF YESHUA
  Richard Danielpour, composer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)
   
• FLOYD, C.: PRINCE OF PLAYERS
  Carlisle Floyd, composer (William Boggs, Alexander Dobson, Kate Royal, Keith Phares, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
• HEARNE, T.: PLACE
  Ted Hearne, composer (Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra)
   
• ROUSE: SYMPHONY NO. 5
  Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)