Small Labels, Superman Symphony Dominate Classical Grammy Nominations

The Grammy Award nominations are here again. And while it may be fashionable for some critics and industry insiders to frown on all the bluster, winning a Grammy is still a big deal. Yes, even a classical Grammy is something special even if the music and its performers are essentially personae non gratae at the annual television broadcast.

As far as trends go in this year's nominations, the rise to prominence of the Naxos label is again in evidence. The once small-scaled label with the chintzy cover art garnered 11 nominations, the most of any label. It should be noted that Naxos also releases more records than anyone else, about 240 titles per year. The Naxos disc of music by Michael Daugherty — including his Superman-themed Metropolis Symphony — with the Nashville Symphony was the top vote-getter with five nominations, including Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance.

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Other independent labels also shined. Harmonia Mundi had five nominations, and the Dorian Sono Luminus label, whose parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just five years ago, earned a surprising six nominations, including a Best Opera nod for its recording of the little-known Marc' Antonio e Cleopatra by Adolf Hasse. The recent trend of orchestras releasing their own records is also paying off. Albums by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project were nominated.

It says something about the recording industry that three of what used to be considered the "major" labels are barely represented: EMI and RCA (now owned by Sony) were completely shut out. Sony Classical earned a single nomination for soprano Jessye Norman's excellent crossover album Roots: My Life, My Song.

It seems like a long time since Universal Classics (the Deutsche Grammophon, Philips and Decca labels) overwhelmed the Grammys in nominations and awards. This year the Universal group earned seven nominations, including frontrunner Cecilia Bartoli's extraordinary album Sacrificium, a compendium of arias written for the infamous castrato singers of the 18th century.

The Grammy Awards telecast is scheduled for Feb. 13th. Below is the complete list from Grammy.com.

95. Best Engineered Album, Classical

An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina

Mark Donahue, John Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers (Giancarlo Guerrero &

Nashville Symphony Orchestra)

[Naxos]

Have You Ever Been...?

Robert Friedrich, engineer (Turtle Island Quartet, Stefon Harris & Mike Marshall)

[Telarc]

Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse

David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers (Gil Rose,

Rinde Eckert, Catch Electric Guitar Quartet, Synergy Vocals & Boston Modern Orchestra Project)

[BMOP/sound]

Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works

Leslie Ann Jones, Kory Kruckenberg & David Sabee, engineers (Eliesha Nelson &

John McLaughlin Williams)

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

Vocabularies

Steve Miller, Allen Sides & Roger Treece, engineers (Bobby McFerrin)

[Emarcy]

96. Producer Of The Year, Classical

A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Blanton Alspaugh

• Corigliano: Violin Concerto 'The Red Violin' (Michael Ludwig, JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)
• Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
• Tower Of The Eight Winds - Music For Violin & Piano By Judith Shatin (Borup-Ernst Duo)
• Tyberg: Symphony No. 3; Piano Trio (JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Wind Serenades (Gregory Wolynec & Gateway Chamber Ensemble)

David Frost

• Britten's Orchestra (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony)
• Chambers, Evan: The Old Burying Ground (Kenneth Kiesler & The University Of Michigan Symphony Orchestra)
• Dorman, Avner: Concertos For Mandolin, Piccolo, Piano And Concerto Grosso (Andrew Cyr, Eliran Avni, Mindy Kaufman, Avi Avital & Metropolis Ensemble)
• The 5 Browns In Hollywood (5 Browns)
• Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse (Gil Rose, Rinde Eckert, Catch Electric Guitar Quartet, Synergy Vocals & Boston Modern Orchestra Project)
• Meeting Of The Spirits (Matt Haimovitz)
• Two Roads To Exile (ARC Ensemble)

Tim Handley

• Adams: Nixon In China (Marin Alsop, Tracy Dahl, Marc Heller, Thomas Hammons, Maria Kanyova, Robert Orth, Chen-Ye Yan, Opera Colorado Chorus & Colorado Symphony Orchestra)
• Debussy: Le Martyre De Saint Sébastien (Jun Märkl & Orchestre National De Lyon)
• Dohnányi: Variations On A Nursery Song (JoAnn Falletta, Eldar Nebolsin & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Harris: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 (Marin Alsop & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
• Hubay: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 And 2 (Chloë Hanslip, Andrew Mogrelia & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
• Messiaen: Poèmes Pour Mi (Anne Schwanewilms, Jun Märkl & Orchestre National De Lyon)
• Piazzolla: Sinfonía Buenos Aires (Daniel Binelli, Tianwa Yang, Giancarlo Guerro & Nashville Symphony Orchestra)
• Ries: Works For Flute And Piano (Uwe Grodd & Matteo Napoli)
• Roussel: Symphony No. 1 (Stéphane Denève & Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
• Shchedrin: Concertos For Orchestra Nos. 4 & 5 (Kirill Karabits & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
• Stamitz: Flute Concertos (Robert Aitken, Donatas Katkus & St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra)
• Strauss, R: Josephs-Legende; Rosenkavalier; Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Orchestral Suites) (JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)

Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin

• Brubeck: Songs Of Praise (Lynne Morrow, Richard Grant, Quartet San Francisco & The Pacific Mozart Ensemble)
• Cascade Of Roses (Janice Weber)
• Gnattali: Solo & Chamber Works For Guitar (Marc Regnier)
• If I Were A Bird (Michael Lewin)
• Kletzki: Piano Concerto (Joseph Banowetz, Thomas Sanderling & Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works (Eliesha Nelson & John McLaughlin Williams)
• Rubinstein: Piano Music (1852-1894) (Joseph Banowetz)
• Rubinstein: Piano Music (1871-1890) (Joseph Banowetz)
• 20th Century Harp Sonatas (Sarah Schuster Ericsson)

James Mallinson

• Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Bernard Haitink, Duain Wolfe, Miah Persson, Christianne Stotijn, Chicago Symphony Chorus & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
• Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet (Valery Gergiev & London Symphony Orchestra)
• Shchedrin: The Enchanted Wanderer (Valery Gergiev, Evgeny Akimov, Sergei Aleksashkin, Kristina Kapustinskaya, Mariinsky Chorus & Mariinsky Orchestra)
• Strauss, R: Ein Heldenleben; Webern: Im Sommerwind (Bernard Haitink & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
• Strauss, R: Eine Alpensinfonie (Bernard Haitink & London Symphony Orchestra)
• Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations; Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante (Gautier Capuçon, Valery Gergiev & Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
• Wagner: Parsifal (Valery Gergiev, Gary Lehman, Violeta Urmana, René Pape, Evgeny Nikitin, Alexei Tanovitski, Nikolai Putilin, Mariinsky Chorus & Mariinsky Orchestra)

97. Best Classical Album

Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4

Mariss Jansons, conductor; Everett Porter, producer; Everett Porter, mastering

engineer (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)

[RCO Live]

Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; Mark Donahue, John

Hill & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers (Terrence Wilson; Nashville Symphony Orchestra)

[Naxos]

Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse

Gil Rose, conductor; Rinde Eckert; Catch Electric Guitar Quartet; David Frost,

producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus, Steven Mackey & Dirk Sobotka, engineers/mixers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Synergy Vocals)

[BMOP/sound]

Sacrificium

Giovanni Antonini, conductor; Cecilia Bartoli; Arend Prohmann, producer; Philip

Siney, engineer/mixer (Il Giardino Armonico)

[Decca]

Verdi: Requiem

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master; Christopher Alder,

producer; David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers/mixers (Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus)

[CSO Resound]

98. Best Orchestral Performance

Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4

Mariss Jansons, conductor (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)

[RCO Live]

Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Terrence Wilson; Nashville Symphony)

[Naxos]

Mackey, Steven: Dreamhouse

Gil Rose, conductor; Rinde Eckert (Catch Electric Guitar Quartet; Boston Modern

Orchestra Project; Synergy Vocals)

[BMOP/sound]

Salieri: Overtures & Stage Music

Thomas Fey, conductor (Mannheimer Mozartorchester)

[Haenssler Classic]

Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Symphony In Three Movements; Four Études

Pierre Boulez, conductor (Roxana Constantinescu, Kyle Ketelsen & Nicholas Phan; Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

[CSO Resound]

99. Best Opera Recording

Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.

Berg: Lulu

Antonio Pappano, conductor; Agneta Eichenholz, Jennifer Larmore, Klaus Florian

Vogt & Michael Volle; David Groves, producer (Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House)

[Opus Arte]

Hasse: Marc' Antonio E Cleopatra

Matthew Dirst, conductor; Jamie Barton & Ava Pine; Keith Weber, producer (Ars

Lyrica Houston)

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

Saariaho: L'Amour De Loin

Kent Nagano, conductor; Daniel Belcher, Ekaterina Lekhina & Marie-Ange

Todorovitch; Martin Sauer, producer (Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin)

[Harmonia Mundi]

Shchedrin: The Enchanted Wanderer

Valery Gergiev, conductor; Evgeny Akimov, Sergei Aleksashkin & Kristina

Kapustinskaya; James Mallinson, producer (Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre; Chorus Of The Mariinsky Theatre)

[Mariinsky]

Sullivan: Ivanhoe

David Lloyd-Jones, conductor; Neal Davies, Geraldine McGreevy, James Rutherford,

Toby Spence & Janice Watson; Brian Pidgeon, producer (BBC National Orchestra Of Wales; Adrian Partington Singers)

[Chandos]

100. Best Choral Performance

Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.

Bach: Cantatas

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor; Erwin Ortner, chorus master (Bernarda Fink,

Gerald Finley, Christian Gerhaher, Werner Güra, Julia Kleiter, Christine Schäfer, Anton Scharinger & Kurt Streit; Concentus Musicau Wien; Arnold Schoenberg Chor)

[Deutsche Harmonia Mundi]

Baltic Runes

Paul Hillier, conductor (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)

[Harmonia Mundi]

Haydn: The Creation

René Jacobs, conductor; Hans-Christoph Rademann, choir director (Julia Kleiter, Maximilian Schmitt & Johannes Weisser; Freiburger Barockorchester; RIAS Kammerchor)

[Harmonia Mundi]

Martin: Golgotha

Daniel Reuss, conductor (Judith Gauthier, Marianne Beate Kielland, Adrian

Thompson, Mattijs Van De Woerd & Konstantin Wolff; Estonian National Symphony Orchestra; Cappella Amsterdam & Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)

[Harmonia Mundi]

Verdi: Requiem

Riccardo Muti, conductor; Duain Wolfe, chorus master (Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga

Borodina, Barbara Frittoli & Mario Zeffiri; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus)

[CSO Resound]

101. Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)

Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.

Daugherty: Deus Ex Machina

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Terrence Wilson (Nashville Symphony)

Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony

[Naxos]

Dorman, Avner: Mandolin Concerto

Andrew Cyr, conductor; Avi Avital (Metropolis Ensemble)

Track from: Dorman, Avner: Mandolin Concerto; Piccolo Concerto; Concerto Grosso; Piano Concerto

[Naxos]

Kletzki: Piano Concerto In D Minor, Op. 22

Thomas Sanderling, conductor; Joseph Banowetz (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)

Track from: Kletzki: Piano Concerto

[Naxos]

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24

Mitsuko Uchida (The Cleveland Orchestra)

[Decca]

Porter, Quincy: Concerto For Viola & Orchestra

John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Eliesha Nelson (Northwest Sinfonia)

Track from: Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

102. Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)

Award to the Instrumental Soloist.

Chopin: The Nocturnes

Nelson Freire

[Decca]

Hamelin: Études

Marc-André Hamelin

[Hyperion Records]

Messiaen: Livre Du Saint-Sacrement

Paul Jacobs

[Naxos]

Paganini: 24 Caprices

Julia Fischer

[Decca]

20th Century Harp Sonatas

Sarah Schuster Ericsson

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

103. Best Chamber Music Performance

Award to the Artists.

Beethoven: Complete Sonatas For Violin & Piano

Isabelle Faust & Alexander Melnikov

[Harmonia Mundi]

Gnattali: Solo & Chamber Works For Guitar

Marc Regnier (Tacy Edwards, Natalia Khoma & Marco Sartor)

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

Ligeti: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Parker Quartet

[Naxos]

Porter, Quincy: Complete Viola Works

Eliesha Nelson & John McLaughlin Williams (Douglas Rioth; Northwest Sinfonia)

[Dorian Sono Luminus]

Schoenberg: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4

Fred Sherry String Quartet (Christopher Oldfather & Rolf Schulte)

[Naxos]

104. Best Small Ensemble Performance

Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.)

Ceremony And Devotion - Music For The Tudors

Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen

[CORO]

Dinastia Borja

Jordi Savall, conductor; Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial De Catalunya (Pascal

Bertin, Daniele Carnovich, Lior Elmalich, Montserrat Figueras, Driss El Maloumi, Marc Mauillon, Lluís Vilamajó & Furio Zanasi; Pascal Bertin, Daniele Carnovich, Josep Piera & Francisco Rojas)

[Alia Vox]

Trondheimsolistene - In Folk Style

Øyvind Gimse & Geir Inge Lotsberg, conductors (Emilia Amper & Gjermund Larsen; TrondheimSolistene)

[2L (Lindberg Lyd)]

Victoria: Lamentations Of Jeremiah

Peter Phillips, conductor; The Tallis Scholars

[Gimell]

Whitacre, Eric: Choral Music

Noel Edison, conductor; Elora Festival Singers (Carol Bauman & Leslie De'Ath)

[Naxos]

105. Best Classical Vocal Performance

Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).

Ombre De Mon Amant - French Baroque Arias

Anne Sofie Von Otter (William Christie; Les Arts Florissants)

[Deutsche Grammophon]

Sacrificium

Cecilia Bartoli (Giovanni Antonini; Il Giardino Armonico)

[Decca]

Turina: Canto A Sevilla

Lucia Duchonová (Celso Antunes; NDR Radiophilharmonie)

[Haenssler Classic]

Vivaldi: Opera Arias - Pyrotechnics

Vivica Genaux (Fabio Biondi; Europa Galante)

[Virgin Classics]

Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder

Measha Brueggergosman (Franz Welser-Möst; The Cleveland Orchestra)

Track from: Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder; Preludes & Overtures

[Deutsche Grammophon]

106. Best Classical Contemporary 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.

Daugherty, Michael: Deus Ex Machina

Michael Daugherty (Giancarlo Guerrero)

Track from: Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony

[Naxos]

Henze, Hans Werner: Appassionatamente Plus

Hans Werner Henze (Stefan Soltesz)

Track from: Appassionatamente Plus Lulu-Suite

[Cybele Records]

Lindberg, Magnus: Graffiti

Magnus Lindberg (Sakari Oramo)

Track from: Lindberg: Graffiti; Seht Die Sonne

[Ondine]

Pärt, Arvo: Symphony No. 4

Arvo Pärt (Esa-Pekka Salonen)

Track from: Pärt: Symphony No. 4

[ECM New Series]

Shchedrin, Rodion Konstantinovich: The Enchanted Wanderer

Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (Valery Gergiev)

Track from: Shchedrin: The Enchanted Wanderer

[Mariinsky]

107. Best Classical Crossover Album

Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.

Meeting Of The Spirits

Matt Haimovitz (Amaryllis Jarczyk, Jan Jarczyk, John McLaughlin, Dominic Painchaud, Leanna Rutt & Matt Wilson)

[Oxingale Records]

Off The Map

The Silk Road Ensemble

[World Village]

Roots - My Life, My Song

Jessye Norman (Ira Coleman, Steve Johns, Mike Lovatt, Mark Markham & Martin

Williams)

[Sony Classical]

Tin, Christopher: Calling All Dawns

Lucas Richman, conductor (Sussan Deyhim, Lia, Kaori Omura, Dulce Pontes, Jia Ruhan, Aoi Tada & Frederica von Stade; Anonymous 4 & Soweto Gospel Choir; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

[Tin Works Publishing]

Vocabularies

Bobby McFerrin

[Emarcy/Universal]