The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) organized their Award Ceremony and Gala Concert yesterday, 28 March at the Bilkent Concert Hall in Ankara, hosted by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra conducted by Isin Metin. The Award Ceremony was presented by ICMA’s President Remy Franck, and awards were given to such artists as Dmitrij Kitajenko, Christian Tetzlaff, YuryRevich, Jodie Devos, Evgeny Koroliov, Xiao-Mei Zhu, Adam Fischer, Wu Wei, John Holloway, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Bilkent Symphony, BIS CEO Robert von Bahr and many more.
After the Award Ceremony, the Gala concert took place at the Bilkent Hall. Zhu Xiao-Mei opened the concert with the Aria from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations and pianist Evgeni Koroliov played the Andantino from Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata D 959. The most prominent Chinese Sheng player Wu Wei, winner with an Unsuk Chin disc, fascinated the audience with a Dragon Dance. After those solo performances, conductor Adam Fischer brought Mozart’s spirit into the hall with the overture from Wolfgang A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Belgian soprano Jodie Devos, Young Artist of the Year 2015, ravished the audience with arias by Delibes and Bernstein, while the other Young Artist of the Year, Yury Revich, violin, was a stunning soloist in Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy op. 25.
Conductor Alexander Liebreich brought much power and intensity to the Intrada from Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra. Violinist Alexander Sitkovetzky as the moving soloist in Andrzej Panufnik’s Violin Concerto, and Artist of the Year Christian Tetzlaff was energetic and lyrical as well in the Finale of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 2. Finally, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Dmitrij Kitajenko enchanted the audience with music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Nutcracker.
Jury and winners
Photo: Aydin Ramazanoglu
