The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) organized their Award Ceremony and Gala Concert yesterday at the Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, hosted by the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. The Award Ceremony was presented by ICMA’s President Remy Franck, and awards were given to such artists as Charles Dutoit, Krzysztof Penderecki, Andreas Staier, Adrien Boisseau, Joseph Moog, Andrea Bacchetti, Daniel Hope, Holger Schröter-Seebeck and Signum Quartet. After the Award Ceremony, the Gala concert took place at the Philharmonic Hall, which was sold out since weeks.
German ‘Signum Quartett’, winner in the Chamber Music category, amazed the audience by a powerful version of Schulhoff’s ‘5 Stücke für Streichquartett’ and Daniel Hope, winner for this DVD ‘Terezin’, performed poignantly the Solo Sonata by the same composer. Joseph Moog was he sovereign and masterful interpreter of Pastorale E minor by Domenico Scarlatti/Carl Tausig as well as Walter Gieseking’s majestic Chaconne on a theme by Scarlatti. Andreas Staier played Schubert’s Diabelli Variation. The second part was brilliantly and powerfully opened by the Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra with Charles Dutoit (Lifetime Achievement Award) as conductor in Hector Berlioz’ ‘Carnaval Romain’.
Andrea Bacchetti performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto BWV 1058 with much clarity and true musical feelings, assisted by Iuventus Sinfonia under the baton of José Maria Florencio. Young Artist of the Year Adrien Boisseau movingly played Max Bruch’s Viola Fantasy with a beautiful and sensitively shaped sound. Krzysztof Penderecki (winner in the category Contemporary Music with his complete symphonies) conducted his Adagio and Holger Schröter-Seebeck, representing the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (Special Achievement Award), concluded the evening serenely with a most tender version of Georges Bizet’s Adagietto.
