In several rounds, the Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) has chosen the releases competing in the finals for the awards 2018. « Our list with a total of 357 nominations comprised many very good as well as outstanding recordings. Yet, the rules are way of cruel, since every member has to eliminate step by step all the releases but one », Jury President Remy Franck said. « Obviously many excellent productions are left behind. That’s why we consider our nominations already as a real recognition. For sure, some of the Jury members regret that a number of their own favorites have not made it into the finals, but choices are inevitable and part of the responsibility that shapes the Jury member’s duties. The goal is to get a winner list corresponding to the highest possible standards and reflecting the choice of our international Jury. »
EARLY MUSIC
From the initial 19 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Ramon Llull – A time of conquests, dialogue and disconsolation
Hesperion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, J. Savall
Alia Vox
AVSA9917
Quattrocento – Musica y danza de la Corona de Aragon en Napoles
Capella de Ministrers, Carles Magraner
Capella de Ministrers
CDM 1742
Vecchi: Requiem
Graindelavoix
Glossa
32113
BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL
From the initial 25 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Vivaldi: The Concertos for Recorder
Stefan Temmingh, Capricornus Consort Basel
Accent
ACC24332
J.S. Bach: Goldberg-Variations
Jean Muller
Hänssler Classic
HC17059
J.S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas BWV 1001-1006
Christian Tetzlaff
Ondine
1299-2D
BAROQUE VOCAL
From the initial 19 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Farinelli – A Portrait
Ann Hallenberg, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
Aparté
AP117
The Händel Album
Händel: Arias
Philippe Jaroussky, Artaserse
Erato
190295774455
Bach: St Matthew Passion
J. Gilchrist, S. Loges, H. Morrison, Z. Brookshaw, C.Ashley, R. Mobley, E. Minney, H. Hymas, A. Riches, A. Ashworth, J. Sells
Monteverdi Choir, Trinity Boys Choir, English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
Soli Deo Gloria
SDG 725
VOCAL RECITAL
From the initial 33 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Visions
Véronique Gens
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Hervé Niquet
Alpha
279
Graun: Opera Arias
Julia Lezhneva, Concerto Köln, Mikhail Antonenko
Decca
4831518
Einsamkeit
Schumann: Songs
Matthias Goerne, Markus Hinterhäuser
Harmonia Mundi
902243
CHORAL
From the initial 11 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Felix Nowowiejski: Quo vadis
W. Chodowicz, R. Gierlach, W. Gierlach, S. Kaminski
Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir, Poznan Philharmonic
Lukasz Borowicz
cpo
5550892
Dvorak: Stabat Mater
E. Nakamura, E. Kulman, M. Spyres, J. Park, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek
Decca
4831510
All-Night Vigil
Rachmaninov: Vespers op. 37
MDR Rundfunkchor, R. Joost
Genuin
GEN 17476
OPERA
From the initial 18 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Saint-Saëns: Proserpine
V. Gens, M.A. Henry, F. Antoun, A. Foster-Williams, J.Teitgen, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Flemish Radio Choir
Ulf Schirmer
Ediciones Singulares
ES1027
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande
C. Gerhaher, M. Kozena, B. Fink, F.-J. Selig, G. Finley
London Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle
LSO Live
LSO0790
Martinu: The Greek Passion
R. Romei, D. Kaiser, M. Butter, W. Zelinka u.a.
Chor & Extrachor der Oper Graz, Chor der Kunstuniversität
Grazer Philharmonisches Orchester, Dirk Kaftan
Oehms Classics
OC967
SOLO INSTRUMENT
From the initial 24 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Schubert: Piano Sonatas D 959 & D 960
Krystian Zimerman
Deutsche Grammophon
4797588
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 3, 14, 23, 26, 32 + Variations WoO 80
Evgeny Kissin
Deutsche Grammophon
479 7581
Tangere
C.P.E. Bach
Alexander Lubimov
ECM
4763652
CHAMBER MUSIC
From the initial 49 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. VII & VIII
Beethoven: Quartets op. 18/2 & op. 59/3 – op. 18/3 & op. 74
Quartetto di Cremona
Audite
92.689 + 92.688
Franck: Violin Sonata in A major – Chausson: Concert in D major, Op. 21
I. Faust, A. Melnikov, Salagon Quartet
Harmonia Mundi
HMM902254
Mozart: Violin Sonatas, Vol. 4
Mozart: Violin Sonatas K377, K8, K303, K403, K13, K28, KV26, K378
Alina Ibragimova, Cédric Tiberghien
Hyperion
CDA68164
CONCERTOS
From the initial 25 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concerto Wq 172 – Boccherini: Adagio from G 480 – Haydn: Cello Concertos No 1 & 2 et al.
Steven Isserlis, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Hyperion
CDA68162
Shostakovich: Complete Concertos
L. Geniusas, D. Masleyev, S. Dogadin, P. Milyukov, A. Buzlov, A. Ramm, Tartarstan National Symphony Orchestra, A. Sladkovsky
Melodiya
MELCD1002465
Elgar: Cello Concerto – Martinu: Cello Concerto No. 1
S. Gabetta, Berliner Philharmoniker, S. Rattle, K.Urbanski
Sony Classical
88985350792
SYMPHONIC
From the initial 26 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Martinu: The Symphonies
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Cornelius Meister
Capriccio
C5320
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 – Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Deutsche Grammophon
4797208
Edition Staatskapelle Dresden Vol. 42
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann
Profil
PH16064
CONTEMPORARY
From the initial 21 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Mansurian: Requiem
A. Petersen, A. Redmond,
RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Münchener Kammerorchester
Alexander Liebreich
ECM
4814101
Kurtag: Complete Works for Ensemble and Choir
Asko | Schoenberg Ensemble, Netherlands Radio Choir, R. de Leeuw
ECM
4812883
Elliott Carter – Late Works
Carter: Interventions, Dialogues, Soundings, Two Controversies and a Conversation, Instances, Epigrams
P.-L. Aimard, C. Currie, I. Faust, J.-G. Queyras
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, BBC Symphony Orchestra
Oliver Knussen
Ondine
ODE 12962
ASSORTED PROGRAMS
From the initial 32 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Chopin Evocations
Daniel Trifonov
S. Babayan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, M.Pletnev
Deutsche Grammophon
4797518
Weinberg: Chamber symphonies No. 1-4, Piano Quintet op. 18 (Arr.)
Y. Avdeeva, Kremerata Baltica, G. Kremer, M. Bekavec, M. Grazinyte-Tyla
ECM
4814604
Sibelius: Tapiola + En Saga + 8 Songs (Orch A. Sallinen)
Anne-Sofie von Otter, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu
Ondine
ODE12895
BEST COLLECTION
From the initial 18 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies
S. Saturova, M. Fujimura, C. Elsner, C. Gerhaher
MDR Rundfunkchor, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Herbert Blomstedt
Accentus Music
ACC8
Anthology of Russian Symphonic Music Vol. I
USSR State Academic Symphony Orchestra, Choir and Orchestra
Yevgeny Svetlanov
Melodiya
MELCD1002480
Rostropovich – Cellist of the Century – The Complete Warner Recordings
Various works
M. Rostropovich, et al.
Warner Classics
9029586263
HISTORICAL
From the initial 13 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 – Grieg: Lyric Pieces – Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies + Polonaise No. 2
N. Freire, Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, A. Fischer
Audite
95.742
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 Unfinished – Dvorak: Symphony No. 9
Münchner Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache
Münchner Philharmoniker
9305211237
Svjatoslav Richter plays Schubert. Live in Moscow, 1949-1963
Svjatoslav Richter
Profil
PH17005
DVD PERFORMANCE
From the initial 21 nominations the following three releases have been admitted to the finals
Mahler: Symphony No. 8
Ricarda Merbeth, Juliane Banse, Anna Lucia Richter, Sara Mingardo, Mihoko Fujimura, Andreas Schager, Peter Mattei, Samuel Youn
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Latvian Radio Choir, Orfeón Donostiarra, Tölzer Knabenchor
Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly
Accentus Music
ACC20390
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel
V. Sulimsky, A. Serov, K. Loginova, E. Vitman, A. Popov, A. Garifullina, Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus, Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky
MAR0596
Rereading Brahms
Brahms: The symphonies
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, M. Poschner
Sony Classical
88985388869
DVD DOCUMENTARIES
No finalists selected
