The coveted Disc of the Year was awarded to conductor Valery Gergiev and the LSO for their compelling performance of Prokofiev's ballet-score for Romeo and Juliet, which also won in the Orchestral category. Voted for by the public and an expert jury of critics, this recording represents the best of more than 1,500 recordings reviewed by BBC Music Magazine in 2010. The award was presented by Prokofiev's grandson, Gabriel Prokofiev.
Valery Gergiev commented: "In my opinion this is one of Prokofiev's best compositions and probably his most well-loved. I've given a huge number of performances of Prokofiev's music but this work above all others is incredibly theatrical. That is why the approach we took with this recording is so important – recording in concert helps maintain the line and the drama. It is very satisfying to receive these awards as it shows that others feel the same way as we do about this remarkable work and recording."
The BBC Music Magazine Awards are the only classical music awards in which the main categories are voted for by the public. The magazine’s website received more than 43,000 votes to select the winners in six categories: Orchestral, Choral, Opera, Vocal, Chamber and Instrumental, while an expert jury selected winners in the remaining categories.
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2011 winners
Disc of the Year (Orchestral): London Symphony Orchestra/Valery Gergiev - Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (LSO Live)
Choral: Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki - JS Bach: Motets (BIS)
Vocal: Werner Güra (baritone) Christoph Berner (piano) - Schubert: Winterreise (Harmonia Mundi)
Chamber: Vadim Repin (violin) Nikolai Lugansky (piano) - Janácek, Grieg and Franck: Violin Sonatas (DG)
Instrumental: Alexander Melnikov (piano) - Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues (Harmonia Mundi)
Opera: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/René Jacobs - Mozart: The Magic Flute (Harmonia Mundi)
Newcomer of the Year: Ivana Gavric - Janácek: In the Mists; Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor, D784; plus works by Janá?ek, Liszt and Rachmaninov (Champs Hill)
Premiere Recording: David Matthews - BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Jan Van Steen - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6 (Dutton Epoch)
Technical Excellence: David Briggs/Stephen Layton, Choir of Trinity College - Messe pour Notre Dame (Hyperion)
DVD of the Year: Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne 2009) - Opus Arte OA 1031 D (NTSC system; DTS 5.1; 16:9 picture format)
Oliver Condy, Editor of BBC Music Magazine, commented: "For the LSO to win our prestigious Disc of the Year award is not only testament to the orchestra's continuing brilliance under Valery Gergiev, but to their label’s astonishing success, too. Hearing this score 'live' gives this music an extra frisson – almost as if we were joining the audience for the performance."
The Awards were hosted by Oliver Condy and Radio 4's Today presenter James Naughtie. Artists and representatives from across the classical music industry, alongside winning musicians and celebrity guests, attended the exclusive awards ceremony.
The BBC Music Magazine Awards were launched in 2006 with the aim of recognising the best in classical music worldwide, by giving the public a chance to vote for their favourite performances of the year. Now in their sixth year, the BBC Music Magazine Awards are renowned in the industry as a prestigious annual event rewarding the highest achievements in international classical music recording.
The jury panel, chaired by Consultant Editor Helen Wallace, consisted this year of BBC Music Magazine Editor (Oliver Condy) and Reviews Editor (Daniel Jaffé), together with regular contributors Berta Joncus (Goldsmith's College, University of London), Christopher Dingle (Birmingham Conservatoire), George Hall (critic for Guardian, Opera), Stephen Johnson (Discovering Music, Radio 3) and Andrew McGregor (presenter, BBC Radio 3's CD Review).
