Here is the list with the ICMA winners of the year 2024, as established by the Jury comprising the jury members from the following media: ANDANTE (Turkey) – CRESCENDO (Belgium) – DAS ORCHESTER (Germany) – DEUTSCHE WELLE (Germany) – IMZ (Austria) –– MDR KLASSIK (Germany) – MUSICA (Italy) – MUSIK & THEATER (Switzerland) – OPERA (UK) – PAPAGENO (Hungary) – PIZZICATO (Luxembourg) – POLSKIE RADIO CHOPIN (Poland ) – RADIO 100,7 (Luxembourg) – RADIO KLASSIK STEPHANSDOM – RADIO ROMANIA MUZICAL (Romania) – RESMUSICA (France) – RONDO CLASSIC (Finland) – SCHERZO (Spain) – UNISON (Croatia)
SPECIAL AWARDS
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Pekinels
Güher and Süher Pekinel, piano
With their extraordinary poetic understanding, Güher and Süher Pekinel sisters have always garnered high attention in the classical music scene. Their quest for perfectionism is simply legendary. Through their recitals and concert programs they have been very active in presenting the duo repertoire. Their collaboration with the biggest names of the classical music world has enriched the recording catalogues. The Pekinels are the only duo to play without eye contact, focusing intensely on the depth of their musical breathing.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Renaud Capuçon, violin
Violinist and conductor, an artist committed to civil and social causes, Renaud Capuçon is certainly one of the greatest living musicians: the 48-year-old Frenchman has played with all the best orchestras, the most important conductors and the most prestigious colleagues and is artistic director of music festivals. His discography, exceptional in its breadth and quality, confirms his stature as a musician, linked to the French school but classifiable under a single label: one of the greats.
YOUNG ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Aida Pascu, soprano
The young Romanian soprano Aida Pascu, 24 years old, surprises with her beautiful lirico-spinto, dark voice, convincing and mature, and a great stage presence, with all she needs to become an accomplished opera star. Trained at the University of Music in Bucharest, attending also masterclasses with Raina Kabaivanska and Nelly Miricioiu, Aida gained numerous national and international prizes for young opera singers; in 2023, she performed as Mimì in La Bohème at Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest, with spectacular success.
DISCOVERY AWARD
Lana Zorjan, violin
Born in 2008, the young Serbian violinist Lana Zorjan can already point to national and international awards and is experienced on the stage with around 300 concert appearances. Her noticeably natural handling of the violin is also evident in highly virtuosic passages. She conveys musical personality and has the gift of transferring her joy of making music to the audience.
COMPOSER AWARD
Orazio Sciortino
Pianist, conductor and composer, the Sicilian musician Orazio Sciortino combines a thorough knowledge of tradition with an open spirit, which is reflected in musical writing free of constraints, open to the suggestions of modernity, yet always strongly personal and recognisable: his catalogue, in short, reflects the ideal figure of a 21st century composer, whose talent transcends the ideological constraints of the past.
ICMA CLASSEEK AWARD
Cassie Martin, guitar
Classical guitarist Cassie Martin is successful already in solo recitals, chamber music and as a soloist with orchestra and thus a very versatile musician. Her beautiful poetic sound, her flawless technique and her engaging personality are absolutely fabulous!
LABEL OF THE YEAR
Bru Zane
“Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française” is a foundation with a Venetian heart and a French soul. Since its inauguration in 2009, it has been researching and promoting the French musical heritage between 1780 and 1920. It is an unparalleled example of cultural patronage that has led to a series of concerts, books and recordings of sublime quality that have given new life to often forgotten works.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Bruno Monsaingeon, musician and film director
Bruno Monsaingeon is the incarnation of classical music on screen. All his films and documentaries are sources of inspiration, allowing us to get up close and personal with so many great musicians. Bruno Monsaingeon’s camera makes us vibrate like never before to the rhythm of music.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor
Sylvain Cambreling is an exceptional conductor because of the immensity of his repertoire. Whatever scores he conducts, he brings to them the highest standards. The Jury of the ICMA also salutes his total and inspiring commitment to the music of our time, one of his areas of excellence.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
# bruckner24 / The Complete Versions Edition
Bruckner Orchestra Linz
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Markus Poschner
This complete set of editions of Bruckner’s symphonies is an exceptional project because it questions our listening habits and musical tradition. It combines musicological research with artistic excellence, while bringing together Austria’s leading musical institutions. In short, the sound of Bruckner, yet innovative too.
AUDIO & VIDEO AWARDS
EARLY MUSIC
Oriente Lux
Orpheus 21, Hespèrion XXI
Jordi Savall
Alia Vox
AVSA9954
Medieval music from Europe and traditional songs from the Far and Middle East not only meet on this marvellous double CD, they develop a dialogue and thus bridge the gap between written record and oral tradition. With this live recording, Jordi Savall and the ensembles Orpheus 21 and Hespèrion XXI work wonders by creating a unique and touching programme for a great variety of instruments.
BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL
Sonate a quattro
Goldberg – Telemann – Händel – Fasch – Janitsch
Ensemble Diderot
Johannes Pramsohler
Audax
ADX11201
For more than fifteen years Ensemble Diderot has presented advanced and sometimes unheard programmes in a fresh artistic light. Their exegesis of Baroque repertoire shows original perspectives on historical performance practice. This is a discographic milestone.
BAROQUE VOCAL
Jouissons de Nos Beaux Ans!
De Bury – Dauvergne – Francoeur – Cassanéa de Mondonville – Rameau – Rebel – Royer
Cyrile Dubois, Orfeo Orchestra, Purcell Choir, György Vashegyi
Aparté
AP319
This is an excellent recital that opens a wide breach in our ignorance of the world of French XVIIIᵉ opera, dominated by Rameau, but teeming with an astonishing number of quality composers. The tenor Cyrille Dubois puts on the wig of the haute-contre of the Louis XV era for all these arias with the greatest ease. His voice is as supple and ductile as ever, and he makes short work of the most dangerous vocal acrobatics in the upper register. The Orfeo Orchestra and the Purcell Choir conducted by György Vashegyi are also excellent. They give this Baroque anthology an energy to make the whole programme dance.
VOCAL MUSIC
Les Heures Claires
Nadia & Lili Boulanger: The Complete Songs
Lucile Richardot, Stéphane Degout, Emmanuelle Bertrand,
Anne de Fornel, Raquel Camarinha, Sarah Nemtan
Harmonia Mundi
HMM90235658
In a three-CD box set, Harmonia Mundi brings together all the mélodies composed by sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger, plus carefully selected instrumental pieces. Thanks to excellent performances, we can reconstruct the separate fates of Lili, a talent who died young, and Nadia, who as a teacher left an indelible mark on 20th century music, and whose school (la boulangerie) was a point of reference for all musicians going to Paris.
CHORAL MUSIC
André Caplet: Le Miroir de Jésus
Anke Vondung, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks,
Münchner Rundfunkorchester,
Howard Arman
BR Klassik
900342
André Caplet’s rarely performed oratorio Le Miroir de Jésus is an enormously expressive solitaire full of meditative interiorization. Howard Arman, principal conductor of the Bavarian Radio Choir, conducts the chorus and the excellent string ensemble of the Munich Radio Orchestra. Anke Vondung’s supple mezzo-soprano is ideal for this part, her singing itself captivating with fine and subtle lines and a transcendental beauty and warmth befitting the work. A great interpretation in all respects and an important contribution to the classical discography!
OPERA
Giacomo Puccini: Turandot
Sondra Radvanovsky, Jonas Kaufmann, Ermonela Jaho, Michael Spyres, Michele Pertusi Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano
Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia,
Antonio Pappano
Warner Classics
5419740659
Puccini’s Turandot conducted by Antonio Pappano is not just an orientalist-romantic fairy tale, but a powerful drama and ritual full of bloodlust, horror and touching sensitivity. The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia plays brilliantly, and the interpretation underlines the opera’s modern features and symphonic cohesion without losing anything of the genuine Puccini- lyricism and Italian flow. Sondra Radvanovsky, Jonas Kaufmann and Ermonela Jaho create intense and nuanced roles, and the original Alfano finale adds value to the well-produced recording.
SOLO INSTRUMENT
Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Violin Solo Op. 27
Hilary Hahn
Deutsche Grammophon
503130
Hilary Hahn has fully achieved her goal of playing Eugène Ysaÿe’s technically demanding sonatas in the spirit of the composer while remaining true to herself. The American violinist plays the sonatas of the most renowned representative of the école franco-belge with great dynamic range and a masterful treatment of the textures, thus achieving captivating recordings of great intensity.
CHAMBER MUSIC
Schubert: Trio D 898, Notturno D 897, Rondo D 895, Piano Trio D 929, Arpeggione Sonata
Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt
Ondine
ODE 1394-2D
Hardly anyone else has looked deeper into the unbelievable abysses of Schubert’s late chamber music masterpieces than Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt. These are Lars Vogt’s last trio recordings, and listening to the way he explores Schubert’s music with an almost shy subtlety and makes it resound, often even blossom joyfully, one can only marvel.
CONCERTOS
Wolfgang A. Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3-5
Kristian Bezuidenhout
Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz
Aparté
AP299
As leading representatives of historical performance practice Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz und Kristian Bezuidenhout lend these concertos fresh impulses. Highly virtuosic, with playful ease, stylish ornaments, improvisatory elements and remarkable sense of dialogue, the soloist and ensemble achieve new perspectives on Mozart’s concertos.
SYMPHONIC MUSIC
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Paavo Järvi
Alpha
987
To commemorate the bicentenary of Anton Bruckner’s birth, Paavo Järvi, conducting ‘his’ Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, has produced one of most idiomatic Brucknerian readings of recent years, one that combines luminosity and transparency with the specific gravity we have come to expect from this great symphonic cathedral, and deservedly winning the award for the best symphonic recording of the year.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Reconnaissance
Kaija Saariaho: Choir Works
Anna Kuvaja, Timo Kurkikangas, Helsinki Chamber Choir, Uusinta Ensemble
Nils Schweckendiek
BIS
2662
To mark the 70th birthday of the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, the Helsinki Chamber Choir realized this homage to her choral work. The interpretations are just as delicate as Saariaho’s sound worlds of intellect and feeling in the interplay between human voices and electronics. Her choral music brings words into poetic sounds and “unfolds in the listener’s imagination,” as she described it. An absolute legacy!
ASSORTED PROGRAMS
Maurice Ravel: L’heure espagnole – Boléro
Isabelle Druet, Julien Behr, Loïc Félix, Thomas Dolié, Jean Teitgen
Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth
Harmonia Mundi
HAF 905361
Ravel’s music requires clarity and precision – not only in performance, but above all in the thought, the logic, the shaping of the phrase. It is only then that its true quality is born, together with the colour inherent in it — in this case the colour of the ironic folkloric stylisations, but also the irony of the humour. Thanks to the ensemble Les Siècles, restoring the sound of the early 20th century Parisian orchestra (just listen to the timbre of the woodwinds!) and the baton of François-Xavier Roth, as well as a select set of singers feeling natural and at ease in this unique incarnation of commedia dell’arte, we receive a truly Spanish hour – à la française – in this recording.
HISTORICAL RECORDINGS
Herbert von Karajan – The Early Lucerne Years
Beethoven – Mozart – Bach – Brahms – Honegger
Robert Casadesus, Geza Anda, Clara Haskil, Nathan Milstein
Swiss Festival Orchestra,
Herbert von Karajan
Audite
21464
How a star is born? The collection “Herbert von Karajan – The early Lucerne years” gives a possible answer, regarding one of the symbols of the art of conducting in the 20th century. The Internationale Musikfestwochen Luzern, later Lucerne Festival, gave in 1948 an opportunity to Herbert von Karajan. It was his first concert outside Germany, after the denazification process. His relation with the Swiss festival developed in time; these recordings made between 1952-1957, for the first time released on CD, show us a young, very talented and volcanic conductor, in beautiful remastered productions that are keeping the original live sentiment and energy. A true discovery!
PREMIERE RECORDINGS
Jules Massenet: Ariane
Amina Edris, Marianne Croux, Judith van Wanroij, Jean-Francois Borras, Yoann Dubruque,
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Laurent Campellone
Bru Zane
BZ1053
Captured live in Munich, Massenet’s Ariane conducted by Laurent Campellone has been rescued from oblivion, and justice has at last been done to a score of exceptional beauty and quality. The youthfulness and lyricism of the singers in the three main roles (Ariadne, Phaedra, Theseus) are convincing. Their commitment is complete, and their timbres are fully in tune with the soulful tensions of the characters. The Bavarian Radio Chorus assumes its roles with precision, and the Munich Radio Orchestra works wonders. Every member of the orchestra seems virtuosic and radiates the joy of playing such a beautiful score.
VIDEO: OPERA
Leos Janáček: Káťa Kabanová
Corinne Winters, Evelyn Herlitzius, David Butt Philip, Benjamin Hulett, Jens Larsen, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Philharmoniker,
Jakub Hrusa – Barrie Kosky
Unitel Edition
810116 91001
Often and unjustly overshadowed by Jenufa, Kát’a Kabanová is a true masterpiece by Janáček – and this performance unfolds all the energy and beauty of it. Both orchestra and the staging are excellent – it grabs and keeps our attention throughout the work – but Corinna Winter’s stunning voice and performance in the title role is what makes this excellent recording truly unforgettable.
VIDEO: PERFORMANCE & DOCUMENTARIES
When music resounds, the soul is spoken to – Herbert Blomstedt
Documentary by Paul Smaczny
Accentus Music
ACC20417
Others would have retired 30 years ago. At the age of 96, Herbert Blomstedt keeps going. This brilliant documentary gives you more than an inkling why. Conductor and communicator Herbert Blomstedt is driven by a restless musical spirit, by love for the audience, ‘his’ orchestras, and music itself. Watch this portrait film and you will start to understand what a life for music may mean.
