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Prize-giving ceremony in London: Langgaard recording won Gramophone Award

Anu Komsi © Gramophone / Askew Miller

Prize-giving ceremony in London: Langgaard recording won Gramophone Award

Vienna Philharmonic's recording of Rued Langgaard’s Symphonies 2 and 6 was one of the winners at the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards yesterday, gaining this year’s Orchestral Award.

People
17 October 2019

When the supreme prizes for classical music, the Gramophone Classical Music Awards, were awarded at a festival concert and a ceremony in London yesterday, the Danish composer Rued Langgaard’s Symphonies 2 and 6 were among the winners.

One of the world’s best orchestras

The ‘enfant terrible’ of Danish musical life, Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) did not gain much recognition during his lifetime. But when one of the best orchestras in the world, the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by the Finnish Sakari Oramo, gave a concert performance and recorded his Symphonies nos 2 and 6 in 2017 and 2018, he was firmly place on the world map. The recording was produced by Preben Iwan, Mats Engström and the Austrian ORF, and it was released in 2018.

Anu Komsi received the prize

The recording was acclaimed yesterday at the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards, where it gained the orchestral award of the year. This award is regarded as one of the world’s most coveted marks of recognition in the classical music industry – and is often referred to as classical music’s answer to the Oscar of the film industry.

The Finnish soprano Anu Komsi received the award on behalf of the Vienna Philharmonic and Sakari Oramo at the ceremony in London. Komsi is soloist in the recording of Langgaard’s Symphony no 2.

See photos from the award show here.

The handing over the of awards was broadcast live on Medici TV.

Emma Kirkby gained a lifetime achievement award

At the ceremony it was also revealed that the British soprano Emma Kirkby was to be awarded this year’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in recognition of her enormous influence on and support of the revival of early music over the past five decades.

In 1997, Dacapo released an album with Emma Kirkby with precisely early music: Dietrich Buxtehude’s (c. 1637-1707) vocal music, recorded by, among others, Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

  • Rued Langgaard, Jacob Gade

    Symphonies 2 & 6

  • Dietrich Buxtehude

    Vocal Music Vol. 1

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