GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE REVEALS SHORTLISTED RECORDINGS FOR GRAMOPHONE CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS 2025
Yunchan Lim and Hilary Hahn at Gramophone Awards 2024 © Colin Miller
- Top three recordings in 11 categories revealed today
- 33 recordings now compete for their category as well as prestigious Recording of the Year award
- Winners to be announced at ceremony on 15 October at London’s De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, alongside special awards including Artist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and more
Gramophone magazine today [12 September] reveals the top three recordings in each category of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2025. Recognised as both the benchmark of achievement in the classical recording world and the industry’s highest accolade, the Awards – presented with Presto Music – celebrate exceptional recordings of the past year and honour artists, ensembles and record labels that have made outstanding contributions to the field.
On 29 August, Gramophone’s special digital magazine unveiled six nominated recordings in each category; these have now been narrowed to a shortlist of three. Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on 15 October, where a single recording among those winners will also be crowned as the coveted Recording of the Year.
Sir George Benjamin features in the Contemporary category (sponsored by PPL/PRS for Music) with the live recording of his work Picture a Day Like This, conducted by the composer himself and performed by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Joining him on the shortlist are ‘Dalia’s Mixtape’ performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Dalia Stasevska and Martyn Brabbins with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for their recording of works by John Pickard. Brabbins also appears in the Opera category, this time with the BBC Singers and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for their recording of Tippett’s New Year. They are joined by Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra for the original 1857 version of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and Norwegian Opera and Edward Gardner for Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer.
Gardner also picks up a second nomination in the Concerto category for his recording of Tippett’s Piano Concerto with pianist Steven Osborne and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Other nominees include Paul Wee and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra under Michael Collins in concertos by Bronsart and Henselt, and violinist Vilde Frang with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Robin Ticciati for their recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto.
In the Orchestral category, the Hallé Orchestra appears again – this time with its Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong – with a rare complete recording of Britten’s The Prince of the Pagodas ballet score. Other contenders include Orchestre National de France and Cristian Măcelaru in works by Enescu and the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra’s ‘The Kurt Weill’ album under Joana Mallwitz.
Violist Timothy Ridout, winner of the Concerto category in 2023, earns another Gramophone Award nomination – this time in the Instrumental category for his album of works for solo viola by Telemann, Bach, Britten and Shaw. Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras is also nominated for his recording of Bach’s Cello Suites, along with violinist María Dueñas for her interpretation of Paganini’s 24 Caprices. The Piano category features Saskia Giorgini withDebussy’s Images, Andrey Gugnin in works by Grieg and Alexandre Kantorow with Brahms’s Piano Sonata No 1 and Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy.
Young British baritone Huw Montague Rendall’s debut album ‘Contemplation’ with Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen is nominated in the Voice and Ensemble category, alongside Amel Brahim-Djelloul, Sandrine Piau, Karine Deshayes, Lucile Ricardot and Les Paladins for their album ‘Lucrezia’. Soprano Amanda Forsythe is also shortlisted for opera arias by Telemann with the Boston Early Music Festival.
Tenor Nicky Spence, pianist Julius Drake and the Piatti Quartet are nominated in the Song category for their recording of Fauré’s Le bonne Chanson, facing Robin Tritschler, Malcolm Martineau and Sean Shibe’s album ‘Songs for Peter Pears’ and Julian Prégardien and Kristian Bezuidenhout’s recording of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin.
Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon are nominated in the Choral category for Bach’s Mass in B minor – just three years after winning the same Award with another Bach recording. They are shortlisted with Sir Simon Rattle and Symphonie-Orchester and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunk in Haydn’s The Creation and Ensemble Correspondances with Sébastian Daucé in Campra’s Messe de Requiem.
In the Chamber category (sponsored by Wigmore Hall), the Takács Quartet – already three-time Gramophone Award winners – return with Schubert’s String Quartets D112 and D887. Also in contention are pianist Krystian Zimerman, violinist Maria Nowak, violist Katarzyna Budnik and cellist Yuya Okamoto for their album of Brahms’s Piano Quartets Nos 2 and 3, and Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis and Jeremy Denk with Mendelssohn’s Piano Trios Nos 1 and 2.
In the Early Music category, the Sallazzo Ensemble under Anna Danilevskaïa are nominated for their recording ‘Les cueur vous demeure: Leuven Chansonnier Vols 3 & 4’, alongside Blue Heron – who previously won the Award in 2018 – for their second volume of complete songs by Ockeghem and Ensemble Drogma, Ensemble Peregrina and Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett’s album ‘The Krasinski Codex’.
The full shortlist can be found below.
In addition to the 11 category winners and Recording of the Year, special awards will also be announced at the Awards ceremony on 15 October including Artist of the Year, Young Artist of the Year (sponsored by Classic FM), Label of the Year, Orchestra of the Year – the only Award to be decided by public vote – Concept Album and Lifetime Achievement. The ceremony will also feature performances from award winners past and present.
Martin Cullingford, Editor and Publisher of Gramophone magazine, said: “This year’s shortlist reflects the extraordinary breadth of repertoire and artists that have made the past year such an exciting and enriching time for classical music on record. From former Award winners and world-famous figures to young performers helping shape classical music for a new generation, each and every one of these albums deserves your time and attention. Our reviewers have enjoyed immensely the months of listening and reflection to compile this list, and we believe it stands as a superb showcase of why classical recording today is as compelling as ever.”
More information on the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2025 can be found on Gramophone’swebsite.
Full Shortlist
CHAMBER (sponsored by Wigmore Hall)
- BRAHMS Piano Quartets Nos 2 and 3 – Krystian Zimerman (pf), Maria Nowak (vn), Katarzyna Budnik (va), Yuya Okamoto (vc) (Deutsche Grammophon)
- MENDELSSOHN Piano Trios Nos 1 and 2 – Joshua Bell (vn), Steven Isserlis (vc), Jeremy Denk (pf) (Sony Classical)
- SCHUBERT String Quartets, D112 & D887 – Takács Quartet (Hyperion)
CHORAL
- BACH Mass in B minor – Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon (Harmonia Mundi)
- CAMPRA Messe de Requiem & Les Maîtres de Notre-Dame de Paris – Ensemble Correspondances, Sébastian Daucé (Harmonia Mundi)
- HAYDN The Creation – Symphonie-Orchester & Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Simon Rattle (BR Klassik)
CONCERTO
- BRONSART; HENSELT Piano Concertos – Paul Wee (pf), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Michael Collins (BIS)
- ELGAR Violin Concerto – Vilda Frang (vn), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Robin Ticciati (Warner Classics)
- TIPPETT Piano Concerto; Symphony No 2 – Steven Osborne (pf), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner (LPO)
CONTEMPORARY (sponsored by PPL/PRS For Music)
- BENJAMIN Picture a Day Like This – Mahler Chamber Orchestra, George Benjamin (Nimbus)
- ‘DALIA’S MIXTAPE’ – BBC Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska (Platoon)
- PICKARD Symphonies Nos 2 and 6; Verlaine Songs – Emma Tring (sop), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Martyn Brabbins (BIS)
EARLY
- ‘LE CUEUR VOUS DEMEURE: LEUVEN CHANSONNIER, Vols 3 & 4’ – Sollazzo Ensemble, Anna Danilevskaïa (Passacaille)
- ‘THE KRASINSKI CODEX’ – Ensemble Drogma, Ensemble Peregrina, Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett (Raumklang)
- OCKEGHEM Complete Songs Vol 2 – Blue Heron (Blue Heron)
INSTRUMENTAL
- BACH Cello Suites – Jean-Guihen Queyras (vc) (Harmonia Mundi)
- BACH; BRITTEN; SHAW; TELEMANN – Timothy Ridout (va) (Harmonia Mundi)
- PAGANINI 24 Caprices – María Dueñas (vn) (Deutsche Grammophon)
OPERA
- TIPPETT New Year – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Martyn Brabbins (NMC)
- VERDI Simon Boccanegra (1857 Version) – Hallé Orchestra, Mark Elder (Opera Rara)
- WAGNER Der fliegende Holländer – Norwegian Opera, Edward Gardner (Decca)
ORCHESTRAL
- BRITTEN The Prince of the Pagodas – Hallé Orchestra, Kahchun Wong (Hallé)
- ENESCU Symphonies Nos 1-3, Romanian Rhapsodies Nos 1 and 2 – Orchestre National de France, Cristian Măcelaru (Deutsche Grammophon)
- WIELL ‘The Kurt Weill Album’ – Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Joana Mallwitz (Deutsche Grammophon)
PIANO
- BRAHMS Piano Sonata No 1; SCHUBERT ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy – Alexandre Kantorow (BIS)
- DEBUSSY Images – Saskia Giorgini (Pentatone)
- GRIEG Holberg Suite, Ballade & Lyric Pieces – Andrey Gugnin (Hyperion)
SONG
- FAURÉ Le Bonne Chanson & Other Songs – Nicky Spence (ten), Julius Drake (pf), Piatti Quartet (Hyperion)
- SCHUBERT Die schone Mullerin – Julian Prégardien (ten), Kristian Bezuidenhout (pf) (Harmonia Mundi)
- ‘SONGS FOR PETER PEARS’ – Robin Tritschler (ten), Malcolm Martineau (pf), Sean Shibe (guitar) (Signum)
VOICE & ENSEMBLE
- ‘CONTEMPLATION’ – Huw Montague Rendall (bar), Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen, Ben Glassberg (Erato)
- ‘LUCREZIA’ – Amel Brahim-Djelloul (sop), Sandrine Piau (sop), Karine Deshayes (mez), Lucile Richardot (mez), Les Paladins, Jérôme Corréas (Aparté)
- TELEMANN Ino. Opera Arias for Soprano – Amanda Forsythe (sop), Boston Early Music Festival (CPO)