Berlin, 9 October 2022. The wide-ranging work of Universal Music artists in the classical music
world has been honoured at Germany’s OPUS KLASSIK 2022 awards. Recordings made and
released by Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics as well as Universal Music distribution
partner ECM were recognised in no fewer than 9 of the 27 OPUS KLASSIK categories, in addition
to winning the Welt am Sonntag audience prize. Hosted by actress and television presenter
Désirée Nosbusch, the awards ceremony was held this afternoon at the Konzerthaus Berlin and
featured performances from some of today’s finest classical artists, including prize-winners
Albrecht Mayer, Magdalena Hoffmann and Ludovico Einaudi.
The rich variety of the current classical music scene was echoed in the awards presented to UMG
artists. Harpist Magdalena Hoffmann was named a Young Talent of the Year for her Deutsche
Grammophon debut Nightscapes, while fellow DG artist Albrecht Mayer won Concerto Recording
of the Year for his chart-topping Mozart album. EDM pioneer Moby’s own DG debut, Reprise,
featuring acoustic and orchestral arrangements of his music, was given the Classics Without
Limits award, and composer Max Richter and his partner, artist and filmmaker Yulia Mahr, won
the Innovative Concert of the Year category for their four-day Reflektor Festival at Hamburg’s
Elbphilharmonie.
DG’s success continued with the Video Clip of the Year award going to “Malasana” – from Hania
Rani and Dobrawa Czocher’s debut album Inner Symphonies – which became the soundtrack for
Mateusz Miszczyński’s short film exploring the emotional impact of war and migration. Kian
Soltani won the Innovative Listening Experience award for Cello Unlimited, his one-man voyage
through the music of the movies, while Hollywood icon John Williams and the legendary Berliner
Philharmoniker won Bestseller of the Year for The Berlin Concert, presenting some of the multi-
award-winning composer’s most magical scores.
Pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi, the most-streamed classical artist of all time, received
the New Classical award for Underwater (Decca), his first new solo piano album in 20 years, while
fellow pianist Daniil Trifonov was awarded the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag’s audience
prize for best classical video of the year for Bach: The Art of Life.
Finally, the OPUS KLASSIK Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Valentin Silvestrov.
Today regarded as one of the finest composers of his generation, Silvestrov has enjoyed a long
association with ECM, which issued his latest album, Maidan, on 30 September 2022, the
Ukrainian composer’s 85th birthday. Maidan features a programme of choral music recorded by
the Kyiv Chamber Choir and Mykola Hobdych in Kyiv in 2016. Silvestrov was forced to flee Ukraine
earlier this year following the Russian invasion of his country. “I try, with my music,” he writes in
the notes for Maidan, “to safeguard and preserve a day of peace.”
“The wonderful range and diversity of the recordings recognised at the OPUS KLASSIK 2022
awards show just how genre-defying and all-embracing classical music has become,” says Dr
Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon. “Our warmest congratulations go to all
the Deutsche Grammophon and other Universal Music artists whose work has been honoured
today.”
Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO Universal Music Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon:
“Congratulations to all our artists. With their work they have demonstrated the diversity, vitality
and innovative power of classical music. It’s more than just a source of aesthetic enjoyment –
thanks to such amazing composers and performers, it also provides a pertinent social
commentary on our times. Many thanks also to our media partner, ZDF, and the wonderful host,
Désirée Nosbusch.”
The OPUS KLASSIK is Germany’s most prestigious classical music prize. Designed to honour
outstanding artists and recordings, it is awarded by the Verein zur Förderung der Klassischen
Musik e.V. (Society for the Promotion of Classical Music), whose members are drawn from record
labels, promoters, publishers and other representatives of the classical music world. The OPUS
KLASSIK awards are decided by a jury of industry experts.
Tonight’s ceremony was broadcast at 22.15 (CET) by OPUS KLASSIK’s media partner ZDF.
Details of the award-winners:
1 | DG
Magdalena Hoffmann
Young Talent of the Year
Nightscapes
2 | DG
Albrecht Mayer
Concerto Recording of the Year
Mozart
3 | DG
Moby
Classics Without Limits
Reprise
4 | DG
Max Richter
Innovative Concert of the Year
Reflektor Festival at the Elbphilharmonie
5 | DG
Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher
Video Clip
Inner Symphonies
6 | DG
Kian Soltani
Innovative Listening Experience
Cello Unlimited
7 | DECCA
Ludovico Einaudi
New Classical
Underwater
8 | DG
John Williams, Berliner Philharmoniker
Bestseller of the Year
The Berlin Concert
9 | DG
Daniil Trifonov
Welt am Sonntag audience prize
Bach: The Art of Life
10 | ECM
Valentin Silvestrov
Lifetime Achievement