Vänskä, Eschenbach and Schneider triumph at Grammys

Leading figures from across the classical music world were recognised at last night’s Grammy Awards.

In a surprising turn, the Minnesota Orchestra and its former music director Osmo Vänskä took the title of Best Orchestral Performance for their recording of Sibelius’ Symphonies Nos 1 and 4.

Vänskä parted ways with the orchestra in October last year while the musicians were locked-out during a 15-month pay dispute, which eventually came to an end this month.

The ceremony also saw the NDR Sinfonieorchester and Christoph Eschenbach take the Grammy for Best Classical Compendium for their recording of Hindemith’s Violin Concerto. Featuring violinist Midori as guest soloist, the recording was part of a CD tribute to the German composer, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of his death.

Commenting on the award, Midori said: ‘Hindemith is one of the musicians I respect and admire the most. I hope our recording brings more awareness and appreciation of this great artist.’

Composer Maria Schneider won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her work, Winter Morning Walks. The recording includes performances from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, soprano Dawn Upshaw and bass Jay Anderson.

The award ceremony also saw superstar pianist Lang Lang take to the stage with rock stars Metallica to perform a rendition of their 1989 song, One.

Full details of all the Grammy Award winners can be found here.