Classical
Brits glory for Terfel
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Bryn
Terfel picked up two awards, while Renee Fleming
received one
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Welsh
bass baritone Bryn Terfel won the prizes for best album
and male artist at this year's Classical Brit awards.
Italian
opera star Cecilia Bartoli was named best female artist
at the event, held at London's Royal Albert Hall.
British
conductor Sir Simon Rattle won orchestral album of the
year for his recording of Beethoven's Symphonies with
the Vienna Philharmonic.
The
awards, in their fifth year, are billed as the orchestral
and operatic answer to the pop and rock Brits.
Terfel
won the best album award - the night's biggest prize -
for Bryn, which has sold more than 300,000copies in the
UK since it was released last year.
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CLASSICAL
BRITS BIG WINNERS
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Best
album - Bryn Terfel, Bryn
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Male
artist - Bryn Terfel
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Female
artist - Cecilia Bartoli (above)
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Contemporary
music award - Philip Glass, The Hours
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Ensemble/orchestral
album - Sir Simon Rattle/Vienna Philharmonic,
Beethoven Symphonies
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Outstanding
contribution - Renee Fleming
Mezzo soprano Bartoli beat New Zealand-born
teenager Hayley Westenra to win her award,
while Terfel triumphed over violinist Nigel
Kennedy in the male category.
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Another
violinist, 29-year-old Daniel Hope, was named best young
British classical performer.
The
contemporary music award went to US composer Philip Glass
for his soundtrack to the film The Hours.
Russia's
Maxim Vengerov won the critics' award for his recording
of Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto and William Walton's
Viola Concerto, conducted by his friend and mentor Mstislav
Rostropovich.
Guests
at the ceremony - hosted by ITV news presenter Katie Derham
for the fourth year running - included former boy soprano
Aled Jones, actor Nigel Havers and musical star Elaine
Paige.
The
event, which will be broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday, featured
performances from Westenra, Kennedy, fellow violinist
Vanessa-Mae and Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins.
'Opera
band'
American
soprano Renne Fleming, the recipient of this year's outstanding
contribution to music award, joined Terfel for a duet
of Bess, You is My Woman Now from the musical Porgy and
Bess.
There
were also performances from Amici Forever, the world's
first "opera band", and the King's College Choir
Cambridge.
Five
awards were decided by the Classical Brit awards' voting
academy, a body made up of media professionals, members
of the Musicians' Union, promoters, industry executives
and orchestra leaders.
The
album of the year award was decided by Classic FM listeners.
Source:
BBC
News
Link
thanks to Roger Mansbridge
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