Víkingur Ólafsson Wins his first GRAMMY®

Deutsche Grammophon Recordings Win Three 
GRAMMY Awards®

Kaija Saariaho’s Memory Is Honoured with 
GRAMMY Award®

3 February 2025 – The 67th GRAMMY Awards® ceremony was held yesterday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The GRAMMY®, which recognises both artistic and technical achievement, is the recording industry’s most prestigious prize. Deutsche Grammophon – the classical label with most nominations – albums were presented with three awards last night: pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s reading of Bach’s Goldberg Variations won in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category; Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater won Best Opera Recording; and Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Bradley Cooper, was named Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television).

First-time GRAMMY® nominee Víkingur Ólafsson had dreamed of recording J.S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations for 25 years before the time felt right to him to go into the studio. The Icelandic pianist then devoted the entire 2023–24 season to a six-continent tour of the work.  On its release, his album was met with widespread critical acclaim, with The Sunday Times noting, “In [Ólafsson’s] hands, Bach’s progression through aria and 30 variations becomes a metaphor for human experience. Personal yet universal, faithful yet radical, technically scintillating and emotionally uplifting, it’s a journey to the centre of the soul”. Ólafsson said, “Last season I performed the Goldberg Variations almost a hundred times all over the world. I got to know myself through that process and I got to witness the unique power of Bach’s message on people of different cultures. It was a life-changing experience for which I will always be grateful. Winning a Grammy for my album of the Goldbergs is something very special which I can’t quite put into words. I am indebted to so many people, my incredible teams at Deutsche Grammophon and HarrisonParrott, my producer Christopher Tarnow, executive producer Christian Badzura, and – most importantly – my listeners who given so much to me with their ongoing support and open ears."

The late Kaija Saariaho’s much-admired second opera, Adriana Mater, was recorded at Davies Symphony Hall in June 2023, just days after its composer’s untimely passing. In its review, the New York Times wrote, “Saariaho’s delicately consoling music stares down the worst of the world and says: the only way forward is grace.” Directed by Peter Sellars, the world premiere recording features the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus, with soloists Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan and Christopher Purves. It is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

The DG soundtrack to the Netflix film Maestro – directed, written, produced by and starring Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein – captures the kaleidoscopic and timeless brilliance of Bernstein’s music. The new recordings on the album were made by the London Symphony Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who also worked closely with Cooper as conducting consultant, notably on location at Ely Cathedral for a magical reenactment of Bernstein’s famous recording of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Nézet-Séguin says, “Bradley and I are so honored to bring Lenny’s legacy to even more audiences through this soundtrack. We were faithful to his legacy, and while we re-recorded all of his music with the incredible London Symphony Orchestra, we tried to inhabit interpretations of these great works as Lenny would if he were still here today. We share this award with all the artists that help make this album possible."

“Congratulations, dear Víkingur, on your first Grammy win!” felicitates Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO Universal Music Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon. “With his exceptional reading of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Víkingur Ólafsson has created a unique and emotionally gripping work that will delight generations to come. The recording sets new standards with regards to interpretation and sound and has delighted millions of listeners around the world. We are proud and grateful to have worked with Víkingur in close partnership over the past nine years, allowing us to bring his artistic vision to the world. The teams at Deutsche Grammophon and Universal Music are thrilled with the fantastic success of all our artists,” Briegmann concludes.

“Timeless and contemporary – we are absolutely delighted Deutsche Grammophon has been recognized for three projects that each find a remarkable balance between those qualities and thus underline the label‘s ambition as a whole: Víkingur‘s very first Grammy for his groundbreaking interpretation of Bach’s iconic Goldberg cycle, which after almost a decade of inspired exclusive collaboration is particularly encouraging; Kaija Saariaho’s towering work „Adriana Mater“ in the world premiere recording by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; and last but not least, Bradley Cooper and Yannick Nézet-Séguin who are bridging in “Maestro” half a century of music history with a stunning portrait of legendary Leonard Bernstein – a DG artist himself with a timelessly exciting catalogue,” says Dr Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon. “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of our winning artists and want to thank them and the team at the Yellow Label for their dedication and commitment to producing music at the highest level.”

67TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS® 

Best Classical Instrumental Solo
VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON
Bach: Goldberg Variations

Best Opera Recording
SAARIAHO: ADRIANA MATER
Kaija Saariaho, composer
(Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Axelle Fanyo, San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Orchestra)

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
(Includes Film and Television)
MAESTRO: MUSIC BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN
London Symphony Orchestra,
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper