OPUS KLASSIK 2022 Universal Music’s Classical Artists Recognised Across the Board

Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon, Magdalena Hoffmann, Albrecht Mayer, Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO Universal Music Central Europe und Deutsche Grammophon

10/09/2022

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