CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS 2013 WINNERS

03 October 2013 - Press release

ANDRÉ RIEU BREAKS CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS RECORD AS THE ONLY ACT TO WIN CLASSIC FM ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

 HANS ZIMMER SCORES TWO AWARDS AT THE CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS 2013 WITH MASTERCARD

 NICOLA BENEDETTI WINS FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING

 PRESENTATION OF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO LUCIANO PAVAROTTI COMPLETES HONOUR OF THE THREE TENORS

The fourteenth Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard took place tonight at London’s Royal Albert Hall, hosted by the incomparable Myleene Klass. Presented by The BPI, the UK’s recorded music association, the spectacular and emotional gala night featured nine stunning performances and the presentation of nine Classic BRIT Awards. The awards will be broadcast on ITV, Sunday 6 October at 10:20pm.

The simply elegant stage and backdrop of the Royal Albert Hall played host to brilliant new and established performers, climaxing with an emotional tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, whose posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to his widow Nicoletta Mantovani by one of the remaining Three Tenors, José Carreras.

André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra broke all Classic BRIT Awards records by becoming, not only, the first act to win three years running, but also the same category: Classic FM Album of the Year in Association with MasterCard. Voted for by Listeners of Classic FM, the award was presented by TV presenter and DJ Aled Jones. Awarded for the album ‘Magic of The Movies’, André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra have sold over 30 million albums globally and have dominated the charts for the past five years, topping the classical charts with his last four albums. The Classic FM Album of the Year in association with MasterCard category was compiled from the 10 best selling classical albums from the past year.

Continuing the nation’s passion for movie soundtracks, film score composer Hans Zimmer was the big winner on the night scooping two Classic BRIT Awards. For his work on the scores for ‘The Dark Knight Rises OST’ and ‘Man Of Steel OST’, Jonathan Ross presented Hans Zimmer with the award for Composer of the Year beating off competition from composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. With a body of work that includes scores for Gladiator, The Lion King, Thelma and Louise, The Pirates of The Caribbean Series, Rainman, The Last Samurai and many more, Hans Zimmer was also presented with an award for his Outstanding Contribution to Music. Following a spectacular medley of his work by the London Chamber Orchestra including accompaniment by Hans Zimmer on piano, the award was presented by Hollywood legend and one of the stars of The Dark Knight Rises, Sir Michael Caine.

Nicola Benedetti, triumphed for a second consecutive year as the winner of Female Artist of the Year. Following her 10^th Classic BRIT Award nomination, her album ‘The Silver Violin’ was voted the winner in a category that was identical to 2012 with trumpeter Alison Balsom and soprano Joyce DiDonato once again nominated alongside the UK’s most successful female violinist. Star of Broadchurch Jodie Whittaker presented the award.

Composer and pianist Daniel Barenboim was awarded his first Classic BRIT Award for Male Artist of the Year. Presented by actress Cherie Lunghi, the award recognised his work on the albums ‘Beethoven For All’ and ‘Elgar/Carter: Cello Concertos’.

Amy Dickson’s album ‘Dusk & Dawn’, which shot to number one on the UK’s Classical album chart, won the Australian Saxophonist the award for MasterCard Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Amy began playing saxophone aged six and has been a champion of the instrument ever since. A lack of classical repertoire for the saxophone also led the young Australian to arrange music for the instrument herself. British actress and entrepreneur Jane Asher presented the award.

German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann also won his first Classic BRIT award. Voted for by a panel of UK critics, the Critics’ Award was presented by Selina Scott for the 44-year-old tenor’s album ‘Wagner’. Following many great achievements over the past year, for the first time the category included four nominees including Boris Giltburg, Halle Orchestra and John Wilson Orchestra. The panel said: “The vote for Jonas Kaufmann was almost unanimous for his stunning performances of Wagner arias.”

Superstar pianist Lang Lang has captured the imagination of young and old around the world with his electrifying performances, prompting The Times to say: “I can think of no other classical artist who has achieved Lang Lang’s broad appeal without dumbing down.” With an undeniable impact on classical music, the Chinese pianist was awarded International Artist of the Year.  The award also recognised his efforts to broaden the popularity of the piano. Through his volunteer work with children he has encouraged more than 40 million children in China to learn to play piano.

From the opening bars of the ‘Sabre Dance’ performed together for the very first time by Nicola Benedetti with pianist Lang Lang, it was a night to remember. The awards featured eight other exceptional performances including Gareth Malone and his Voices choir, who made their premiere performance with a special arrangement of ‘So Close’ from Broadchurch, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja performing ‘Caruso’ and a return to the stage from Lang Lang with Chopin’s ‘Grande Valse Brilliante in E Flat Major op. 18’.

Accompanied by the London Chamber Orchestra and the London Community Gospel Choir, 11 year-old choirboy Jack Topping made his Royal Albert Hall debut with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. The evening continued with a Classic BRIT Awards debut performance from composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi with ‘Experience’ followed by Australian Saxophonist Amy Dickson who took centre stage for a special arrangement of Mark Knopfler’s ‘Going Home’ from the cult film Local Hero. Film score composer Hans Zimmer also made his Classic BRIT performance debut as he joined the London Chamber Orchestra on piano for a medley of his work.

The evening came to a close with a special return to the Classic BRITs stage by Alfie Boe and Samantha Barks. The rousing finale saw the two Les Misérables stars end the night with ‘Glory Glory Hallelujah’ and ‘Come What May’ from the musical ‘Moulin Rouge’.

 

The Classic BRIT Awards plays a major role in supporting and nurturing talent in both the core and crossover classical world. The event was established in 2000 to honour and recognise all forms of classical music from contemporary to crossover, opera to soundtracks, traditional to theatre and has continued to evolve as classical music has once again become a major seller in the music world.

The Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard will be broadcast on ITV on Sunday 6 October at 10:20pm.