Virgin Classics Celebrates Gramophone "Label of the Year" Award


	Virgin Classics has won the prestigious "Label of the Year" award at this year's Gramophone Awards ceremony which was held in London. Alain Lanceron Gramophone commented in its awards issue: "[Virgin Classics] has achieved that rare ability to feel like a large independent within the fold of a major company. [The label] has, in Alain Lanceron found and A&R director of exquisite taste, sound judgement and real flair, and under his leadership has issued some truly magnificent recordings. Virgin Classics' artist roster is small but finely focused, embracing established talent like Fabio Biondi, Véronique Gens, Natalie Dessay, Truls Mork and David Daniels, rising stars like Piotr Anderszewski, Emmanuelle Haim, and Daniel Harding, and hugely impressive newcomers like Philippe Jaroussky and the Artemis Quartet. […] Under Alain Lanceron, Virgin Classics not only continues to reveal some of classical music's hidden treasures - remember last year's Bajazet? - but is confident enough to revisit the cornerstones of the repertoire: Mozart's Mass in C minor, or his piano concertos…even the Beethoven string quartets. 2005-06 has been a strong year for the label - indeed, as with Bordeaux output of the same period, it could well prove to be a vintage one. […] we offer the warmest congratulations to Virgin Classics for another great French export!" Szymanowski: Piano Sonata No.3 Métopes, Masques Piotr Anderszewski CD Album/s : 5457302 Virgin Classics also celebrated a second award at the ceremony which went to pianist Piotr Anderszewski, who was awarded the Instrumental category for his Karol Szymanowski disc. Collecting the award Piotr said this was "a very special project of great importance to him". He was honoured and happy to contribute to putting Szymanowski on the map in classical music.

	MOZART Piano Concertos No 17 & 20 Piotr Anderszewski Scottish Chamber Orchestra CD: 3446962 Digital: 344696 5	BRAHMS Ballades, Valses, Paganini Variations Nicholas Angelich CD: 3728822 Digital: 3728825

	Beata Vergine Philippe Jaroussky Ensemble Artaserse CD: 3447112 Digital: 3447105	VIVALDI Heroes - Vivaldi Arias Philippe Jaroussky Ensemble Matheus / Jean-Christophe Spinosi CD: 3634142 Digital: 3634145

	DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 13 Op. 106 JANAČEK: String Quartet No.2 "Intimate Letters" Artemis Quartet CD: 3533992 Digital: 3533995	STRAUSS / SCHÖNBERG / BERG String Sextets "Verklärte Nacht" Artemis Quartet CD: 3351302 Digital: 3351305

	Qigang CHEN Extase Slatkin / Prin / Tsung Yeh Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France CD: 3446932	GRIEG Norwegian Dances, Symphonic Dances, 2 Elegiac Melodies, Holberg Suite Estonian National Symphony Orchestra / Paavo Järvi CD: 3447222 Digital: 3447225

	Le Jardin des Voix Les Arts Florissants William Christie CD: 3381542 Digital: 3381545	CHARPENTIER Judicium Salomonis H422 Motet pour une longue offrande Paul Agnew, Neal Davies, Nathan Berg, Marie Claude Chapuis - Marc Mauillon Les Arts Florissants William Christie CD: 3592942 Digital: 3592935

	Tragédiennes Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset Véronique Gens CD: 3467622 Digital: 3467625	HANDEL / HASSE Cantatas & Opera arias Vivica Genaux Les Violons du Roy / Bernard Labadie CD: 5457372 Digital: 5457375

	MOZART Mass in C minor Natalie Dessay, Véronique Gens, Topi Lehtipuu, Luca Pisaroni Chœur & Orchestre du Concert d'Astrée / Louis Langrée CD: 3446932 Deluxe (CD+DVD): 3593052 Digital: 3593055	Inventions Duos for violin & cello, vol. 2 Renaud Capucon Gautier Capucon CD: 3326262 Digital: 3326265

	MONTEVERDI Combattimento Il combattimento di Tancredi i Clorinda & Madrigals Rolando Villazón, Patrizia Ciofi, Topi Lehtipuu Le Concert d'Astrée Emmanuelle Haïm CD: 3633502 Deluxe (CD+DVD): 3634022 Digital: 3633505	The Miracle of the Voice Natalie Dessay 2 CDs: 3633322 French deluxe CD version: 3779612 Digital: 3633325

	MOZART Violin Concertos 1, 2 & 3 Europa Galante / Fabio Biondi CD: 344706 2 9 Digital: 344706 5 0	PERGOLESI Stabat Mater, Salve Regina David Daniels, Dorothea Röschmann Europa Galante / Fabio Biondi CD: 3633402 Digital: 3633405

	Opera Recital Rolando Villazón Münchner Rundfunkorchester CD: 3447012 CD deluxe version: 3447332 Digital: 3447052
DVD
	MASSENET Werther (Baritone Version) Thomas Hampson, Susan Graham, Stéphane Degout, Sandrine Piau Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse / Michel Plasson (Concert performance - Théâtre du Châtelet) 2 DVDs: 3592579 (NTSC)	MOZART Così fan tutte Erin Wall, Elīna Garanča, Stéphane Degout, Shawn Mathey, Barbara Bonney, Ruggero Raimondi Arnold Schönberg Choir Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Daniel Harding Stage Director: Patrice Chéreau 2005 Aix-en-Provence production 2 DVDs: 3447169 (NTSC)

	VARIOUS A Natural Born Fiddler / Un Violon dans l'âme Valeriy Sokolov A film by Bruno Monsaingeon DVD: 3592849 (NTSC)	NATALIE DESSAY The Miracle of the Voice Le miracle d'une voix Greatest moments on stage Ses plus grands rôles sur scène DVD: 3633399 (NTSC)

	DONIZETTI L'Elisir d'amore Rolando Villazón, Anna Netrebko, Leo Nucci, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper Alfred Eschwé DVD: 3706399 (NTSC)	JS BACH In Notre Dame de Paris Mass in B minor Ruth Ziesak, Joyce DiDonato, Daniel Taylor, Paul Agnew, Dietrich Henschel Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris / Nicole Corti Ensemble Orchestral de Paris / John Nelson DVD: 3706399 (NTSC)