Wednesday (12/5) on the Los Angeles Times blog Culture Monster, David Ng writes, “This year’s Grammy Award nominees in the classical music categories feature a typically diverse mix of recordings, ranging from gargantuan undertakings such as the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle operas, to more intimate albums like the newest release from the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. Among the more notable nominees are soprano Renee Fleming, the group eighth blackbird and composer Steven Stucky. … This year’s nominees for orchestral performance are notable for the inclusion of the Minnesota Orchestra’s recording of Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 2 and 5.” Other nominees in that category are the Budapest Festival Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, for its recording of John Adams’ Harmonielehre and Short Ride in a Fast Machine. “Stucky, the former composer-in-residence of the L.A. Philharmonic, received a nomination for his piece August 4, 1964, recorded by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The popular new-music group eighth blackbird was nominated for its album ‘Meanwhile.’ Fleming received a nomination for her album ‘Poemes.’ The Grammy Awards ceremony will take place Feb. 10 at Staples Center [in Los Angeles]. The winners of the classical categories are usually announced as part of a pre-show event.” For a complete list of nominees, visit http://www.grammy.com/nominees.
Posted December 7, 2012
