This year’s awards featured celebrated artists including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Bruno Delepelaire and more
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The Opus Klassik Awards for 2023 have been announced, celebrating classical music in Germany. This year’s awards featured numerous string players, who will receive their awards at the ceremonies held on 7 October 2023 in the Elisabeth Church, and on 8 October 2023 in the Konzerthaus Berlin.
Star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter received the Instrumentalist of the Year award for her recording of John Williams’s Violin Concerto no.2 and selected movie themes. Mutter celebrated her 60th birthday in June 2023, with a broadcast concert with her hand-picked ensemble, Mutter’s Virtuosi, as well as Deutsche Grammophon releases from her back catalogue and a European summer tour.
Berlin Philharmonic cellist Bruno Delepelaire won Young Instrumentalist of the Year for his recording of Carl Friedrich Abel: Cello Concertos, while Baroque violinist Rachel Podger took an award for solo instrument with her album Tutta Sola.
Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt won the Opus Klassik life achievement award. At 96, he is the world’s oldest internationally performing conductor.
Read: Anne-Sophie Mutter on Herbert von Karajan and John Williams
Read: The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic: Better by the dozen
The Chamber Music Recording awards went to the Tetzlaff Trio for its recording of Schubert Trios; the Hohenstaufen Ensemble for its recording of Robert Kahn and to violinist Maria Ioudenitch and pianist Kenny Broberg for Songbird. Tanja Tetzlaff also won the Innovation Award for Sustainability for her Suites for a wounded world.
Violinist Mayumi Hirasaki won the Concert Recording award for her performance of Pisendel with Concerto Köln.
String players both featured in the two ‘Classic without Borders’ awards, which went to cellist Abel Selaocoe for his album Where Is Home/ Hae Ke Kae and violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, Arctic Philharmonic and Christian Kluxen for Arctic.
The prize for Innovative Concert of the Year went to Cameron Shahbazi for Woman.Life.Freedom. – A benefit concert for human rights in Iran, while the ‘New Classic’ award went to Gabriel Adorján, Talias Or, Bettina Aust and the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic for Paul Ben-Haim. Music for strings.
The jury comprised Dr Kerstin Schüssler-Bach (composer manager, Boosey & Hawkes) and Michael Becker (general manager, Tonhalle Düsseldorf) as well as Michael Brüggemann (vice president, Sony Classical Germany), Elmar Krekeler (journalist), Tobias Feilen (editorial manager, Music and Theater ZDF), Günter Hänssler (Hänssler Classics), Stephanie Haase (director, classics, Warner Music), Kleopatra Sofroniou (general manager, classics, Deutsche Grammophon) and Raliza Nikolov (moderator).
View the full list of prize winners here.
Listen: The Strad Podcast Episode #34: Maria Ioudenitch on her competition success
Read: Masterclass: Eldbjørg Hemsing on Grieg Violin Sonata no.2 in G Major
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