Welcome to the 2024 BBC Music Magazine Awards
The nominated recordings for the 2024 Instrumental Award are listed below.
The nominees for the 2024 Instrumental Award
Szymanowski
Piano Works
Krystian Zimerman (piano)
Deutsche Grammophon 486 3007
The ‘staggering virtuosity’ on display in the Variations on a Polish Folk Theme was one of the standout moments of this album, a scrapbook of recordings by Zimerman of his fellow countryman Szymanowski’s solo piano works. The composer’s Masques, too, came across magnificently in Zimerman’s hands.
Fauré
Nocturnes & Barcarolles
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
Hyperion CDA68331-2
Marc-André Hamelin dug deep to bring out the drama of Fauré’s Nocturnes and Barcarolles, indeed the French pianist showcased the power and beauty of the composer’s music through superb technique and careful thought. These are magisterial performances that demand repeated listening.
Profesión
Works by Barrios, Ginastera, Villa-Lobos
Sean Shibe (guitar)
Pentatone PTC 5187 054
The always adventurous guitarist took a trip to South America for this survey of some of the continent’s most arresting music, and our original review called it ‘a gleaming and brilliant album that doesn’t fail to awaken the senses to the exhilarating world of un-adulterated acoustic sound’.
Vote for the winner of this year's Instrumental Award
Voting will be open from Tuesday 23 January.
