Welcome to the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards! For the 21st year in succession, we're celebrating the best recordings from the classical music world released over the past year. Across nine categories, we have shortlisted 27 superb recordings that lit up the classical music world during 2025.
We're delighted to present the nominations for the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards below.
And the power is now in your hands. In the list below, you'll find three nominees in each of nine categories from Concerto and Chamber to Orchestral and Opera. You can also listen to samples from all 27 nominated albums.
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026: the nominees
Orchestral nominees
Handel: Water & Fire
Collegium 1704/Václav Luks
Accent ACC24412
Reviewed May 2025
You might wonder what new insights can be brought to Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. But Collegium 1704’s reading ‘is so joyous and brashly nonchalant’ that our reviewer felt like they were hearing the works for the first time. Played exquisitely under the direction of Václav Luks, this recording ‘at times foregrounds inner voices unheard in previous recordings’.
Mahler
Symphony No. 7
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Simon Rattle
BR Klassik 900225
Reviewed March 2025
Our ‘Orchestral Choice’ in March was a shining celebration of Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday. His latest take on Mahler’s Seventh – the composer’s ‘most fascinating and hallucinogenic symphony’, as our reviewer puts it – is mesmerising, inventive and detailed. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra exudes energy with ‘every dynamic, every sonority in its place.’
Schreker • Korngold • Krenek
BIS BIS-2722
Reviewed December 2025
Sascha Goetzel conducts lush and bold performances from the Orchestra National des Pays de la Loire in this brilliantly curated album which brings together three vital Austrian composers who were banned by the dictatorships of the 1930s. According to our review, ‘superb playing is matched by first-rate sound.’
Concerto nominees
The BBC Music Magazine 2026 Concerto Award is presented in association with ABRSM.
Kalevi Aho • Magnus Lindberg
Clarinet Concertos
Julian Bliss (clarinet); BBC Scottish SO/Taavi Oramo
Signum Classics SIGCD898
Reviewed November 2025
In his introductory note, Julian Bliss says the Lindberg and Aho clarinet concertos are ‘two of the greatest of the 21st century.’ ‘It’s a bold claim,’ said our reviewer, ‘and one that is easy to endorse.’ Indeed, these engaging works are brought to life by the virtuoso, who thrives in their colourful sound worlds.
Vivaldi
The Four Seasons, etc
Orchestre Le Consort/Théotime Langlois de Swarte (violin)
Harmonia Mundi HMM902757.58 (2CD)
Reviewed February 2025
February’s ‘Recording of the Month’ praised a new and fresh recording of Vivaldi’s classic by Théotime Langlois, one of the most exciting young figures on the early music scene today. ‘This is so compelling it will have you on the edge of your seat,’ our reviewer said.
Walton
Cello Concerto; Symphony No.1; Scapino
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello); Sinfonia of London/John Wilson
Chandos CHSA5328
Reviewed Christmas 2025
Walton’s vibrant colours and textures are brought to life in the hands of John Wilson, a master in this repertoire. This is a fantastic recording of the composer’s orchestral works from the London Sinfonia, with our review (Christmas’s ‘Concerto Choice’) praising cellist Jonathan Aasgaard’s mesmerising and eloquent performance.
Opera nominees
Bartók
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle
Rinat Shaham (mezzo-soprano), Gábor Bretz (bass-baritone); Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Karina Canellakis
Pentatone PTC5187225
Reviewed June 2025
Our reviewer was amazed and chilled by this concert take on Bartók’s blood-curdling masterpiece our ‘Opera Choice’ for June. Gábor Bretz and Rinat Shaham are brilliantly risk-taking in their roles, and Karina Canellakis ‘conducts the orchestra as if her life depended on it,’ we wrote.
Lerner & Loewe
My Fair Lady
Scarlett Strallen, Jamie Parker et al; Sinfonia of London/John Wilson
Chandos CHSA5358(2) (2CD)
Reviewed November 2025
Lerner and Loewe’s musical has been a well-loved classic ever since its 1956 Broadway debut. Numerous cast recordings exist, but John Wilson and the London Sinfonia present here the first ever studio recording of the work in its theatrical entirety, played to ‘such a high standard as to make this an essential set for anyone seriously interested in the score.
Wagner
Der fliegender Holländer
Lise Davidsen (soprano), Gerald Finley (baritone); Orchestra and Chorus of Norwegian National Opera/Edward Gardner
Decca 4870952 (2CD)
Reviewed June 2025
‘Edward Gardner generates massively pulsating energy every second of the way’ in Wagner’s mammoth opera, our June review said. Lise Davidsen gives a momentous, one-off performance as Senta, whilst Gerald Finley’s Holländer is penetrating. This electrifying recording is not one to be missed.
Choral nominees
Bach
B minor Mass
Julie Roset (soprano) et al; Pygmalion/Raphaël Pichon
Harmonia Mundi HMM902754.55 (2CD)
Reviewed June 2025
This tremendous take on Bach’s Mass in B Minor brings something blazingly fresh to the list of recordings of this work. Triumphant, spirited and finely detailed performances from Raphaël Pichon’s period-instrument ensemble and choir Pygmalion offer a ‘dynamic, imaginative new reading’ which every choral music enthusiast should add to their collection.
Handel
Chandos Anthems
Arcangelo/Jonathan Cohen
Alpha Classics ALPHA1153
Reviewed September 2025
‘Packed with intricate polyphonic detail and infused with burning passion’ is how we described Handel’s historically fascinating work, our ‘Recording of the Month’ in September. Performed by Baroque specialists Arcangelo under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, this recording is bursting with expression and delivered with expert precision.
A Prayer for Deliverance
Works by RR Bennett, Holst, Tavener et al
Tenebrae/Nigel Short
Signum Classics SIGCD880
Reviewed August 2025
This is a very special record from Nigel Short’s Tenebrae. Built around a compelling contemporary setting of Psalm 13, the programme explores the ‘thresholds of light and darkness… and a longing for rest’, with performances from the ensemble that ‘unleash full-blooded passion without a trace of vulgarity.’
Vocal nominees
Brahms
Lieder
Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Gerold Huber (piano)
Sony Classical 19802897352
Reviewed July 2025
The expressive depths of Brahms Lieder are intricately explored in this captivating record from Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber. The pair’s immaculate storytelling and dynamic precision paired with Gerhaher’s masterful phrasing make ‘the composer’s dark emotional response to the world live for us,’ said our reviewer.
Mahler
Songs of Fate
Anna Lucia Richter (mezzo-soprano), Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Jordan de Souza
Myrios Classics MYR036
Reviewed Christmas 2025
Anna Lucia Richter brings striking expression and intimacy to this cherishable recording of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Kindertotenlieder – Christmas’s ‘Recording of the Month’ – infusing these works with both ‘naturalness’ and ‘artistic sophistication’. Beautifully accompanied by the Gürzenich-orchester Köln conducted by Jordan de Souza, her delivery ‘seems to come from another dimension.’
Lines of Life
Songs by Brahms, Schubert and György Kurtäg
Benjamin Appl (baritone), György Kurtag (piano) et al
Alpha Classics ALPHA1145
Reviewed June 2025
Benjamin Appl first worked on György Kurtag’s Hölderlin-Gesänge with the composer in 2018, and this record is the result of that ongoing process. Joined on the keys by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, James Ballieu and Kurtäg himself, Appl’s interpretations of the ‘diverse settings’ on this record are an unmissable treat – his ‘ever-expressive baritone is infinitely characterful.’
Chamber nominees
The BBC Music Magazine 2026 Concerto Award is presented in association with Wigmore Hall.
Bach
Sonatas for Violin and Continuo
Isabelle Faust (violin), Kristin von der Goltz (cello), Kristian Bezuidenhout (harpsichord)
Harmonia Mundi HMM902698
Reviewed November 2025
Our ‘Recording of the Month’ in November saw Isabelle Faust team up with Kristin von der Goltz and Kristian Bezuidenhout to present a carefully considered and exquisitely performed programme showcasing the demanding material of Bach’s little-known violin works. According to our reviewer, Faust is a ‘splendid guide, not just thoughtful, but on occasion provocative.’
Bartok • Ligeti
String Quartets
Marmen Quartet
BIS BIS-2693
Reviewed February 2025
‘The Marmen Quartet seem to have assimilated the music into their cells,’ said our reviewer about February’s ‘Chamber Choice’. Indeed, in their first album for BIS, the excellent ensemble take in their stride some of the most challenging repertoire of the 20th century. Highly expressive and extraordinarily intense throughout.
Schumann
Violin Sonatas
Alina Ibragimova (violin), Cédric Tiberghien (piano)
Hyperion CDA68354
Reviewed March 2025
This is Schumann’s violin sonatas understood to their very core and played with both the sensitivity and intensity that they demand. ‘Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien are well established as a formidable, finely poetic duo,’ said our reviewer, ‘and this set of performances shows them at their vibrant best.’
Instrumental nominees
Bach • Britten • Telemann • Caroline Shaw
Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004; Britten: Elegy for Solo Viola, etc
Timothy Ridout (viola)
Harmonia Mundi HMM902750
Reviewed June 2025
‘This is an album that proclaims the viola as a distinctive, individual solo instrument, ideally served here by its skilled interpreter.’ So said our review (June’s ‘Recording of the Month’) of this beautiful recital in which Timothy Ridout seamlessly interweaves arrangements of 18th-century and contemporary works, showcasing the often-overlooked instrument in all its glory.
Brahms • Schubert
Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1; Schubert (Trans. Liszt): Song Transcriptions, etc
Alexandre Kantorow (piano)
BIS BIS-2660
Reviewed January 2025
January’s ‘Recording of the Month’ saw the outstanding Alexandre Kantorow add Schubert to his third disc featuring Brahms’s piano sonatas, a nod to the composer’s role in Schubert’s posthumous restoration. Kantarow is ‘blessed with a remarkable personal sound, it has the quality of a dark, warm roar from deep within the instrument, huge, highly coloured, but never harsh.’
Ravel: Fragments
Works by Ravel, Tansman et al
Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
Erato 2173260123
Reviewed May 2025
Ravel made keyboard transcriptions of his monumental orchestral works, including fragments from Daphnis et Chloé, which Bertrand Chamayou has assembled into a collection of original and tribute pieces, as well as his own transcriptions, for this marvellous album. The pianist brings dazzling colour and character to his imaginative programme, crowned by a ‘a titanic, gripping account’ of La Valse.
Premiere nominees
Liza Lim
A Sutured World; Mary; The Compass
*Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) et al; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Edward Gardner et al
BR Klassik 900647
Reviewed October 2025
Liza Lim is what our reviewer, in October’s ‘Concerto Choice’, described as a ‘weaver of worlds… extending into realms of ecology, metaphysics and female power.’ This record encapsulates just that, with exquisite performances from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner. Nicolas Altstaedt shines in A Sutured World, a piece exploring ‘the beauty of scars’.
Abel Selaocoe
Four Spirits
Abel Selaocoe (cello); Aurora Orchestra
Warner Classics 2173277863
Reviewed November 2025
Abel Selaocoe’s debut cello concerto is undoubtedly his most exploratory release yet: a multi-textured, deeply personal work interweaving biography, community and reflection. Praised in November’s ‘Concerto Choice’ for an ‘unswerving mission’ and belief in ‘music’s role to improve humanity,’ Selaocoe’s Four Spirits makes that conviction profoundly compelling.
Dobrinka Tabakova
Sun Triptych
Maxim Rysanov, Dasol Kim, Roman Mints et al; BBC Concert Orchestra
ECM 4878558
Reviewed Christmas 2025
This vibrant second ECM release devoted to Dobrinka Tabakova shines a spotlight on her orchestral imagination at full radiance. Sun Triptych is the jewel of the record’s fascinating programme – a luminous three-movement work that traces the movement from dawn to dusk, where, as our reviewer puts it, ‘Tabakova allows her aural imagination to take flight.’
Newcomer nominees
The BBC Music Magazine 2026 Newcomer Award is presented in association with Yamaha.
Mussorgsky • Rachmaninov • Scriabin
Piano Works
Jan Schulmeister (piano)
Supraphon SU43652
Reviewed October 2025
An outstanding debut from young Czech pianist Jan Schulmeister, not yet 20, this recital reveals striking musical intelligence and depth of thought across works by Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Not only a showcase of virtuosity, the record is also, as our reviewer notes, ‘united by an intense musicality’ throughout.
ad tendo
Works by Biber, Hildegard, Reena Esmail et al
Simone Porter (violin)
Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0217
Reviewed April 2025
Simone Porter delivers a poignantly focused recital shaped by Simone Weil’s belief that, ‘Attention taken to its highest degree is the same thing as prayer’. Spanning music from Hildegard of Bingen to Reena Esmail and beyond, the album demands deep listening with performances that are ‘completely secure in the technical demands of the music.’
Fantasie
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor; Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin, etc
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano)
Sony Classical 19802889462
Reviewed April 2025
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason’s debut album is a stylistically curated recital, revealing a pianist of poise, clarity and imagination. Moving seamlessly from Chopin and Debussy to Scriabin and Florence Price, this ‘confident offering’ marks an exciting next chapter for the pianist and left our reviewer wondering where she would take us next.
