HOLLYWOOD LEGEND JOHN WILLIAMS SCORES TWO AWARDS AT THE CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS 2012 with MasterCard
20 YEAR-OLD PIANIST BENJAMIN GROSVENOR BECOMES YOUNGEST EVER MALE WINNER
NICOLA BENEDETTI COMPLETES AN INCREDIBLE YEAR WITH THE AWARD FOR FEMALE ARTIST
FIRST EVER CLASSIC BRITs SINGLE OF THE YEAR WON BY
GARETH MALONE AND THE MILITARY WIVES CHOIR
VICTORY FOR ANDRÉ RIEU WITH CLASSIC FM ALBUM OF THE YEAR
FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING
The thirteenth Classic BRIT Awards 2012 with MasterCard took place tonight at London’s Royal Albert Hall, with a unique gala night of stunning performances and the presentation of nine Classic BRIT Awards. Presented by The BPI, the UK’s recorded music association, the event was hosted by the incomparable Myleene Klass.
With a brand new black chrome statuette and the elegant simplicity of the mirrored black stage, the night reflected the spirit of Hollywood glamour both with performances and the presentation of two awards to film composer John Williams. Presided over by Myleene Klass, the brand new Classic BRIT Awards stage at the Royal Albert Hall was the setting for spectacular collaborations and performances from Andrea Bocelli, the Cast of Phantom of the Opera, Nicola Benedetti who continued the salute to John Williams with a performance of ‘Schindler’s List’ and Russell Watson who was joined by Amore and the Pageant Choir with a celebration of a truly ‘Great’ British year. The night continued with performances from André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra, Miloš Karadaglić and the London Chamber Orchestra conducted by James Morgan with a medley of the work of John Williams.
The evening’s grand finale featured the debut Classic BRITs appearance from Gary Barlow who took to the stage with Andrew Lloyd Webber to perform on two pianos for a special performance of ‘Sing’ with The Military Wives Choir conducted by Gareth Malone.
John Williams’ Lifetime Achievement award was one of the highlights of a spectacular evening. His towering body of film score epics was celebrated with a specially commissioned medley performed by the London Chamber Orchestra that included Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Superman, ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Proving that John Williams’ work continues to thrill and move cinemagoers the world over, he was also presented with the Composer award for his two recent film scores: ‘War Horse’ and ‘The Adventures of Tintin’.
Twenty year-old pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, from Southend-on-Sea in Essex, became the youngest male recipient of a Classic BRIT Award winning the Critics’ Award. Following his double award success at the Gramophone Awards, Benjamin was chosen by a panel of critics for his incredible work and performance on the album ‘Chopin/Liszt/Ravel’ beating off competition from Sir Simon Rattle and JiÅ™í BÄ›lohlávek.
Nicola Benedetti, who is the UK’s most nominated female having been nominated for a Classic BRIT Award eight times throughout her career, finally adds the award for Female Artist to her 2008 Young British Classical Performer or Group Award. Accepting the award for her album ‘Italia’, the accolade tops off an incredible year that included a performance for the young violinist at the last night of the Proms and at the Closing Ceremony of the Ryder Cup in Chicago on Sunday 30 September.
The Military Wives Choir with Gareth Malone won the first ever award for Classic BRITs Single of the Year in Association with iTunes for the Paul Mealor composed track ‘Wherever You Are’. Capturing the hearts of the voting public both with their emotional journey and the meaning of the song, Gareth Malone and the Military Wives Choir are the first group to be nominated for both a Classic BRIT Award and a BRIT Award. The X-Factor beating 2011 Christmas number one raised over ?500,000 for forces charities. The introduction of the new award for Classic BRITs single of the Year in Association with iTunes, highlighted both the public’s enduring love for tracks such as Nessun Dorma, Rule Britannia and Jerusalem, but also contemporary compositions from film and TV.
Miloš Karadaglić’s album ‘Latino’ won the Montenegrin classical guitarist the award for MasterCard Breakthrough Artist of The Year. Only his second album in as many years, the 29 year-old guitarist has been playing guitar since he was 8 years old. He signed to Deutsche Grammophon in 2010. The award was voted for by the Classic BRIT awards academy that is made up of over 400 members from within the music industry and media.
For the second time, Vasily Petrenko, the critically acclaimed Russian conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was presented with the Male Artist award. The award recognised his work on five albums released over the past 18 months: ‘Shostakovich/Symphony No. 1 & 3’, ‘Shostakovich/Symphony No. 6 & 12’, ‘Shostakovich/Symphony No. 2 & 15’, ‘Rachmaninov/Piano Concertos 1 & 4’ and ‘Rachmaninov/Symphony No. 3’.
André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra won the award for Classic FM Album of the Year in Association with MasterCard for the second year running for the ‘And The waltz Goes On’ The album, featuring a new waltz by the Oscar Winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, was released by Decca in 2011 and reached number 3 in the UK pop charts. Dominating the charts for the past four years, topping the classical charts with his last three albums, André Rieu & his Johann Strauss Orchestra have sold over 30 million albums globally. Voted for by Listeners of Classic FM, the award was presented by TV presenter and Classic FM DJ Alan Titchmarch.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s 20th Anniversary was marked with a very special presentation of the award for International Artist of the Year. Bocelli has released 22 albums and has sold over 75 million records worldwide. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber presented the award.
The Classic BRIT Awards plays a major role in supporting and nurturing talent in both the core and crossover classical world. The event was established in 2000 to honour and recognise all forms of classical music from contemporary to crossover, opera to soundtracks, traditional to theatre and has continued to evolve as classical music has once again become a major seller in the music world.
The Classic BRIT Awards 2012 with MasterCard will be broadcast on ITV1 0n Sunday 7 October at 10:20pm. The show will be repeated on ITV3 on Sunday 14 October.
