HK Phil earns Orchestra of the Year nomination for Ring cycle performances in prestigious Gramophone awards
- Orchestra is first in Asia to be nominated for the prestigious award, which is on par with a Grammy and has been given out annually since 1977
- The winner of the award will be decided by public vote after they listen to recordings by the 10 nominees; HK Phil tracks are from its the Ring highlights disc
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has become the first in Asia to be nominated for Gramophone magazine’s Orchestra of the Year award. The Phil is competing with, among others, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for the honour, part of the 2019 Gramophone Classical Music Awards organised by the UK-based publication.
According to Gramophone, the award “celebrates ensembles that have made significant recorded contributions in the past year and reflects the excellence of music-making across the globe”. The winner will be decided by public vote.
On the Hong Kong Phil playlist are tracks from Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Highlights), taken from live recordings of the Ring cycle concerts conducted between 2015 and 2018 by the ensemble’s music director, Jaap van Zweden.
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards have been held annually since 1977 and are regarded as among the most prestigious honours classical music recordings can earn, on a par with winning a Grammy award.