Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes is nominated in the category ‘Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)’ for his release ‘Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos 1 & 2’ (EMI Classics) with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Antonio Pappano. The same release has been bestowed with a Spelemannspris (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammys) and a Classical Brit Award for best classical album. Andsnes has been nominated for a Grammy on six occasions, but has yet to take home the prestigious award.
One of Norway’s most respected chamber choirs, the Ensemble 96, with its conductor Øystein Fevang and record label 2L land no less than two Grammy nominations for the release ‘Immortal Nystedt’. The album, which has garnered rave reviews at home and abroad since its release last year, is nominated in the ‘Best Surround Sound’ and ‘Best Choral Performance’ categories.
“Two Grammy nominations are hardly what you expect when you’re running a small record label in a small country. But nevertheless, when it does happen it’s fabulously fun and serves to prove that even small labels have a chance in the great picture,” says Morten Lindberg, producer of 'Immortal Nystedt' and head of record label 2L.
As Ensemble 96's album title implies, the featured repertoire is choral works from Norway’s foremost composer in the field, Knut Nystedt. The now 91 year old composer is still active on the Norwegian and international music scene. Most of his works, both orchestral and choral, have been premiered in Norway by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra or by his own choir. He is also one of the few Norwegian composers of today whose works are performed world-wide.
The Grammy Awards is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States and considered the music industries approximate equivalent to the Oscars. The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 11 in Los Angeles and will be broadcasted in the U.S. on CBS at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
