MIDEM Classical Award 2007 for Soile Isokoski's Sibelius CD (24.01.2007)


Finnish star soprano Soile Isokoski's recording of orchestral songs by Jean Sibelius has won a MIDEM Classical Award 2007 in the 'Vocal Recitals' category (ODE 1080-5). The award was given to Soile Isokoski at the official awards ceremony on January 23rd, 2007.

The winning disc features the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Leif Segerstam accompanying Soile Isokoski in eighteen of Sibelius's Orchestral Songs and the tone poem Luonnotar.

Soile Isokoski's Sibelius disc was competing in the 'Vocal Recitals' category with tenor Ian Bostridge's recording of songs by Hugo Wolff on EMI Classics and soprano Natalie Dessay's recording of Haendel's Italian Cantatas on Virgin Classics.

The MIDEM Classical Awards are presented annually at the international music convention MIDEM in Cannes, France, and acknowledge the best classical recordings and artists to have made their mark over the course of the last year. The award jury consists of editors and directors of the most important classical music magazines and radio stations.

This is the seventh time that a release on Ondine has been awarded in Cannes.

Since its international release in spring 2006, this disc has received the highest accolades throughout the international press, including 'Classical CD of the Year 2006' by The Daily Telegraph, UK, and ‘Disc of the Month' in May 2006 on both ClassicsToday.com and ClassicsTodayFrance.com. In addition, the Hybrid SACD has been nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2007, which will be presented in April.

Recognized as one of the finest singers of her voice type, Soile Isokoski is a regular guest at the most renowned venues of the world. Her recording of Four Last Songs and other orchestral songs by Richard Strauss with Marek Janowski and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra was hailed as a benchmark and received a Gramophone Award in 2002 (ODE 982-2).

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest professional symphony orchestra in the Nordic countries, is well known today for its tradition of performing Sibelius, and it also premièred many of his major works, often with the composer himself conducting. Since 1995, noted conductor Leif Segerstam has been the orchestra's 11th chief conductor.

For further information about the 2007 MIDEM Classical Awards, please visit the website of MIDEM.

facebook twitter mail this news print


back to top
Extended search
We noticed you are searching for more than one word. Would you like to

search for each word separately,
eg.: Paul, Hindersmith, Symphonie

search for a term,
eg.: "Paul Hindersmith"

redefine your search.
Use quotations for a term and single words, eg.: "Paul Hindersmith" Symphonie