The first two classical recordings released by the Mariinsky Theater’s new label have been nominated for five prestigious Grammy awards.
The recordings up for nomination are “Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 1 and 15” (Valery Gergiev and Orchestra) and “Shostakovich: The Nose” (Valery Gergiev, Andrei Popov, Sergei Semishkur, Vladislav Sulimsky, and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater).
“The Nose” won nominations in the “Best Classical Album” and “Best Opera Recording” categories.
In addition, James Mallison was nominated as “Producer of the Year” for his work on “The Nose.”
In the first nomination, “The Nose” is competing with “Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe” (James Levine, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus), “Bernstein: Mass.” (Marin Alsop, Asher Edward Wulfman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Morgan State University Choir and the Peabody Children’s Chorus) and “Mahler: Symphony No. 8” (Michael Tilson Thomas, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pacific Boychoir, the San Francisco Girls Chorus and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus).
“Shostakovich: Symphonies No. 1 and 15” received nominations in the “Best Orchestral Performance” and “Best Engineered Album, Classical” categories.
As “Best Orchestral Performance,” the Mariinsky’s offering is competing against “Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique” (Simon Rattle, Susan Graham and the Berliner Philharmoniker), “Bruckner: Symphony No. 5” (Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra), “Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe” (James Levine, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus) and “Szymanowski: Symphonies No. 1 and 4” (Antoni Wit, Jan Krzysztof Broja, Ewa Marczyk and Marek Marczyk, and the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra).
The brainchild of the company’s artistic director Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky’s record label released its first CD, “The Nose,” in May 2011 to rave reviews.
No other Russian orchestra or theater can boast its own record label. To date, the label has issued three recordings, including, in addition to the two Shostakovich releases, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.”
The label will release its fourth CD in February, featuring pianist Denis Matsuyev and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gergiev in a program featuring Rachmaninoff’s “Third Piano Concerto” and his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”