Grammy Winners the Press is NOT likely to focus on

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There are a lot of Grammy Awards, but the ones that tend to get the lion share of the press are the pop artists. However, there are a number of classical artists, composers and performances that also get awards and deserve some recognition.

The performance of Kurt Weill's "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" won two awards, both Classical Album and Opera Recording. This is not a surprise; it is an amazing performance. Hilary Hahn was also up for Classical Album with her "Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos", picking up the Instrumental Soloist Performance award, but not Classical Album.

John Corigliano won a couple of awards, Classical Contemporary Composition and Classical Vocal Performance for his "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," showing once again the lure of crossover music, Dylan a major figure in contemporary music. John Williams, no stranger to awards, won Instrumental Composition for his "The Adventures of Mutt" from the film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." This track is not up for an Oscar, but then instrumental tracks seldom get nominated for Best Song category.

The List of Classical Award Winners

Classical Album: "Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny," James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich and Robert Worle; Los Angeles Opera Chorus; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra) (EuroArts)

Opera Recording: "Weill: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny," James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich and Robert Worle; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra; Los Angeles Opera Chorus) (EuroArts)

Instrumental Composition: "The Adventures of Mutt," (from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," John Williams, composer (John Williams), track from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" soundtrack (Concord)

Orchestral Performance: "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4," Bernard Haitink, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) (CSO Resound)

Chamber Music Performance: "Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5," Pacifica Quartet (Naxos)

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): "Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos," Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra) (Deutsche Grammophon)

Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): "Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutoslawski," Gloria Cheng (Telarc)

Choral Performance: "Symphony of Psalms," Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Berliner Philharmoniker; Rundfunkchor Berlin) track from "Stravinsky: Symphonies" (EMI Classics)

Small Ensemble Performance: "Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary," Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale (Chandos)

Classical Vocal Performance: "Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) (Naxos)

Classical Contemporary Composition: "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," John Corigliano (JoAnn Falletta); track from: "Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan" (Naxos)

For the complete list of winners...

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