Every year the Caecilia prizes are awarded for CDs and DVDs released in the previous year.
During the extraordinary General Meeting of 3 November 1974, the Association of the Belgian Music Press decided to award annually several prizes to the best musical recordings, regardless of the musical medium or sales figures on the Belgian market in the past year.
The presentation of the Caecilia Prizes took place on 25/03/2022 at Flagey in Brussels. The programme was opened with a performance by the Duo Goggles, Wim Pelgrims & Esther-Elisabeth Rispens, the winners of the Supernova competition about which we previously conducted a interview you can read it in this article.
The jury also selects a Young musician of the year, this time it is Sarah Defrise, read more about Sarah in this article.
How does the Association of the Belgian Music Press decide on the allocation of the prizes?
- Each member of the Association of the Belgian Music Press sends in a list of his/her favourites - CDs and DVDs - that were released over the past year (in this case from 15 December 2020 through 31 December 2021), with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 40 recordings.
- The jury records the votes and classifies them. The jury then takes time to supplement information (ordering, distributing and listening to nominated recordings that some may not yet have received).
- During a second meeting, it is decided which 10 recordings (both CD and DVD) will receive a Caecilia Prize. This can be supplemented by: the Snepvanger Prize for a Belgian production, a special prize for a 'coup de coeur' of the jury and the Albert De Sutter Prize for a historical recording. Without wishing to exclude major international prestige productions, the Caecilia Prizes jury seeks to highlight new talent, exceptional repertoires and daring projects.
Jury composition
- Roger Creyf, Klassiek-Centraal
- Patrice Lieberman, Président de l'Union de la Presse Musicale Belge / Voorzitter van de Vereniging van de Belgische Muziekpers, Crescendo
- Martine D. Mergeay, La Libre Belgique, Musiq'3
- Stephan Moens, De Morgen
- Bernard Schreuders, ForumOpera.com
The laureates 2021 - CD /DVD
Josquin Desprez
- Josquin The Undead
- Graindelavoix, Björn Schmelzer
- Glossa
Desprez: Josquin the Undead
Josquin Desprez fared as Rembrandt did. When he died, he was so famous that he, as a contemporary wrote, "now that he is dead produces more works than during his lifetime". Nothing was better for making a mass, motet or chanson popular than attributing it to Josquin. Björn Schmelzer and his ensemble Graindelavoix deal with precisely that uncertainty in their contribution to the Josquin Year 2021. In the edition that the Antwerpen-born Tielman Susato prepared twenty-five years after his death, they search for the late works of the "master of the notes" (Luther), which he wrote after his glorious career. Their consistently 'anti-historicistic' approach, which "reflects the deep contradictions of the time in which the repertoire originated", transforms them into ethereal meditations. Music of an almost dead for the dead of then and the living of now. (Stephan Moens)
Rameau: Achante et Céphise
Although Achante et Céphise cannot be counted among the greatest works, it is the work of a musical giant. Until now there was no complete recording of this pastorale which, however, offers more invention and theatre - such as in the incredible intensity of certain parts of the Third Act - than one finds in many an opera by minor masters that has been vainly rescued from oblivion in music history. Any recording would deserve our thanks, but this performance does the score every honour. Under the equally graceful and refined direction of Alexis Kossenko, Les Ambassadeurs-La Grande Écurie bring the opulent orchestra of the Paris Opera as it could be heard in the 1750s back to life, with a suitable cast that articulates the text clearly and with a sense for subtle rhetoric. (Bernard Schreuders)
Jean-Philippe Rameau
- Achante et Céphise
- Sabine Devieilhe, Cyrille Dubois, David Witczak, Judith Van Wanroij
- Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Écurie, Alexis Kossenko
- Erato
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
- Beyond The Limits – Complete String Symphonies
- Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer
- Harmonia Mundi
Bach, C. Ph. E.: Beyond The Limits
What luck that Gottfried van Swieten not only praised the old Bach (Johann Sebastian) to Mozart and Haydn but also asked his son Carl Philipp Emanuel to write some symphonies for him. At van Swieten's, all composers knew, you could let loose. Technically difficult, harmonically daring, formally innovative: anything was possible. The first critics were already impressed by the "original, daring flow of ideas and the great diversity and novelty in the forms and modulations". There are already quite a few recordings of these string symphonies available, but that of Amandine Beyer and her ensemble Gli Incogniti perhaps best captures the sharp contrasts in tempo and dynamics and the unpredictable capriciousness of this music. Mendelssohn is not far away. (Stephan Moens)
El Nour
The attempts to bring East and West together in music are certainly numerous but rarely successful. Yet while this remains true, the apparently effortless way in which the Egyptian singer Fatma Said and her musicians—of all kinds—tackle this repertoire with virtuosity and naturalness stands head and shoulders above everything that exists in the discography so far. Combine Schwarzkopf with Oum Kalsoum with an extra dash of sparkle à la Jodie Devos (to give just one example). Add a tessitura of two and a half octaves, plus irresistible chic and sensuality. (Martine D. Mergeay)
Abd al-Rahïm, Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet, Fernando Obradors, Maurice Ravel, etc.
- El Nour
- Fatma Said, Malcolm Martineau, Rafael Aguirre, Burcu Karadag,
Vision String Quartet - Warner
Franz Liszt
- Sonate, Berceuse, Tre Sonetti di Petrarca, Réminiscences de Norma, Ave Maria
- Benjamin Grosvenor
- Decca
Liszt
There are certainly more demonic or philosophical versions of Liszt's Sonata, but this recording by Benjamin Grosvenor bears witness to a rarely heard intelligence and sophistication. Phenomenal technique and intellectual clarity provide an exceptional performance of a work that has been recorded so many times. The rarely performed Berceuse, the Three Sonnets of Petrarca and Liszt's arrangement of Schubert's Ave Maria are performed with unfeigned poetry and finesse. Grosvenor shines in Réminiscences de Norma and displays astounding virtuosity in this insanely difficult score. (Patrice Lieberman)
Lassen: Lieder - Mélodies
This unexpected release brings about a double discovery, both of an unjustly forgotten Belgian composer and of works of surprisingly high quality. Edouard Lassen (1830-1904) was born in Copenhagen but the family settled in Brussels as early as 1833. Lassen studied piano and composition at the Brussels Conservatory. Liszt took him under his wing and helped him obtain a position as conductor in Weimar where he enjoyed high esteem as Kapellmeister for almost 40 years. However, this did not prevent him from continuing to compose, with his more than 260 songs enjoying great popularity. Reinoud Van Mechelen and Anthony Romaniuk offer us a fine selection from this extensive oeuvre. Thus we can discover a refined and sensitive composer, an artist with a pronounced melodic gift in the line of Schumann and Mendelssohn. (Patrice Lieberman)
Édouard Lassen
- Lieder - Mélodies
- Reinoud Van Mechelen, Anthony Romaniuk
- Musique en Wallonie
Sergei Lyapunov
- 12 Études d'exécution transcendante
- Florian Noack
- La Dolce Volta
Lyapunov: 12 Études d'exécution transcendante
Sometimes the fortune of discovery lies in recognition: everything is new, but it actually already existed and was accompanied by the most intense long-gone happiness. So goes the world of Sergei Lyapunov (1859-1924), a world where excessive virtuosity transforms into pure poetry, dream or epic. Belgian pianist Florian Noack manages it with astounding technique, and equally knows how to captivate with natural and unforced playing full of light and color. (Martine D. Mergeay)
Ives: Complete Symphonies
Listening to Ives' four symphonies one after another is a crash course in following the evolution of American music. The First - written for his composition exam at Yale - is still strongly influenced by Dvořák and Brahms. This also applies to the Second, although Ives here already distances himself from his European models in an attempt to arrive at his own American musical language. After the Third with its intimate and serene character, comes the extraordinary Fourth - certainly the greatest American symphony ever. The grandeur and depth of the work often hide behind a peculiar atmosphere of cheerful anarchy. Gustavo Dudamel leads the excellent Los Angeles Philharmonic with a steady hand. (Patrice Lieberman)
Charles Ives
- Complete Symphonies
- Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
- Deutsche Grammophon
DVD: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Die tote Stadt
- Jonas Kaufmann, Marlis Petersen
Chor und Orchester der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Kirill Petrenko, Simon Stone - BSOrec
Korngold: Die tote Stadt
Korngold's opera Die tote Stadt has long since been freed from the odium of "sounds like film music". With us this was proven at the latest since its performance at the Munt, in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic. The dual lead role of Marie/Marietta was in the hands of Marlis Petersen: an ideal casting (she is an equally strong Lulu or Salome). In Munich she faced the star tenor of the moment, Jonas Kaufmann, who in the somewhat older but still convincing, hyperrealistic staging by Simon Stone proved to be a committed actor. But perhaps the strongest element was the musical interpretation by Kirill Petrenko. Nothing of film music but rather a simultaneously luxurious and clear, glittering and modernist 'Viennese' sound image that reminded one more of Mahler or the early Berg than Puccini. Korngold as the Klimt of music? (Stephan Moens)
And Love Said...
Jodie Devos leaves Offenbach to explore a new musical world with these English Songs. The Belgian soprano has been familiar with this poetic universe since her studies in London and here chooses a wide range of composers of both genders. Two monodrama's by Patrick Leterme - dedicated to the singer and friend - complete the programme. In close collaboration with pianist Nicolas Kruger, Jodie Devos here demonstrates both imagination and crystal-clear technique in a brilliant succession of masterpieces from Benjamin Britten to Freddie Mercury. (Martine D. Mergeay)
DVD: Patrick Leterme, Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton, Freddie Mercury, etc.
- And Love Said
- Jodie Devos, Nicolas Krüger
- Alpha
Snepvangersprijs: For an excellent Belgian production
Édouard Lassen
- Lieder - Mélodies
- Reinoud Van Mechelen, Anthony Romaniuk
- Musique en Wallonie
Lassen: Lieder - Mélodies
This unexpected release provides a double discovery, both of an unjustly forgotten Belgian composer and of works of surprisingly high quality. Edouard Lassen (1830-1904) was born in Copenhagen but the family settled in Brussels in 1833. Lassen studied piano and composition at the Brussels Conservatoire. Liszt took him under his wing and helped him obtain a position as conductor in Weimar where he enjoyed high prestige as Kapellmeister for almost 40 years. This did not, however, prevent him from continuing to compose, with his more than 260 songs enjoying great popularity. Reinoud Van Mechelen and Anthony Romaniuk offer us a fine selection from this extensive oeuvre. Thus we can discover a refined and sensitive composer, an artist with a pronounced melodic gift in the line of Schumann and Mendelssohn. (Patrice Lieberman)
Prix Albert de Sutter: Historical recording
Poot: Symphonies Nos. 1-7
The memory now preserved of Marcel Poot (1901-1988) is that of the man who, for more than half a century, was a true pillar of Belgian musical life, among other things as director of the Brussels Conservatory and as long-standing jury president of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. As a composer, Poot unfortunately fell into oblivion, and we can certainly be grateful to Naxos for this complete re-release of his symphonies. The first two are the work of a young, playful and enthusiastic artist, while the three final ones show us a musician who perfectly masters his craft and sometimes comes across as a bit academic. The Third and Fourth Symphonies demonstrate a remarkable depth and sobriety. The excellent interpretations are provided by various orchestras and conductors. (Patrice Lieberman)
Marcel Poot
- Symphonies Nos. 1-7
- Antwerp Philharmonic, Léonce Gras
- BRTN Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Rotman
- Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Frédéric Devreese
- Belgian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Franz André
- Naxos