SEATTLE SYMPHONY RECEIVES GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
NOMINATED ALBUM FEATURES LIVE RECORDINGS OF WORKS BY STRAUSS, SCRIABIN CONDUCTED BY THOMAS DAUSGAARD
SEATTLE, WA – The Recording Academy announced today that the Seattle Symphony has received a nomination in the classical category of the 2022 Grammy Awards. Music Director Thomas Dausgaard and the Symphony have been nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for the live recording of Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra and Alexander Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy.
Symphony President and CEO Krishna Thiagarajan said, “It is exciting and rewarding for us at the Seattle Symphony to see that the orchestra’s great work is being recognized again. The honor is especially gratifying as we emerge from the disruption of the pandemic, and it is testament to Thomas Dausgaard’s brilliance on stage. We are happy for it to add to the Symphony’s history of Grammy recognition over these past years.”
Originally released on the Seattle Symphony Media label in October 2020, the album “Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy“ features colorful works that celebrate the search for creative meaning and the triumph of the human spirit. Recorded live in the acoustically stunning Benaroya Hall and engineered by Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Dmitriy Lipay, the performances from the Seattle Symphony with Dausgaard at the podium have garnered acclaim.
The Symphony’s rendition of the orchestral showpiece Also sprach Zarathustra features “the wonderfully rumbly bass tones from Benaroya Hall’s Watjen Concert Organ [and] demanding virtuoso musicianship from every section in the orchestra” (The Seattle Times).
BBC Music Magazine’s review of the nominated album noted “the timbres of woodwind and harps adding their splashes of colour; from shrieking piccolo to silky bass lines, […] the dynamic range is impressive.”
This latest nomination marks the second time that the partnership between Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony has been recognized by the Grammy Awards. The Danish conductor and the Symphony were also nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award for their work on Nielsen’s Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4.
THOMAS DAUSGAARD CONDUCTOR
Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard is esteemed for his creativity and innovative programming, the excitement of his live performances and his extensive catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings. His programming in recent seasons has seen an increased focus on context, exploring the influences found in folk and liturgical music in orchestral works by a range of composers including Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Nielsen and Bartók.
Performing internationally with many of the world’s leading orchestras, Dausgaard is also the Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He also holds titles as Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, having previously served as its Chief Conductor from 2004–11; and Conductor Laureate of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, having served as Chief Conductor from 1997–2019.
A renowned recording artist, Dausgaard’s releases with the Seattle Symphony have garnered critical acclaim resulting in international honors including a 2017 Gramophone Award nomination for Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 (Deryck Cooke version), Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year Award, and a 2019 Best Orchestral Performance Grammy nomination for Nielsen’s Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4. An avid champion of contemporary works and the music of his homeland, Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony are releasing the much-anticipated cycle of symphonies by Carl Nielsen throughout his tenure. A recent release with the orchestra features the world premiere live performance of George Walker’s Sinfonia No. 5, “Visions.”
Dausgaard has been awarded the Cross of Chivalry by the Queen of Denmark and elected to the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden. His interests beyond music are wide-ranging, and include architecture, landscape, and a love of learning the life and culture of different communities.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA
Launched in 2014, Seattle Symphony Media is the Seattle Symphony’s independent Grammy Award-winning in-house record label. The Symphony has an extensive catalogue of nearly 150 recordings, which have brought forth five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy Award nominations and two Emmy Awards throughout its history. The Seattle Symphony was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. Under the direction of Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Symphony's in-house record label features both “core repertoire” and some of the eclectic and contemporary programming for which the Seattle Symphony has become recognized. The label includes both studio recordings and performances captured live in concert, allowing the organization an unprecedented breadth of repertoire choices.
All recordings are made in the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall and engineered by the Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Dmitriy Lipay. Using the Symphony’s own state-of-the-art in-house recording studio, recordings have been engineered to audiophile standards and aim to capture as realistically as possible the sound of the orchestra performing on stage with naturalistic imaging, depth of field and dynamic range. Distributed by Naxos of America, the recordings are available in both physical and digital formats from a variety of retailers. Digital content is available in stereo, “Mastered for iTunes,” 96k 24-bit high resolution and 5.1 surround sound.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 750,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts, and through the Seattle Symphony Live streaming service, the orchestra’s concerts reach audiences at home and around the world .
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RECORDING DETAILS
R. STRAUSS
ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA
SCRIABIN
THE POEM OF ECSTASY
Thomas Dausgaard conductor
Seattle Symphony
Worldwide Release Date
October 16, 2020
Label: Seattle Symphony Media
Catalog Number: SSM1025
Producer: Dmitriy Lipay
Thomas Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony release stirring live performances of two extraordinary orchestral works composed near the turn of the 20th century: Alexander Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy and Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra on October 16, 2020. Recorded in the stunning acoustics of Benaroya Hall, these bold, colorful scores celebrate the search for creative meaning and the triumph of the human spirit.
RICHARD STRAUSS ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA
Total Timing: 30:07 // Catalog Number: SSM1025 // Producer: Dmitriy Lipay //
Label: Seattle Symphony Media
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN THE POEM OF ECSTASY
Total Timing: 20:16 // Catalog Number: SSM1025 // Producer: Dmitriy Lipay //
Label: Seattle Symphony Media
The Seattle Symphony is grateful to Joan Watjen for her generous support of SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA CDs in memory of her husband Craig.
Recorded in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington.
Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra was recorded live in concert September 14, 2019.
Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy was recorded live in concert November 21 and 23, 2019.
Krishna Thiagarajan's position is generously underwritten as the Leslie Jackson Chihuly President & CEO.
Thomas Dausgaard's position is generously underwritten as the Harriet Overton Stimson Music Director.
R. Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra was presented as part of the 2019 Opening Night Gala sponsored by Nordstrom. Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy was presented as part of the Delta Air Lines Masterworks Season. Thomas Dausgaard’s performances were sponsored by the Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun.
Digital downloads and CDs are available through iTunes, Amazon, Acoustic Sounds and HD Tracks. Recordings can be streamed through Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and Primephonic.