William Bolcom Ties with 50 Cent

Alex Ross posted about how the official Grammy press release did not even mention nominees in classical music or jazz. Frank lets us in on the rest of the story.

On December 8th, the Recording Academy announced its nominees for the 48th GRAMMY Awards ceremony. Topping the list -- and proving that miracles can happen -- were Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Kayne West with eight nominations apiece. Next in the hierarchy came nominees with six nods each. That list included 50 Cent, Beyoncé Knowles, The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, and William Bolcom.

The lauded Bolcom recording - his huge 1982 settting of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience for a dozen soloists, multiple choruses, and orchestra with added brass, percussion, and electronic instruments - was released on the Naxos label, and features the performing ensembles of the University of Michigan (where Bolcom is on faculty) with Leonard Slatkin conducting. The recording was mentioned in the following categories: Best Engineered, Producer of the Year, Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, Best Classical Vocal Performance, and Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

A review of the full nominee list reveals other interesting tidbits. Of particular note, in the classical album, opera, choral, and orchestral categories combined, the only American ensemble to receive a nomination -- other than the UM School of Music for the Bolcom -- was the Boston Early Music Festival, which was given a best opera recording nod for its production of Conradi’s Ariadne.

The 48th GRAMMY Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on February 8, 2006.