From Sol Gabetta to Alfred Brendel: ECHO KLASSIK honors stars of the scene

How many ECHOs does the German tenor have on his bookshelf by now? By his own admission, he's stopped counting. This time Jonas Kaufmann takes the prize in connection with "Nessun Dorma - The Puccini Album," released on Sony Classical. He gives the lie to the legend that all the great singers are of yesteryear.

Young, cheeky and eccentric: The Greek-born Russian's image stands out - as do his musical interpretations. His activities in the city of Perm on the eastern edge of Europe are noted across the continent - such as the recording of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with Currentzis and the period-instrument orchestra he founded, MusicAeterna.

The release of Jean Sibelius's seven symphonies on "Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings" is a milestone in the era of Simon Rattle, who has often ventured off the core German repertory with this most famous German orchestra. "We all hope that this will inspire as many people as possible to get acquainted with this extraordinary music," he said in reference to Sibelius.

"Green: Mélodies françaises sur des poèmes de Verlaine" includes song settings of twenty 19th and 20th century composers, all based on poems by Paul Verlaine, who in France is considered something of a national hero. The voice of Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky fits. The German classical music periodical FonoForum praises his "weightlessly engaging, addictive countertenor" as heard on the release.

A "fantastic team," an "exciting production" and a "very special moment in one of my favorite roles": The Russian diva is full of praise for the presentation of Verdi's "Macbeth" at the Metropolitan Opera. We see her here in a production of "Il Trovatore" in Salzburg, but never mind: With Netrebko, the appearance - and the voice - are always impressive.

Once called "The Horowitz of the Hammerklavier," Andreas Staier is equally comfortable at the modern concert grand and the harpsichord - and not only as a solo artist. "Nothing is more wonderful than working on music like this with you," Staier said to conductor Petra Müllejans and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, his collaborators on a new release of Bach's harpsichord concertos.

Besides being a cellist, she's the founder of an ensemble, a conductor and a TV host. Her fan base is much larger than the circle of classical music lovers per se. That fame has helped Gabetta to convey the music of contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks to a wider audience. Gabetta joins the Amsterdam Sinfonietta Musik on the recording "Presence."

He's already garnered a number of ECHOs in the field of pop music, but: "Never in her wildest dreams would my mother have thought I'd ever win an ECHO KLASSIK," remarked Campino, the front man in the German punk formation "Die Toten Hosen," who lent his speaking voice to a new production of Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." The English version is narrated by another rock icon, Alice Cooper.

The first to record all of Beethoven's piano works, he's influenced generations of pianists. A total of 114 CDs featuring Alfred Brendel were released on his 85th birthday earlier this year. On October 9, he takes an ECHO KLASSIK for his lifetime achievement - and is sure to have a whimsical remark in his acceptance speech: The no-longer-active pianist is also known for his sense of humor.

The famous Austrian conductor, cellist and pioneer of historical performance practice died in March, but his influence lives on. The standard-setting maestro is being honored posthumously for his conducting on a recording of Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 on Sony Classical.