# Gramophone Concept Album of the Year Award



## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

The winner is:









*Enargeia*

Guðnadóttir - Bingen - Snider - Mazzoli

Emily D'Angelo (mezzo-soprano), Das Freie Orchester Berlin, Jarkko Riihimäki

Very cool. I had this as one of my top 5 albums of 2021. (It was released at the end of 2021)

Anyone have any comment?
Anyone hate it?
Love it as much as I?


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

A "concept album". What's the concept?


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

pianozach said:


> A "concept album". What's the concept?


No idea except that it is not stuck in the mud. Here is Gramophone's explanation, or lack there of really.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Here's a link to the label authorized complete recording - 



https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ngGiZr3BZyQF8Q-EZORTosYV1s_ceySvU



I think that the concept is "Her debut album energeia spotlights female composers, including original pieces by both Mazzoli and Snider, as well as two stunning vocal works by the Oscar-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir."

"D’Angelo is already well on the way to becoming the complete singer. Her mezzo voice has incredible range, depth and power at the lower end combined with crystalline clarity up top, with lovely weight, poise and balance."
- Gramophone

"A hauntingly beautiful programme which works its own special magic and marks D'Angelo out as an artist determined to plough her own furrow…one of the lovely things about this album is its seamless integration of the old and the new, which sometimes put me in mind of saxophonist Jan Garbarek’s best-selling collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble on Officium back in the mid-1990s."
- Presto Music


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

It "spotlights" female composers. Is that the same as the album's tracks ALL being female composers?

I was assuming that all the composers were simply Icelandic, but there doesn't seem to be a coherent explanation as to the "concept".


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

pianozach said:


> It "spotlights" female composers. Is that the same as the album's tracks ALL being female composers?
> 
> I was assuming that all the composers were simply Icelandic, but there doesn't seem to be a coherent explanation as to the "concept".


Here's Gramophone's take on the award - 

"This is year two for our Concept Album Award, a category we added to reflect one the most creative fields of classical recordings today – the imaginatively curated programme, one designed to be heard through from beginning to end, the whole being elevated above its parts through the process of concentrated engagement. At a time when the extraordinary – and extraordinarily convenient – success of streaming services is challenging us all to reconsider our notion of what an album is (can a symphony stand up on its own? Why pair it with another? Why not three or four?), the concept album takes the traditional format and makes a virtue of it. A true concept album presents a journey, and like the best journeys, we are enriched, perhaps even changed, by the ride."









Concept Album







www.gramophone.co.uk





A concept album is "an imaginatively curated programme" as opposed to one in which you throw everything against the wall and see what sticks...


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Shaughnessy said:


> Here's Gramophone's take on the award -
> 
> "This is year two for our Concept Album Award, a category we added to reflect one the most creative fields of classical recordings today – the imaginatively curated programme, one designed to be heard through from beginning to end, the whole being elevated above its parts through the process of concentrated engagement. At a time when the extraordinary – and extraordinarily convenient – success of streaming services is challenging us all to reconsider our notion of what an album is (can a symphony stand up on its own? Why pair it with another? Why not three or four?), the concept album takes the traditional format and makes a virtue of it. A true concept album presents a journey, and like the best journeys, we are enriched, perhaps even changed, by the ride."
> 
> ...


I spent about an hour looking for a link from Gramophone that spelt it out like this. You clearly can work the Google machine better than I. 
I had to have been but one click away. 

I was going to link this but felt it was not definitive enough to answer @pianozach


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

eljr said:


> I spent about an hour looking for a link from Gramophone that spelt it out like this. You clearly can work the Google machine better than I.
> I had to have been but one click away.
> 
> I was going to link this but felt it was not definitive enough to answer @pianozach


It actually helps to use Google search in the literal sense as the results from Microsoft Bing can charitably be described as "disappointing".

I copied and pasted your thread title in the Google search bar and this page appeared - 






Gramophone Concept Album of the Year Award - Search







www.bing.com





The very first result at the top is what you were looking for - 









Concept Album







www.gramophone.co.uk





They haven't updated the page in two years but the concept behind the concept album remains unchanged.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Shaughnessy said:


> Here's Gramophone's take on the award -
> 
> "This is year two for our Concept Album Award, a category we added to reflect one the most creative fields of classical recordings today – the imaginatively curated programme, one designed to be heard through from beginning to end, the whole being elevated above its parts through the process of concentrated engagement. At a time when the extraordinary – and extraordinarily convenient – success of streaming services is challenging us all to reconsider our notion of what an album is (can a symphony stand up on its own? Why pair it with another? Why not three or four?), the concept album takes the traditional format and makes a virtue of it. A true concept album presents a journey, and like the best journeys, we are enriched, perhaps even changed, by the ride."
> 
> ...


Um, yeah, well. So . . . her album has a great track selection and flow. But there is no "concept" for the album that I'm grasping, other than "what a great bunch of tracks that flow well from one to the other". That is not really a "concept", although there's likely no consensus as to the specific criteria for what a "concept album" is. I agree with *Wikipedia's* first two sentences of description:

_"A *concept album* is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. "_

*Wikipedia* then hedges its bets with the third sentence.

_"Sometimes the term is applied to albums considered to be of "uniform excellence" rather than an LP with an explicit musical or lyrical motif." _

I dunno. Calling a great and excellent album a concept album just doesn't seem like the proper use of the phrase. I mean, *Fleetwood Mac's Rumours* is an excellent album, but I'd never call it a "Concept Album" simply because it's great. The phrase "Concept Album" is something I reserve for albums like *Tommy, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway*, or *In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning*.

If the album is so great (or excellent) why not simply call the category "*Best Album*" or "*Album of the Year*" or *Most Excellent Album of the Year*?


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Shaughnessy said:


> Here's Gramophone's take on the award -
> 
> "This is year two for our Concept Album Award, a category we added to reflect one the most creative fields of classical recordings today – the imaginatively curated programme, one designed to be heard through from beginning to end, the whole being elevated above its parts through the process of concentrated engagement. At a time when the extraordinary – and extraordinarily convenient – success of streaming services is challenging us all to reconsider our notion of what an album is (can a symphony stand up on its own? Why pair it with another? Why not three or four?), the concept album takes the traditional format and makes a virtue of it. A true concept album presents a journey, and like the best journeys, we are enriched, perhaps even changed, by the ride."
> 
> ...


The Gramophone explanation is surely a candidate for the most BS piece of writing on music this year. I very nearly wet myself laughing 😂. I imagine that most people release albums that ‘are designed to be heard through from beginning to end’. As opposed to what? Permanently on shuffle? Half way through then back to the beginning? Really!


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

I was going to ignore your first post in this thread at first because it was so transparent, you were here to complain. I thought about it and figured, what the hell, maybe if I respond the album will get more attention which it deserves as few here listen to things at least 50 or more years old.



pianozach said:


> . The phrase "Concept Album" is something I reserve for albums like *Tommy*


I never got the concept in Tommy and yeah, I thoroughly "get it." It's self indulgent ******** with some good rock songs. 


pianozach said:


> Wee Small Hours of the Morning


Great album. Concept? Well. it's has a theme. 


pianozach said:


> If the album is so great


It really is, IMHO of course.
If you have a good system give it a few listens. Maybe just start with one piece, may I recommend Kirkland Snider's, Penelope: The Lotus Eaters.
As with any music the more you listen to it the more you enjoy it so...

I know you spend most your time in the non-classical forum which is fine of course but maybe it would be good to step out more often. 

Clearly a concept album can be however one defines it. It's their magazine. 

Please don't take this post in the wrong way, I mean nothing disrespectful or antagonistic. 
Peace


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Barbebleu said:


> The Gramophone explanation is surely a candidate for the most BS piece of writing on music this year. I very nearly wet myself laughing 😂. I imagine that most people release albums that ‘are designed to be heard through from beginning to end’. As opposed to what? Permanently on shuffle? Half way through then back to the beginning? Really!


I think the idea is that it's just harder to extract from. It's greater than the sum of it's parts. 
But honest, I don't think that's the case here any way. I think individual entries hold up just fine on their own. 

I think it just does not fit into traditional categories and this award is kinda used for that. 

But isn't most of critic speak a big vat of hog wash? I find it is. 

Bottom line, it's a very enjoyable release.

Peace


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

With regard to the actual album itself, it is rather good. I was already familiar with the works of both Gudnadóttir and Hildegard of Bingen so no surprises there as to their merits on this album. I was not, on the other hand, at all familiar with Mazzoli and Snider, so that was a pleasant surprise. A fine album with one small reservation. As fond as I am of d’Angelo’s voice I hear some problems with her quick vibrato when she pushes hard on some of the high notes. Hopefully she will keep it under control and as she gets older the vibrato won’t end up like a yodel.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

eljr said:


> I think the idea is that it's just harder to extract from. It's greater than the sum of it's parts.
> But honest, I don't think that's the case here any way. I think individual entries hold up just fine on their own.
> 
> I think it just does not fit into traditional categories and this award is kinda used for that.
> ...


I would agree with you that the award is for albums that are just plain hard to define as to their intent. Thanks for the heads up anyway. I love this sort of album. 😎


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I imagine a "concept" in this case is a classical recording which is arranged according to a specific "high concept" rather than simply being presented as a recording of a piece and a coupling. Something like the art of museum curation, if that makes sense. 

Something like this for example -








ECM Records







www.ecmrecords.com





"Describing his recital as a 'quiet meditation', Alexi Lubimov brings together music of three centuries. Each piece defines its own atmosphere, and the biographies of the featured composers could hardly be more different, and yet there is an undeniable 'kinship' between the compositions. Lubimov has chosen a programme that associates, connects and contrasts ten works that are profoundly elegiac in nature."

Of course virtually all popular music releases might fall under this category but it's relatively unusual for classical, which is typically not seen as an "album"-oriented medium


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