Cannes Classical Award 2000 Uwe Grodd

Conductor Uwe Grodd has won the musical equivalent of an Oscar at one of the world's most prestigious music awards festivals. Uwe won a top honour at the 2000 Cannes Classical Awards in Cannes, France, in January for his recent Naxos recording of symphonies by the 18th-century composer, Johann Baptist Vanhal.   Uwe's recording, made in Budapest with the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia in 1998, won the "Best 18th-century orchestral" category ahead of a CD of symphonies by Christian Cannabich with a Bayreuth orchestra and a recording of Gossec symphonies on Chandos with the London Mozart Players.

Uwe Grodd (left) 'Best 18th century Orchestral Recording' with Sir Charles Mackerras (right) with the award for the 'Best 19th century Opera Recording'

The line-up of artists nominated in the various categories is a real "who's who" of classical music, and Uwe found himself nomminated alongside people whom he considers icons, such as Martha Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Sir Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez and Andre Previn. Winning the award, therefore, is "a tremendous honour", he says with obvious delight.

"Naturally I'm excited to have won the award as a conductor, but I'm also over the moon that the repertoire - Vanhal symphonies - has received such important recognition," he adds.

"It's interesting that all three nominations in the '18th-century orchestral' category featured music by so-called 'minor' composers. Haydn and Mozart didn't get a look in. This is a further indication that the 18th-century revival of the symphony is not only under way: it's unstoppable!"

Naxos, the largest-selling classical label in the world, has won top honours in the "18th-century orchestral" category three years running, each time with "minor" composers: Franz Beck, Joseph Martin Kraus and now Vanhal. The Kraus CD won "Best classical recording" in January 1999 - further evidence, as Uwe points out, of the huge importance of Naxos's 18th-century symphony series.

"The other extraordinary thing about this award is that it is the second time in three years that the winning recording has been based on material published in New Zealand," Uwe Grodd points out.

Over the last three years he has made several highly regarded recordings for Naxos including CDs of symphonies by Dittersdorf, Cannabich and Pleyel, all based on publications from Artaria Editions. Artaria Editions is the Wellington-based publishing house set up by a University of Auckland graduate, musicologist Dr Allan Badley, with Klaus Heymann of Naxos. Artaria is now regarded around the world as the leading specialist publishing house for 18th-century music. Uwe and Dr Badley enjoy a close working relationship, to the extent that Uwe says: "I share this award with him. I'm very grateful for his advice, support and research.

" Dr Badley's editions have literally revolutionised our knowledge of music of this period since so many of them are now available in recordings as well as in print. In little more than four years Artaria has published over 300 editions and has some of the world's leading 18th-century scholars working with them on a range of fabulous projects. Talk about Kiwi initiative! German and Austrian orchestras now have to buy symphonies from Wellington!"

Uwe and Artaria have some "fantastic" projects under way, and one of them, a CD of masses by Vanhal, will be recorded in Napier mid-year with Voices New Zealand and the Aradia Ensemble, a "very fine" Canadian period orchestra. That recording will take place during the International Chamber Music Festival, of which Uwe is artistic director, and so supportive is Napier's mayor that he has agreed to close the roads around Napier's cathedral to ensure the quiet needed for recording.   "Interest in the recording will be huge given our success with the first Vanhal CD," Uwe says. "The fact that the whole project will be done in New Zealand from the editing and publication of the music through to performances in the International Chamber Music Festival and recording is just incredible. It will do an enormous amount for the international reputation of music in New Zealand".

Uwe Grodd paying tribute at the Cannes Award Celebration

Born in Germany, Uwe has been in New Zealand for 16 years, has married a New Zealander, and considers himself half-Kiwi. He has been at the University of Auckland since 1984, where he is a senior lecturer in conducting and flute, and musical director of the University Orchestra.

Living in New Zealand, it is possible sometimes to feel isolated from the main classical music arena, and one of the overwhelming factors for Uwe in winning this highly prestigious award was "realising the exposure my work had". Along with the several days of "film star treatment" following the award ceremony came feedback from critics and those in the field that they had been watching and appreciating his work.

Indeed, Uwe's recordings have enjoyed fine reviews internationally including a five-star recommendation in Diapason, Paris and The Guardian, London, and a nine-star recommendation for sound and performance in Classics Today.Com, an online guide to classical music. The award-winning disc of Vanhal symphonies has been on the bestseller list in Germany, Denmark and was the "Naxos disc of the month" in Switzerland in December.

The Cannes Classical Awards were established six years ago in cooperation with several premiere international music magazines. The purpose was to recognise the universal appeal of classical music by creating a truly international recording award, one in which the typical bias and local preferences common to these events were effectively counter-balanced by the multinational make-up of the jury. Each year several hundred critics from seven countries (Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United States, and Britain) take part in the voting in around 20 different categories, while special awards such as those for lifetime achievement are selected by the chairman and the editors of the participating magazines.

Uwe Grodd and Krzysztof Penderecki (Lifetime Achievement Award)