Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin won one of the three Grammy awards for which he had been nominated by the Recording Academy on Sunday. Released by Deutsche Grammophon last January, the recording of the performance of Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 by the African-American composer Florence Price (1887-1953) by the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he conducted, was awarded the prize for Best Orchestral Performance. This is his first career Grammy.
As conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin was also nominated for the award for Best Opera Recording for the album Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmeliteswon by American chef Karen Kamensk, who also led the MET for a performance of Akhnaten by Philip Glass.
He was finally up for Best Classical Vocal Solo Album as the accompanist for mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato on the album. Schubert: Winterreise. Yannick Nézet-Séguin has held the role of music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012, in addition to his duties at the MET, the Orchester Métropolitain, the Rotterdams Philharmonisch and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
For the first time in 64 years of history, the Grammys ceremony had moved to Las Vegas. A first ceremony broadcast on the web took place at the MGM Grand Conference Marquee Ballroom before the big televised gala at 8 p.m. Originally from Montreal, now living in Nashville, Allison Russell garnered three nominations in the wake of her splendid album OutsideChild. Author, composer, singer and clarinetist, she gave an elegant performance of the song nightflyer during this first gala, but came up empty in the Best Album – American Roots, Best Song – American Roots and Best Americana Album categories.
Two new prize categories have been created for this 64th edition of the ceremony in order to offer better visibility to artists from minorities. The inaugural award for Best Urban Music Album was won by the immensely popular Bad Bunny for his record El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo, while Best Performance in “Global” Music – a new name for what used to be called “world music” – went to the brilliant Arooj Aftab for her song Mohabbat. Originally from Pakistan and rooted in New York, the author, composer, director and performer draws inspiration from jazz and folk to reinterpret the musical heritage of the Asian subcontinent; it will give a concert on July 5 at Club Soda, on the bill of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal.
Rock band Foo Fighters were nominated in three categories and were scheduled to perform at the televised gala. In mourning for its drummer Taylor Hawkins who died suddenly on March 25, the group canceled its presence at the Grammys and could not collect its statuettes won in the categories of Best Rock Performance (for the song making a fire), Best Rock Song (for Waiting on a War) and Best Rock Album (for Medicine at Midnight). The Recording Academy had planned a tribute to Hawkins during the televised gala.
The surprise of the first ceremony was to see Joni Mitchell go to the podium to collect her Grammy for Best Historical Album (compilation) for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967). Her failing health had caused concern among her fans, who must have been reassured to see her in such good spirits when delivering her acceptance speech.
Beninese icon Angélique Kidjo won her fifth career Grammy award thanks to Mother’s NatureBest “Overall” Music Album, while Canadian musician Alex Cuba deferred Best Latin Pop Album for Mendo. In all other music genres, St. Vincent won Best Alternative Album (for Daddy’s Home), Rhiannon Gidens and Francesco Turrisi won Best Folk Album (for the superb They’re Calling me Home), Esperanza Spalding for Best Vocal Jazz Album (for Songwrights Apothecary Lab) and Chick Corea a posthumous Grammy for her improvised solo on the recording of Humpty Dumpty (Set 2).
Composer and bandleader Jon Batiste came in pole position in the race for the Grammys with eleven nominations; even before the start of the televised gala, he had already won four: Best music video (for the song Freedom), Best Roots Performance and Best Roots Song for cry and Best Picture Score (“Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media”) for his film score Drunk (co-written with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), an award carried forward ex aequo by Carlos Rafael Rivera, composer of the music of the mini-series The Queen’s Gambit.