(Credits: Sandrine Expilly / Bertie Watson)

The Gramophone has announced its 2020 Awards.

The top Opera recording went to the Erato’s release of Handel’s “Agrippina”, featuring Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Luca Pisaroni, Franco Fagioli, Jakub Józef Orliński, Andrea Mastroni, Carlo Vistoli, Biagio Pizzuti, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Maxim Emelyanychev conducted the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra.

Sandrine Piau received the Recital prize this year for her album “Si j’ai aimé” on the Alpha Classics label, while Nicky Spence’s recording of Janáček’s “The Diary of One Who Disappeared” released by Hyperion was the top choice for the Solo Vocal category.

Finally, the Bach Collegium Japan won this year’s Choral category for its recording of Bach’s “St Matthew Passion” on the BIS label.

The winners in these four categories, along with the other winners in instrumental and orchestral categories, will enter the final competition round. The Recording of the Year final round will be announced on Oct. 6 2020 at an online Gala event which will be hosted by the Gramophone’s Editor-in-Chief James Jolly and the mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey.