The Gramophone classical music awards 2025 were announced last night at a ceremony in central London in which Sir Simon Rattle made history as the first musician ever to win artist of the year for a second time, having first been awarded the title in 1993.
The award recognises Rattle’s recent work with the London Symphony Orchestra (where he is conductor emeritus), the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Czech Philharmonic and a string of acclaimed recordings spanning the baroque to contemporary repertoire. In a video acceptance speech, the conductor said: “I was 10 years old when I started spending my pocket money on Gramophone magazine … this is an extraordinary honour.” Video tributes to Rattle from fellow musicians included Barbara Hannigan, Peter Hoare, Thomas Quasthoff, and composer John Adams, who said: “How can someone be one of the great conductors of our time and also just a plain wonderful mensch, a good guy who cares deeply … To have worked with him, to have heard him do my music with the intensity and passion that he’s given it – it’s been one of the great pleasures of my life.”
