Classical Music Awards: The runners-up: Artists strike triumphant note on big awards night

AMONG those considered by the jury for the awards in the various categories, in addition to the winners, were the following candidates: Chamber Group of the Year: Carmina Quartet, Emerson String Quartet, Trio Fontenay; Orchestra of the Year: Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic; Single Event of the Year: On the Town (Barbican Centre, London), St Francois d'Assise (Salzburg Festival), The Ghosts of Versailles (Metropolitan Opera, New York); Early Music Group of the Year: Freiburger Barockorchester, Sequentia, Tafelmusik; Conductor of the Year: Pierre Boulez, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Sir Georg Solti; Instrumentalist of the Year: Yuri Bashmet, Yo- Yo Ma, Mitsuko Uchida; Female Singer of the Year: Cecilia Bartoli, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Waltraud Meier; Male Singer of the Year: Jose Carreras, Thomas Hampson, Dmitri Hvorostjovsky, Luciano Pavarotti; Opera Production of the Year: The Ghosts of Versailles (prod. Graham; Metropolitan, New York), Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (prod. Berghaus; Staatsoper, Stuttgart), Wozzeck (prod. Chereau; Chatelet, Paris); Newcomer of the Year: Carlo Rizzi, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Maxim Vengerov; Chorus of the Year: Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Maryinsky Opera Chorus, Swedish Radio Choir; Composition of the Year: Gorecki, String Quartet No 2, Quasi una fantasia; Takemitsu, Fantasma/Cosmos, for clarinet and orchestra; Tippett, String Quartet No 5; Recording of the Year: Beethoven, Nine Symphonies (conducted by Harnoncourt, Teldec); Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier (conducted by Haitink, EMI); Janacek, Glagolitic Mass (conducted by Tilson Thomas, Sony); Festival or Concert Series of the Year: BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts 1992; Salzburg Festival 1992; Musique du XXe Siecle (Chatelet, Paris); 1991 Personality of the Year (votes from readers of the Independent and BBC Music Magazine): Andrew Davis, Luciano Pavarotti, Simon Rattle.