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Public voting for the sixth annual ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine Awards opens today (Thursday 20 January) on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine website. Endorsed by five of the UK's leading music critics, in tandem with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine editor (Oliver Condy), consultant editor (Helen Wallace) and reviews editor (Daniel Jaffé), 18 recordings in six categories will be presented for public online voting. The nominations represent the best of more than 1,500 recordings reviewed by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine each year, and feature an array of household names as well as newcomers to the field.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine Awards are the only classical music awards in which the main categories are voted for by the public. Voting is at where audio excerpts from each of the recordings are available to help voters choose their favourites. All votes will be entered into a prize draw to win a Cambridge Audio 650 series hi-fi worth £1,000 and a copy of each nominated disc.

Performing groups' own record labels make a strong showing this year. They include the Hallé Orchestra's live recording of Wagner's Götterdämmerung under Sir Mark Elder and Glyndebourne's scintillating 2009 production of Dvorák’s Rusalka in the Opera category, as well as the LSO's own blazing recording of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with Valery Gergiev in the Orchestral category. The independent French record label Harmonia Mundi dominates the Instrumental category with three Paris-based keyboardists: Alexander Melnikov playing
Shostakovich; Alain Planès with a reconstruction of one of Chopin's own concerts in 1842; and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset playing Couperin. German artists dominate the Vocal category with tenors Jonas Kaufmann, Christophe Prégardien, baritone Werner Güra and soprano Julia Kleiter all nominated.

The variety of repertoire across the list of nominated CDs ranges from classics such as Mozart's The Magic Flute, in a revitalised performance under René Jacobs, to rarities such as Rued Langaard’s visionary Music of the Spheres on the Danish Da Capo label. Top conductors Vasily Petrenko, Valery Gergiev and Gianandrea Noseda are pitted against each other in the Orchestral category, featuring popular 20th-century masterworks by Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Bartók. Two of the world's leading violinists, Julia Fischer and Vadim Repin, go head to head in the Chamber category.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine Editor, Oliver Condy, says: "Anyone new to music visiting our website to vote is in for a treat.You will hear a feast of beguiling music from every century in superlative, inspired performances."

The winners will be announced at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine Awards ceremony, held on Tuesday 12 April at King's Place in London. In addition to the categories voted for by the public, there are five Jury Awards which, as well as Disc of the Year, include Premiere Recording, Technical Excellence, Best Newcomer and DVD of the Year. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Magazine jurors are joined by Andrew McGregor, presenter of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3's CD Review and a panel of regular magazine contributors including George Hall of the Guardian; Sony award-winning broadcaster Stephen Johnson, Christopher Dingle of the Birmingham Conservatoire and Dr Berta Joncus from Goldsmith's College, University of London.

Carolyn Wray