BMOP/sound, the country's premier record label devoted exclusively to new music recordings, was honored by The Recording Academy as nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced December 4, 2008. Recognized in the category of "Best Classical Vocal Performance" is the extraordinary performance of Sanford Sylvan (baritone) featured on the label's CD release of Charles Fussell: Wilde.
In its inaugural year, BMOP/sound is pleased by the industry's support of the label. BMOP/sound's Executive Producer, Gil Rose, says "I am thrilled to hear that Sanford has been nominated for a Grammy and cannot think of anyone more deserving of such an award. His performance of Charles Fussell's Wilde—a beautiful and compelling work—is spectacular and further demonstrates the level of excellence that BMOP/sound strives to achieve with all of its recordings."
"It is an honor to be nominated and what makes me happiest is the recognition this nomination brings to Charles Fussell and to the visionary leadership of Gil Rose," says Sylvan. "Without Gil and BMOP, there would not have been a recording of this beautiful piece and for this I am grateful." Having established a reputation as an eloquent and versatile performer who can sing everything from Bach to John Adams, American baritone Sanford Sylvan displays a remarkable range of vocal expression and communicative power.
Charles Fussell: Wilde, a moving operatic tribute to Oscar Wilde, features the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and the bittersweet text of Will Graham, as sympathetically articulated by Sanford Sylvan. The recording embraces the rich extended tonalities and shifting, lyrical textures characteristic of Fussell's musical language.
The 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," February 8, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). A complete list of nominees is available at http://www.grammy.com.
BMOP/sound, the label of the acclaimed Boston Modern Orchestra Project, explores the evolution of the music formerly known as classical. Its eclectic catalog offers both rediscovered classics of the 20th century and the music of today's most influential and innovative composers. Charles Fussell: Wilde (released September 1st) is one of seven BMOP/sound recordings released in 2008: John Harbison: Ulysses (released March 1st); Michael Gandolfi: Y2K Compliant (released April 1st); Lee Hyla: Lives of the Saints featuring Mary Nessinger, mezzo-soprano (released May 1st); Gunther Schuller: Journey Into Jazz (released June 1st); Eric Sawyer: Our American Cousin (released July 1st); and Lukas Foss: The Prairie (released December 1st). BMOP/sound recordings are distributed by Albany Music Distributors, coupled with global online distribution. An expanded BMOP website with an online store for BMOP/sound is planned.