The Awards are upon us once more!

Time to vote for the best recordings of the last 12 months

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How time flies! Back in February 2006, when the shortlists for the first ever BBC Music Magazine Awards were drawn up, among the nominated discs were Bach cantatas from baritone Thomas Quasthoff, Britten and Beethoven by the Belcea and Takács quartets respectively, and Baroque arias by countertenor Andreas Scholl. Remember them? Now, as the Awards approach their 20th instalment in April, another stunning list of shortlisted recordings is ready to be voted on – with downloads and streaming very much part of the equation, the technology may have moved on, but the quality of performances remains as high as ever.

Over the course of the previous 19 years, a number of performers have enjoyed repeated visits both to the nominations list but also to the winners’ stage itself. However, every year also brings new names to the fold – not just young, upand-coming stars making a big impression early on in their career but also more experienced, established performers showing how the skill of heading into the studio and recording a blinder has never left them. Importantly, too, the variety of composers featured seems to increase year on year. This year, for instance, no fewer than nine of the 27 nominated recordings feature works by female composers – a noticeable change from 2006, when there were none at all.

Today’s