Boston Symphony Orchestra Albums Win Two GRAMMY® Awards
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s latest recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon label—Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie and Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos—won two GRAMMY Awards last night, scoring big wins for the orchestra, BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Presented at the 68th GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, these two awards follow on the recent success of the orchestra’s acclaimed traversal of the complete symphonies of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, which had already earned four GRAMMYs under the direction of Nelsons. The BSO has now amassed a total of 13 GRAMMY Awards over its distinguished history.
Captured at Boston’s Symphony Hall in April 2024, the BSO’s DG recording of Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla-Symphonie featured Music Director Andris Nelsons with pianist and exclusive DG artist Yuja Wang and Cécile Lartigau, one of today’s rare ondes Martenot players. The recording was released on December 6, 2024, marking the 75th anniversary of the world premiere given by the BSO and Leonard Bernstein on December 2, 1949, and commissioned by then BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky.
Last March, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death, DG released the BSO’s comprehensive 19-disc Shostakovich anthology, which contained all 15 symphonies, key incidental works, as well as new recordings of the complete concertos and the first commercial audio release in over 20 years of the composer’s landmark opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The cello concertos with Yo-Yo Ma, recorded at Symphony Hall in October 2023, was issued as a standalone album and won a GRAMMY this evening for Best Classical Instrument Solo. It marks Ma’s 20th GRAMMY Award over his long career.
Other BSO/DG recordings receiving GRAMMY nominations this year included Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos with Yuja Wang, under the category of Best Classical Instrument Solo. The BSO’s recent recording of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, featuring soprano Kristine Opolais, bass Günther Groissböck, and tenors Peter Hoare and Brenden Gunnel, received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical with acknowledgments to legendary Hollywood producer Shawn Murphy, BSO lead recording engineer Nick Squire, and mastering engineer Tim Martyn. (In 2019, the same team won GRAMMYs for the BSO’s recording of Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 4 and 11.)
Statement from BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons:
“All of us at the Boston Symphony Orchestra are incredibly honored to win the 2026 Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance for our Messiaen Turangalîla-symphonie album, recorded live from our magnificent home in Symphony Hall in 2024, 75 years after the work’s Boston Symphony world premiere under Leonard Bernstein.
“We are particularly grateful to pianist Yuja Wang and ondes Martinot player Cécile Lartigau whose virtuosic contributions added a truly spiritual dimension to the music-making. This was a joyous project, with everyone working very closely together, communicating the heart and soul living deep within the score of this profound music.
“We also congratulate Yo-Yo Ma for winning the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. All of us at the BSO are extremely proud of this recording of Shostakovich’s Cello Concertos, recorded live at Symphony Hall. The album was part of a beautiful journey—our 19-disc Shostakovich anthology, containing all 15 symphonies, concertos, incidental works, and the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. I’m very proud of how closely everyone worked together to produce it.
“We couldn’t have asked for more inspiring creative partners, including, of course, Yo-Yo, with whom we are excited to work again this summer as part of his weeklong residency at Tanglewood. I am so grateful for the extraordinary artistry, power, and intimacy he brought to these concertos. Many thanks to the Recording Academy for this honor.
“I feel nothing but tremendous respect and appreciation for the BSO’s dedicated work and the inspiring commitment and skill set of our sound engineering team, as well as the tireless efforts by the staffs and management teams at the BSO and Deutsche Grammophon.”
Statement from BSO President and CEO Chad Smith:
„I heartily congratulate Andris, our players, and our dear friend Yo-Yo along with Yuja Wang and Cécile Lartigau, the Turangalîla soloists, on their exceptional artistry. I also congratulate our lead recording engineer Nick Squire, producer Shawn Murphy, and the technical team who so expertly capture the singular BSO sound.
„The BSO is one of the most recorded orchestras in the world and its earliest offering, from 1917, was the first of its kind by an American orchestra. We are thrilled that this tradition of excellence and innovation continues to be recognized by the Recording Academy. Being nominated for four GRAMMYs this year—the most of any orchestra—is an amazing achievement. I am incredibly proud of this latest accomplishment and very grateful to every member of the BSO team for your collective commitment to our shared values and work on and off stage.”