Classical Brit Awards 2004

[roger]

In less than 48, the Classical Brit Awards ceremony will be underway in London's Royal Albert Hall. What are Hayley's chances of success? These are my predictions:

Best Album Category:
This category is the only one to be decided by public vote. That is significant. Classic FM have been publicising this event for weeks. Pure remained in the top three positions in the Classic FM chart for 34 consecutive weeks. No other album has come anywhere near that achievement. If a similar proportion of the programme's 6.5 million listeners who kept her so high in the chart for so long have voted for her, then she should walk it despite there being nine other strong contenders.

Female Performer of the Year
As with all the other categories, this is being decided by a panel of "experts". Disappointingly, of the three contenders, the Classic FM magazine ranks Hayley as the outsider. We shall see. Whatever, I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Hayley all the luck in the world.

Oh, I almost forgot..... I'll be there!!

[Dave]

I've been scared to start a thread like this but now it's done, I can put in my two-penneth

Female Artist - Hayley is up against Cecilia Bartoli and Marin Alsop. Cecilia won the category two years ago so Hayley might have been "allowed" to beat her. But Marin - an American - is the first woman conductor of a major British Orchestra, from 2002 (Bournemouth S O). Sir Colin Davis won the male award in 2002 so there is a precedent for a conductor to win.

No exclusively classical crossover artist has yet won the Male or Female Artist award (the closest being Bryn Terfel and Kennedy, 3 and 4 years ago). Even Andrea Bocelli has not yet won Male Artist. Charlotte Church could only win in a special category "British Artist" that has not appeared since 2000. The musical establishment will probably feel it right to award the prize to Marin. A win here for the "young upstart", Hayley, would send the classical establishment into total meltdown. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Best Album. Now here, Hayley has a good chance but I am worried about Bryn Terfel. He had the only other classical platinum album of the year and even managed to out-sell Hayley at her peak, for a few weeks last autumn. I fear that because he is British, and also might fit the Classic FM audience demographics a bit better than Hayley, a higher percentage of his (smaller number of) fans will have voted than Hayley's. Therefore, he could pip her to the post (I hope not). Incidentally, only Andrea Bocelli and Russel Watson have won this award previously.

So Hayley could be left with the "consolation" prize - Best Selling Album of the Year. Renee Fleming, incidentally, has already been declared winner of the "Outstanding contribution to British Music" award, so Hayley would not be alone in already knowing her "fate", if that's all she won! [EDIT] But of course it's not really a consolation prize - we 700,000 who bought it last year voted with our wallets and credit cards, not just a few pennies worth of phone calls, so it, too, is a great prize!

Gosh, I do hope I am wrong and that Hayley wins two or three awards - she's done so much good for the UK classical recording industry (and me!!!) that she deserves their recognition.

Oh I almost forgot, I'll be there too!

[HWI]

In 2003, sales of classical music CDs rose for the first time in a few years, instead of the steady decline that had been experienced. The increase in sales was 1,000,000. As Hayley was a b*and new artist on the music scene last year and sold more than 70% of this increased figure on her own, in the last three months of the year, if the benefit they have brought to the classical music world has any meaning, she should take both categories "best female artist" and "best album". That is, if there is any justice in the world.

Still, there is an award Hayley has already won which is far more valuable than any she could receive tomorrow - she has won the hearts of a very large chunk of the British music-buying public.

Good luck Hayley. I will be there to cheer you on.

Keith.

[roger]

As is the case from time to time, you can today vote for Pokarekare Ana to be played in tomorrow's "Classic FM Most Wanted" programme. The difference is that, this time, all thirty works which appear in the selection list are up for one award or another in tomorrow evening's Classical Brit Awards. Let's all show our support for Hayley by voting for her here:

www.classicfm.com/index.cfm?nodeId=222

Good luck, Hayley

[Joe]

I'd like to wish Hayley the best of luck at the Classical Brit Awards today. I know that she's a cert at Best Album. I also would like to see the Classic FM staff eat their words (who give Hayley an outside chance of winning) and win Female Performer of the Year. Go Hayley !!!!

Also wishing my friends Keith, Dave, and Roger a safe jouney to RAH. Hope you all have a great time cheering on Hayley. Don't forget that many of us here in America are keen on Hayley winning.

Joe

[HWI]

Hi Joe,

Thank you for the kind sentiments in your message. I, for one, will thoroughly enjoy every moment of this evening. I shall be setting off in just over three hours, giving myself plenty of time to get to London. I am allowing five hours for the trip and planning on being there two hours before the start. With the return trip after the show, I think it wise not to be too rushed on the trip down.

Regardless of what happens at tonights awards, Hayley has already won something which is much more valuable than either of these nominations. With good people like yourself supporting her, she has won the hearts of a great many people. If I get the opportunity to speak to her - and it could be difficult tonight with a large number of celebrities, paparazzi, television crews, etc., - I will pass on your best wishes.

I will pass on the results as soon as I can on my return. It may well be tomorrow, because it will be rather late when i get back.

Keith.

[roger]

The result of today's Classic FM Most Wanted put Hayley and Pure at No 1. Considering that there were thirty items to choose from for this programme, and there are only ten contenders for tonight's award, this must surely be a very hopeful sign.

One more time..... Go for it, Hayley!

[Dave]

Thanks for your kind sentiments Joe, if Roger or me get home before Keith, I'm sure we'll post the results! The internet being what it is though, I suspect you may already know, by then! Fingers crossed

And now, away I go... off to lil ol' London Town... i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[Dave]

Well Hayley gave a wonderful performance of "Pokarekare Ana" with full orchestral backing and choir - she was literally note perfect and this time (for me) the sound system was excellent, too. If they decided the results on that, she would have walked it! Hayley looked very glamourous in her long blue evening gown, perfect for the occasion and more than a match for any of the other ladies present - divas included!

Unfortunately, the judges disappointed, awarding the Best Female Artist prize to Cecilia Bartoli, who wasn't there to collect her prize. Classic FM voters disappointed us too, voting Bryn Terfel's as Album of the Year. 'Home advantage' for the Welshman must have played a big part in that one.

The show was most enjoyable though, with several outstanding performances and Hayley was up among the very best of them. For a 17 year old among seasoned classical performers, that is simply astounding.

And afterwards, Hayley fought her way through the crowd of music industry executives to chat with we three HWI'ers and my daughter - who may have been the only other girl under 21 in the building! What a lovely gesture from this most un-diva-like young lady whose conversation and concerns seemed to be much the same as any other teenager - right down to the revision she needs to do for her exams later this year! I hope we didn't delay that NZ TV interview for too long!

Hayley should not be too disappointed; just getting onto the nomination list for Best Female Artist is a great honour in itself. And of this I have no doubt - Hayley will be back soon enough, to take that prize she deserves!

More details of the winners etc. are here.

[Joe]

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the early AM update. Too bad Hayley didn't win the top awards; but she's definitely number one in our hearts. I'll bet Hayley looked quite radiant in that blue gown. Glad to hear you got to chat with her amongst all the media. Now get some rest! Joe

[roger]

Thanks for your good wishes Joe. I passed on your message concerning American support to Hayley before the event began. She seemed genuinely pleased in her typically humble way.

I also passed on your message, Belinda, and she confirmed that Jill had conveyed your good wishes to her.

As Dave has said, it was not to be Hayley's night for the awards but she clearly accepted the decision most graciously and I wouldn't be surprised if she has already put it behind her and is preparing to move on. A commendable attitude which I only wish I could adopt myself. She certainly seemed perfectly happy when we spoke immediately afterwards.

It was quite an occasion to see so many artists and Hayley's performance of Pokarekare Ana was truly magnificent - and she looked absolutely stunning.

More details will follow as soon as I have recovered from the shock.

[Joe]

Glad you had a great time at the awards, Roger. Yeah, it's unfortunate that Hayley lost out. Bryn and Cecelia are great artists as well. It's truly wonderful that Hayley was nominated for two awards as well as performing so brilliantly. But we must put this behind us. It is good people like yourself and the rest of the team who support all of Hayley's endeavours that really count the most. I am confident that Hayley will remain very strong here in the US as she continues to appear throught the country.

[roger]

Hayley gave a brief interview to Classic FM from backstage at the Royal Albert Hall on the night of the Classical Brit Awards. A brief excerpt of it has just been broascast. This is what Hayley had to say:

"It was just amazing. I guess the Royal Albert Hall is just such an amazing venue to perform in. And then it's all done up as well with a great set. And, um, just yeah, the line-up of people as well that were performing tonight. You know, Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming - it's like, wow, I'm up amongst them [giggle]"

You can almost hear her saying it, can't you?

[Dave]

The Classical Brit Effect

I wasn't sure which thread to post this in but hey, let's keep this one going a bit longer! Following the Broadcast of the Awards on TV yesterday evening (late!) Pure has shot up in the Amazon.co.uk overall music rankings from way below 400 (where it's mostly been for a month or two) to... 56. This is its best position for several months.

More importantly, from being mostly out of the Amazon UK Classical top ten for several weeks, as I write it's... Classical Number 1 there (including compilations etc). Isn't it supposed to be the WINNERS that benefit the most there? Well, Hayley seems to have re-written THAT rule book - the public knows what THEY like best!

Amici Forever (who also didn't win anything) are at 2 on Amazon UK and neck-and-neck with Hayley, so it seems to me the Brits judges are somewhat out of touch with the CD buying public that feeds them. I think they also need to re-think the present method of public (internet) voting for the "Best Album" as this year, it clearly hasn't produced the best album in the eyes of the CD buying public - which is Pure. Pure was the biggest selling UK classical album last year by a mile AND ALSO this year to date!

Incidentally, at Amazon the best of the actual winners is Bryn Terfel who is down at number 5 on Amazon UK classical rankings. It will be interesting to see if the Classical Brits effect persists long enough to drag Pure back into the overall pop charts next week!

[Dave]

Edit: This message was posted on May 31st - not in September!!!!
[/b]
As of 9:10pm today, Hayley and Amici Forever are at 33 and 32 respectively, in the Amazon UK overall music chart - and top 2 in the Classical chart, with the rest nowhere. Their order has been swapping about all day!

I see also that Amazon UK dropped their price from £12.99 to £8.99 and this is the highest I've seen Hayley on Amazon UK this year. Watching it's almost as exciting as what happened in the US after GMA and NPR! Grrrrr at the competition from Amici - but it's fun!