The 2010 Gramophone Awards took place on September 30. One of the most esteemed classical awards ceremonies in the world, the Gramophone Awards provides an excellent barometer of the trends – as well as the health – of the sector.

The Artist of the Year Award went to American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. The award crowns an extraordinary year for Ms DiDonato, in which she fractured her leg during a Royal Opera House production of The Barber of Seville (and continued – the show must go on, after all!).

Joyce DiDonato has become a much-loved fixture on stage in Covent Garden, at the Royal Opera House. You can explore her passionate and authentic Donna Elvira in Mozart’s bombastic Don Giovanni, recorded live at the ROH and released in 2009, here.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Austrian pianist Alfred Brendel. This thoughtful musician adds this accolade to a collection including an OBE, a Sonning Award and the Praemium Imperiale. A fascinating 2002 BBC documentary entitled Alfred Brendel in Portrait focuses on the opinions and creativity of a man who is also a poet and author. A recital of pieces featuring the work of Mozart, Haydn and Schubert is also featured.

29 year old Argentinean cellist Sol Gabetta won the Young Artist of the Year award, capping off a year in which she released her latest CD, Hoffman, Haydn, Mozart: Cello Concertos.

The Editor’s Choice Award was handed to conductor Marin Alsop, for her widely lauded vision of Leonard Bernstein’s ever-controversial Mass, released in 2009.

The hard work put in by classical music labels was acknowledged at the Awards Ceremony. The Special Achievement Award was handed to Brian Couzens, the founder of Chandos, which celebrated its 30th birthday in 2009, and the Label of the Year Award was given to Glasgow-based Linn records. 

The Baroque Instrumental Award went to La Serenissima, a group dedicated to the performance of work by Antonio Vivaldi, for their impeccable recording of The French Connection, released on Avie.

We could not forget to mention the DVD Performance Award of course, bestowed upon Opus Arte for the stunning Glyndebourne production of Purcell’s Fairy Queen, an operatic rendering of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sally Dexter stars as Titania alongside Joseph Millson as Oberon, supported by a magnificent cast. The DVD is available at £19.99 for a limited time, here.

The full list of Gramophone winners can be seen here