The Minnesota Orchestra, directed by Osmo Vanska, has earned a Grammy nomination for its much-acclaimed recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.  The nomination, in the "Best Orchestral Performance" category, was announced last Thursday.  The recording was part of a five-disc set, recorded on the BIS label in January of 2006.

Artists participating in the recording included Helena Juntunen (soprano), Katarina Karnéus (mezzo soprano), Daniel Norman (tenor), Neal Davies (bass/baritone) and the Minnesota Chorale.  The New Yorker magazine praised the Minnesota Orchestra recording of Beethoven's Ninth as "some of the most vivid Beethoven playing on the market".

Other nominations in the same category include the Los Angeles Philharmonic recording of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen), a recording of Vaughn Williams Symphony Number Five with the Atlanta Symphony, and the Nashville Symphony recording of Joan Tower's Made in America, conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

This is not the first time a Twin Cities ensemble has gained recognition in the Grammy Awards process.  The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra won a 1980 Grammy Award for "Best Chamber Music Performance" with its recording of Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.