Martha Argerich honored at Opus Klassik 2026 awards

At the Opus Klassik 2026 ceremony held at the Konzerthaus Berlin, artists from Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics received twelve awards across eleven categories.

Pianist Martha Argerich was honored with a lifetime achievement award. At 85, she was recognized for her six decades of recordings and her ongoing commitment to performing and supporting young musicians.

Other notable winners include Yunchan Lim, named instrumentalist of the year for his recording of Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations’, and Sarah Willis, who received the same honor for ‘Cuban Christmas’. Lang Lang won the bestseller award for ‘Piano Book 2’. Alice Sara Ott was recognized in the New Classic/Neoclassic category, while Andris Nelsons was named conductor of the year.

The awards also highlighted technical and stylistic innovation, such as producer Rainer Maillard’s award for an all-analog recording of Mikhail Pletnev’s ‘Chopin & Scriabin: Préludes’.