07.10.2020

OLIVIA VERMEULEN wins the "Jahrespreis 2020" of the German Record Critics' Award

Congratulations to Olivia Vermeulen and her pianist Jan Philip Schulze, who were awarded the 2020 annual German Record Critics' Award for their album "Dirty Minds",  released on Challenge Records and devoted to the many facets of love and sexuality as reflected throughout music history – from Purcell and Mozart to Schubert, Weill, Eisler and contemporary composers such as William Bolcom and Jake Heggie. The full  statement of the Award Committee reads as follows:

"Sex sells? A number of recordings have already taken this into account. Olivia Vermeulen's contribution stands out from the crowd. The album by the Dutch mezzo-soprano combines erotic songs from an astonishing wealth of relevant material spanning over five centuries. The varied section of unambiguous and ambiguous songs ranges from Henry Purcell's pleasure-loving baroque era to the instinctive tango sounds of the American contemporary Jake Heggie. In between, the singer dedicates herself with the precious, delicate, agile voice of an erotic florilegium to ambiguous songs of the classical and romantic periods, eventually roaming the sultry, symbolic pleasure gardens of the second Viennese school. Despite all the instinctuality of the subjects, Vermeulen shines with fine sound culture, just as subtle as her German piano partner Jan Philip Schulze. An album like an aphrodisiac!"

Congratuliations!