Sir Neville Marriner and Sir James Galway also among the winners.

Riccardo Chailly’s recording of the Brahms symphonies with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra on Decca was named Recording of the Year at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2014. Sir Neville Marriner, Sir James Galway, Leonidas Kavakos and the Nightingale String Quartet were also among the winners at the special ceremony held in London last night.

Chailly’s Brahms was hotly tipped to win, having proved popular with reviewers in most countrys (though more controversial amongst industry insiders, not all of whom agreed with Chailly’s no-nonsense, back to basics approach). Limelight critic Greg Keane found the results less radical than he’s feared, praising the orchestra who “play gloriously in equally superb acoustics” and concluding, “in the words of another famous reviewer… this is a Brahms cycle ‘to live with’”.

Two musicians with a combined age of 164 were also recipients of awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to legendary flautist Sir James Galway, a popular artist who has sold more than 30 million albums in a long and varied career. A special Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Sir Neville Marriner in his 90th birthday year (he’s just become the oldest conductor...