The third ceremony of the international Pure Sound Awards

The third ceremony of the international Pure Sound Awards for the best recordings of Russian academic music was held on June 17, 2025, at the Na Plyushchikhe Theater Center. The project was established by the Russian Musical Union (RMU) in 2018, with the first winners receiving their awards in 2019. This year, the ceremony was conducted with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. The primary aim of this large-scale endeavor is to capture and preserve masterpieces of Russian music through live performance interpretation. The project seeks to develop the national composer school and recording industry, as well as to promote Russian musical culture on the international stage.

Over the past few years, the Pure Sound Awards have become a focal point for the musical community, attracting performers, composers, sound engineers, and connoisseurs of academic music from all across Russia. This year, a record number of submissions was received: over 200 recordings from 26 regions of the country. The jury selected 24 outstanding releases in eight categories, awarding winners of first, second, and third degrees.

At the gala concert dedicated to the award ceremony, artists performed works by eminent Russian composers from both past and present. The event was hosted by Honored Artist of Tatarstan, opera singer Albert Zhalilov, who performed “Pesenka Lepelletier” from the film Hussar Ballad, and theater and film actress Valeria Lanskaya, who captivated the audience with Vadim Bibergan’s romance set to the verses of Anna Akhmatova, titled “Prikhodi na menya posmotret.” The concert program opened with the overture to Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, which has become a symbol of Russian academic music, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Moscow State Conservatory under the baton of People’s Artist of Russia Felix Korobov. The stage also featured performances by Apollon Quintet under the direction of Vyacheslav Sazykin, People’s Artist of Russia Daniel Kramer, winners of national and international competitions, such as Fedor Osver, Ravil Islyamov, Anna Buturlina, and other distinguished musicians.

Throughout the evening, special awards were conferred by the event’s partners, including companies Oktava DМ, SWAudio, ARIS, Simple Way Audio, the music publishing company Ray Records, and the newspaper Kultura. Additional partners included the Union of Composers of Russia, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, the radio station Orfey, the company Soyuz, the magazines Muzykalnaya Zhizn and Zvukorezhissyor, the information agency InterMedia, and the cultural portal Kulturomaniya.

The Pure Sound Awards gala featured the formal ceremony awarding the laureates and presenting special prizes in several categories. In the “Chamber Vocal Music” category, the recording Hibla Gerzmava. Ekaterina Ganelina. Chamber Vocal Works by Russian Composers was recognized. The special prize was presented by Anastasia Khodukina, Deputy General Director of Ray Records. Ekaterina Ilina, Head of Marketing and Special Projects at the Zaryadye Moscow Concert Hall, came onto the stage to accept the award.

Also, a special prize in the “Chamber Instrumental Ensemble Music” category was awarded to the release Alexander Tchaikovsky. String Quartets from Ray Records. Anastasia Zeinalova, a representative of the music publishing company, was invited on stage to receive the award.

This event marked a significant milestone within the music industry, emphasizing the importance of high-quality sound recording and supporting talented composers and performers.