Congratulations are in order for George Benjamin whose opera Written on Skin took the Académie Charles Cros’ prestigious ‘Grand Prix’ for contemporary music this year. This accolade adds to a growing list of awards for this extraordinary opera:

 
 
Written on Skin has been doubly honoured at this year’s French Critics Awards, with the opera itself taking the Grand Prize and soprano Barbara Hannigan winning the Music Personality Award for her role as Agnes.
 
This award, from the leading German opera magazine Opernwelt, is decided by 50 independent music critics in Europe and US.
 
‘Rejoyce! We reviewers and spectators were not collectively hallucinating at the Aix-en- Provence festival in July 2012. The disc attests to Written on Skin, George Benjamin’s second opera… lyrical… haunting… personal… disturbing. How could one not fall under the spell? …the music of Benjamin and the text by Martin Crimp are perfect for one another… The instrumental part is full of archaic sounds and mysterious iridescent textures the bass viol , the mandolins, rare percussion, the muted brass… The vocal lines [have] astounding eloquence and sensuality…’
Diapson (Benoît Fauchet), November 2013
  
 
 
Les Chocs du Mois – Classica Magazine, November 2013
 
'George Benjamin's electrifying opera is captured magnificently on disc...On every level it's masterly'.
BBC Music Magazine (Ivan Hewett), June 2013