A deserved recognition of Carter

Here’s my Grammy prediction for the big loser of the best classical album of 2004: the Naxos disc of Elliott Carter’s Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto and “Holiday” Overture. But nominating it four days before the dean of American music turns 96 -- still vital and still widely and irresponsibly dismissed as an unreasonable complexifier -- is a responsible and maybe not even hollow gesture. The disc’s little-known piano soloist, Mark Wait, also landed a nomination for best solo performance with orchestra.

Whether Carter wins or loses, new American music is a winner, since this year’s big Grammy battle is between John Adams’ Pulitzer --Prize-winning “On the Transmigration of Souls” (with three nominations) and a disc of orchestral music by Jennifer Higdon (with four). Adams is one of the finest composers of our time, while Hidgon’s is a splashy new name on the scene.

Another interesting battle is between two terrific new star conductors in early music, Emmanuelle Haim and Rene Jacobs. Each has two nominations for best opera set; they dominated opera this year. Arguably the two most theatrically riveting opera singers before the public, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Karita Matilla, will duke it out for best vocal performance.