Which stars won at Germany's Echo music awards?

… now has eight ECHOs to his credit. He's been named "Singer of the Year" three times. In years past, it was on the strength of his performances of Puccini or Verdi. This time, Kaufmann is being honored for his album "Dolce Vita," on which the German tenor warbles Italian hit tunes – reflecting a German longing for sunshine, vacation and "la dolce vita."

"… leaves no doubt that her own star is at its height," writes the Financial Times. Words of praise also came from the periodical "Gramophone:" born in Kansas, USA, the mezzo-soprano and multi-Grammy winner Joyce DiDonato "compels us to listen actively, to hear things anew." Her counterpart as male singer of the year is German baritone Matthias Goerne.

… has long since attained legendary status. Now 75, the Italian conquered the piano world more than 50 years ago as a Chopin performer and is still considered an expert on the composer. Despite being considered a thoughtful artist concerned with detail, Pollini plays with spontaneity, feeling and abandon.

… makes ears perk up; his performances have been described as existential experiences. "Unforgettable: the best performance of the work I've ever heard" wrote a critic in "The Guardian" after Tetzlaff's rendition of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Born in 1966 in Hamburg, this violinist manages to astonish experts repeatedly – and he takes things to the limit, physically and musically.

… wins an ECHO for the recording of Richard Strauss' "Alpine Symphony" with Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. The US-born conductor has been a fixture of the German musical scene, with celebrated tenures in Berlin, Munich and now as Music Director in Hamburg. And like many other maestros, he maintains regular engagements on several continents.

The name recalls "Radio in the American Sector" (RIAS), a broadcaster in postwar Berlin. Because the chorus sang for various broadcast purposes, it had to be particularly flexible – as recordings from the 1950s demonstrate. Critics nowadays praise its warm sound, clear articulation and communication of musical content.

The name Järvi is frequently encountered in the classical music world: Paavo and Kristjan Järvi have led several leading orchestras. The conductor brothers from Estonia also have a father in the business, who now takes an ECHO for the CD "Neeme Järvi Conducts Ibert," which brings out the full musical elegance of French composer Jacques Ibert's music.

… won the legendary Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 2011 at age 20, along with the Rubinstein Competition in Israel. The previous year, the Russian triumphed at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. The recording of his 2013 recital in New York's Carnegie Hall was a hit. Now he's won an ECHO for his recording of Franz Liszt's "Transcendental Etudes."

For four days, a film team from DW documented the encounter of two unlikely partners: the now-deceased maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chinese star pianist Lang Lang. Directed by Christian Berger, the documentary is Deutsche Welle's first ECHO, although earlier classical music productions such as "The Beethoven Project" and "The Schumann Project" have won a number of other prizes.

Be it Turkish folk tunes, jazz, classical music or his own compositions, Fazil Say's performances "rock" – a credit to his compelling rhythms and soaring melodic arches. Now he takes an ECHO for his complete recording of Mozart's piano sonatas. Hats off to the Turkish pianist and universal talent.

"…has impacted generations of singers," writes Florian Drücke, managing director of the National Association of the Music Industry (BVMI). After a career as opera singer spanning decades, Brigitte Fassbaender traveled new pathways as stage director, theater director, author and educator, making her one of the most varied artistic personalities of our time.