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By Ben Mattison
28 Dec 2005
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma tops Billboard's list of the bestselling classical musicians of 2005, part of the magazine's year-end issue.
Ma had four albums on the Billboard classical chart this year, including the top classical album of the year: Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone.
Following Ma on the list of top artists are violinist André Rieu, who charted with four albums, and the 5 Browns, whose self-titled debut album was the second-best-selling album of the year. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, violinist Joshua Bell, soprano Renée Fleming, Anonymous 4, Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, pianist Leon Fleisher, and soprano Anna Netrebko round out the list.
Following Ennio Morricone and The 5 Browns on the album list are Rieu's Tuscany, the Silk Road Ensemble's Silk Road Journey: Beyond the Horizon, and Bell's Romance of the Violin.
Sony BMG Masterworks was the top classical label, with 11 albums on the chart; the company's Sony Classical division was the top imprint.
The top classical-crossover artist was Il Divo, on the strength of its first two albums. Also on the crossover artist list are Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, the London Symphony Orchestra, and Sarah Brightman. The bestselling crossover CDs of the year were Il Divo, Groban's Closer, Bocelli's Andrea, the soundtrack to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and Il Divo's Christmas Collection.
A report on Billboard's year-end jazz roundup will appear on PlaybillArts.com tomorrow.
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