Having been released this week, Billboard has posted the SoundScan numbers of every album and artist that has sold a record this year. On the classical front, Andrea Bocelli, Lindsey Stirling, the Monks of Norcia, the Piano Guys, Jackie Evancho and more make the list of top contenders.
Alongside the Grammy nominations, which were posted this week, the fourth quarter statistics are a summation of the year's best and most popular music. It's no surprise to see the most popular classical artists of the day on the charts but some names might confound listeners.
At the top of the Classical Albums Artists category is the beloved Mr. Andrea Bocelli, followed by Lindsey Stirling at number 2, the Piano Guys third, Jackie Evancho fourth and the Tenors bubbling into the fifth spot.
But the list also contains Classicalite favorites 2Cellos at number 6, Renée Fleming at number 8 and the Monks of Norcia at 10. The Monks of Norcia have maintained a high status since their Gregorian chants disc debuted at the #1 classical spot for weeks earlier this year.
For the Classical Albums circle, Shatter Me from Stirling takes the top prize with Wonder by The Piano Guys following. At number 3 is Jackie Evancho's Awakening, number 4 Christmas at Downton Abbey and number 5 Andrea Bocelli's Opera: The Ultimate Collection hits disc.
Bocelli follows his number 5 slot with another one of his albums Cinema. As you can imagine, Renée Fleming and 2Cellos also appear on the lists for their respective albums but Ben Folds and C-lite favorites, too, yMusic reach onto the list at number 14 with So There.
In the blues section, Gary Clark Jr. dominates both Blues Albums and Aritsts categories with his self-produced LP The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.
Next in the line of musical accolades is the Grammys, which will honor musicians next year as part of the 2015 fiscal year. Hopefully we see our beloved artists take home awards they so rightfully deserve.
An odd pairing, we invite you to preview the Monks of Norcia below. While the name may appear as a strange one to chart, the popularity of the music speaks for itself (and Father Cassian Folsom helps guide us through the fraternal order).
