From early Deutsche Grammophon s to the latest, here are
6 CDs of classic classical tracks for the price of two! You'll
hear Pavarotti ( Una Furtiva Lagrima from L'Elisir D'Amore ),
Richard Strauss conducting Mozart ( Symphony No. 40-Finale ),
Segovia (Tarrega's Recuerdas De La Alhambra ), Carreras ( E
Lucevan Le Stelle from Tosca ), Battle (Faure's Pie Jesu ),
Bernstein ( Overture to Candide ), Heifetz ( It Ain't Necessarily
So from Porgy & Bess ) and more.
From the Artist
---------------
"With 111 years of history behind it, Deutsche Grammophon remains
the world's largest and proudest classical music label. Since its
100th anniversary eleven years ago, it has continued to thrive in
an especially challenging global environment for recorded music.
For me, in nearly two decades of leading the worldwide
classical-music business for Universal, it has been a huge but
rewarding challenge to help guide this great label into the
future. Deutsche Grammophon continues to flourish because it has
never lost of its underlying philosophy: Support the artist
with the means to make great music and deliver this great music
to the public in a beautiful package with creative ideas."
Christopher Roberts President Classics and Jazz Universal Music
Group International
For me, Deutsche Grammophon's anniversary also represents an
exceptionally fruitful collabo-ration between artist and record
label. I congratulate Deutsche Grammophon's great team on this
unique anniversary - may they continue to bring unprecedented
beauty to the ears of the world. Anne-Sophie Mutter
In the world of classical music, Deutsche Grammophon's Yellow
Label has long been acknowl-edged as a symbol of high quality,
and it still is today. My own relationship with the company,
although not exclusive, has been an extremely productive one, and
it has been going on for about forty percent of Deutsche
Grammophon's 111-year history! Plácido Domingo
My earliest musical memories are my mother playing the piano and
the sounds from my parents' record collection. Those records,
mainly Deutsche Grammophon LPs, were both my conserva-tory and
the gates to a magic world of possibility in sound and drama.
When listening to them as a child growing up in a small town in
Argentina in the 1960s, I was in the house, in the world, but in
another world as well. This form of ritual listening has changed
with the new technologies, but I will cherish it forever, as a
key experience of my early life and one that also shaped me as an
adult. I feel profoundly grateful for those memories, and
honoured to have my music now part of the DG world. Osvaldo
Golijov
What makes DG such a special record company? It's much more than
an impressive history, tradition and catalogue. It's the people
at the label who carry the torch into the future and make up a
real family and creative home for so many of today's musicians.
Everyone in this team im-plements a strong and courageous vision
with total dedication and energy - not only physical and mental,
but often emotional as well. For that is truly what makes the
difference: they engage their hearts to create a fertile and
inspiring environment for us musicians. Congratulations on this
remarkable anniversary and many happy returns. Hélène Grimaud
It is a great honour for me to join DG's family of exceptional
musicians and singers, and to be part of a label which has an
extremely rich history and tradition. For me, DG is also a
testimony of past and future generations and I would like to
carry on this tradition. Patricia Petibon
Since I came to Deutsche Grammophon, my life has been one
exciting musical challenge after another. And my record company
is always by my side to capture every moment for listeners and
viewers everywhere. Thank you, DG, and Happy Birthday! Anna
Netrebko
Deutsche Grammophon has given me and the Simón Bolívar Youth
Orchestra of Venezuela incredible rtunities and
encouragement. Thank you, DG, and congratulations on another
milestone anniversary. Gustavo Dudamel
Deutsche Grammophon represents a wonderful tradition of making
timeless music accessible to many people and preserving great
interpretations for future generations. I admire DG because both
of these things are of para importance to me as a musician
and as a human being. In its 111 years Deutsche Grammophon
managed to find unique synergy between the traditional and the
new. I felt this very strongly in all our collaborations. I
salute this amazing label and wish its team continued success and
inspiration. Lang Lang
I have recorded for Deutsche Grammophon for nearly 40 years.
During this time we have documented a large part of my
repertoire, including major works of contemporary music. I have
always found the greatest professionalism in the people who
collaborate with me - from executives to producers and
technicians. I shall always be grateful to Deutsche Grammophon
for enabling me to work under the best imaginable conditions.
Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft in all these years has played a
highly important role in producing discs which, along with the
most famous titles, also include important works that are not so
popular - with a strong presence in chamber and early as well as
contemporary music. In the difficult current situation, nearly
all the companies and concert organizations find
themselves confronted with an awkward decision: should they take
the easier, more com-mercial path, based on easily marketable
works? In my view, that would be a great mistake. My wish is that
the all-important role of these institutions in making all music
available will con-tinue in the future. I am convinced that
despite the difficulties in the long run that would be the more
fortunate choice. Maurizio Pollini
My her worked in a company when I was a boy, and he
used to bring a lot of LPs to our house. He brought mostly
s from the label he was working with (CBS), but
some-times also some from other labels and whenever he brought
home a DG album, it somehow seemed to me that it "weighed" more.
What made it heavier? Tradition, quality, art - and some¬thing
else that I was not able to explain then. I felt that what I held
in my hands (and heard in my ears) was not only an LP, but an
artistic object, a little treasure. The same elements that gave
weight to LPs then continue to be present in the CD of today, but
DG has also been alert and dynamic, and reacted to the challenges
of modernity. It remains the label with the oldest and best
tradition, but is also the most modern classical label. Being
part of DG is a big responsibil-ity and has allowed me to
understand that other element I could not explain as a child:
What makes DG the label it is, are the people working there. All
of them are knowledgeable, passion-ate, adventurous and full of
enthusiasm. To all of those who have built the great yellow label
in these 111 years I say "Congratulations", and to all of you
whom I am lucky to work with I say, from the bottom of my heart:
Thank you! Rolando Villazón
To me, Deutsche Grammophon represents a record company that is
the reference standard for classical music, so it meant a great
deal to me when at the age of 40 I first signed with them. To be
accepted by that family of musicians gave me a very good feeling.
My best reminiscences of DG have to include the
Schumann Concerto with Claudio Ab-bado. That was very special.
Another special moment was when I signed my first contract in the
old Vienna office with Aman Pedersen, and I still think very
fondly of the first meeting I ever had with Dr. Andreas
Holschneider, and how he impressed me with his culture and vast
knowledge. The quality of the s on the DG label is
always very high indeed. The expertise of the teams I
have worked with has always been of the very highest order, and I
have had the good fortune of working with the same Tonmeister
(Helmut Burk) on most of my records. DG has always provided
excellent conditions in which to work (something not always found
in the business), and I am most appreciative for the
support and understanding I have received from the company during
the many years of our collaboration. Maria João Pires
Deutsche Grammophon for me has always meant a guarantee of
quality. Now it's also a musical family I feel very close to,
with the finest artists and the top professionals in the
busi-ness. If you work with only the best, then the
results are bound to be the best. Elīna Garanča
Deutsche Grammophon and I have had a wonderful working
relationship for close to two dec-ades. No label could be more
open to its artists' wishes, and for me that's meant doing a huge
variety of repertoire. When I was keen to make a Wagner disc with
Claudio [Abbado] and the Berlin Phil, DG was only too happy to
make that possible. And when I wanted to do an album of Lerner
and Loewe, they were with me all the way. One couldn't ask for
more. I look forward to many more years of this rewarding
collaboration and wish Deutsche Grammophon all the best on its
anniversary. Bryn Terfel
With Deutsche Grammophon I have at my disposal the finest
engineers and an artistic team that perfectly
understands my musical intentions - in short, Deutsche Grammophon
and I speak the same language. ert von Karajan (1968)
Deutsche Grammophon represents to me - and to the music industry
- an ideal platform for "re-cording" in the classical sense of
the word as well as a constant source of fresh ideas in new
pro-ductions. May these qualities continue to distinguish the
label and ensure its illustrious reputation! Dietrich
Fischer-Dieskau
Deutsche Grammophon for me has always been the outstanding label
in classical music. So it was a dream come true when, after
Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" with Claudio Ab-bado
and the Berliner Philharmoniker, I was offered an exclusive
contract. Ten years have passed since then. During this time I've
even had the rtunity to make a jazz album for the classical
label Deutsche Grammophon, and that's been a special source of
joy and great pride. Thomas Quasthoff
It has been a pleasure to have collaborated with Deutsche
Grammophon since 1967. From the start, this experience has been
enjoyable: imagine what it's like to begin one's relationship by
the Prokofiev and Ravel piano concertos with Martha
Argerich and the Berliner Philharmoniker! And now, for more than
forty years, we have maintained this outstanding rela-tionship -
based on common aesthetic, artistic, and technical s. During
these four decades, Deutsche Grammophon committed itself to make
great s with Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, and Schubert
cycles - as well as Mozart's major operas. It is a wonderful
rtunity for an artist to record for DG, not only because of
its unparalleled history but for its artistic ex-cellence. I've
witnessed its continual support for both musicians and for
outstanding orchestras like the Berliner Philharmoniker, as well
as for new orchestras such as the Mozart Orchestra with which we
have recently recorded Mozart's late symphonies and Pergolesi's
sacred master-works -- I have deeply enjoyed working with such
passionate professionals, devoted to their cause and sharing
common ambitions to serve music, musicians, and repertoire. Happy
anniversary, Deutsche Grammophon, Claudio Abbado
Since the of my first "Parsifal", in 1970, DG has
played a central role in the preser-vation, promotion and
distribution of my interpretations. With all my best wishes for
your con-tinued success. Pierre Boulez
It is so rewarding to collaborate artistically with a company
that has such a legacy of mutual respect and understanding with
its artists. I have enjoyed every minute of my part in that
legacy, and I'm honoured to be connected with the company's
illustrious name. May Deutsche Gram-mophon flourish another 111 -
or 222 or 333! - years to continue to make history. Hilary Hahn
There are not many of us lucky artists of my generation who were
given the extraordinary chance to get married to a major
label so young. Over the years making s has
become an essential part of my work. I am grateful for any soul
who - surely feeling from time to time like Don Quixote - cares
and battles for classical music and its future. Thank you to
every one who makes these unique and special experiences happen.
Happy anniversary! Magdalena Kozená
Even before we became Deutsche Grammophon artists in 1987, and in
the 22 years since, we have always thought of DG as the pinnacle
of achievement in the classical industry. We were
thrilled when we learned of the company's interest in us; it was
an honour to be in-cluded among the legendary musicians on its
roster. Having recorded a great deal of the mag-nificent string
quartet repertoire, and quintets with such artists as Mstislav
Rostropovich, Me-nahem Pressler and Leon Fleisher, we feel that
our relationship with DG has represented a major part of our
career and will form an even greater part of our legacy. Eugene
Drucker, for the Emerson String Quartet
I have had a great 15 years working with Deutsche Grammophon,
starting from "early" early music and ending up with many of the
classics of the oratorio tradition. DG has always been an
artistic family; and I was honoured and privileged to be a part
of it and to follow such a great legacy of fantastic musicians in
history. Paul McCreesh
Deutsche Grammophon represents to me a fine team of people which,
despite turbulent market times, is committed to producing core
classical music documents of uncompromised quality. Deutsche
Grammophon is now a great partner in my musical life. Vadim Repin
I've been a professional musician for over three decades now, and
I thought there were few dreams left unrealized, but when I saw
the first Deutsche Grammophon release of my own works it felt
like some kind of milestone. To have one's own music alongside
the old masters on a label committed to the best is an awesome
and somewhat y privilege. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I came to Deutsche Grammophon with totally different projects
from anything I'd done before, and the DG team has always given
me the freedom to realize them with complete confidence. I'm also
honoured that my previous recital discs have all been reissued by
this prestigious label and integrated into its catalogue for
worldwide release. Deutsche Grammophon continues to re-spond to
and support my aspirations. Roberto Alagna
It is so rewarding to collaborate artistically with a company
that has such a legacy of mutual respect and understanding with
its artists. I have enjoyed every minute of my part in that
legacy, and I'm honoured to be connected with the company's
illustrious name. It is a surprising fact that the Amadeus
Quartet, in its history from 1950 until 1987,
encompassed, with the exception of course of the pre-electric
period, the entire history of from the 78s (in-cluding
the brief time DG had the 9-minute side) to 33s and finally CDs.
I well remember Dr. Steinhausen, who was responsible for the
excellent reputation of DG's superb quality of and
frequently had us to lunch while we were in Hannover for
re-cordings. Now that my three colleagues have all died, and I
alone am alive to see the latest celebration of DG, I would like
to take this rtunity of wishing DG a further 50 years of
success. Martin Lovett (cellist, Amadeus Quartet)
I am happy and grateful to be one of the Deutsche Grammophon
artists celebrating 111 years of its history. This 3-digit number
is a triple confirmation of the company's fidelity to classical
mu-sic, to its professionalism, and to its willingness to share
the beauty of art with millions of music lovers all around the
world. I also firmly believe that Deutsche Grammophon's respect
for tradi-tion and never-ending quest for perfection will ensure
that these words are still true 111 years from now. Rafał
Blechacz
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About the Artist
----------------
The story of Deutsche Grammophon begins with the birth of
itself. On 6 December 1898, Emile Berliner, the
Hanover-born American inventor of both the disc and the player,
and his brother, Joseph, founded this company in Hanover. Since
then, great performances of classical music in optimal
audio-quality has been our mission. In 2009, Deutsche Grammophon
celebrates its 111th anniversary with a dedicated website, three
limited-editions (and a book): these box-set releases of CDs
(downloads, too) and DVDs offer proof that each year since 1898
Deutsche Grammophon has honoured its motto - "the greatest
s by the greatest artists in the world" - in
incomparable fashion.
The First Decade (1898-1909) The story of Deutsche Grammophon
goes back as far as the birth of itself. In Decem-ber
1898, the company is founded in Hanover along with the first
record and gramophone manu-facturing works. Its directors are
Emile Berliner - the Hanover-born American inventor of both the
disc and the player - and his brother Joseph. Their factory uses
American-made hydraulic presses to produce shellac discs for the
Gramophone Company, established earlier that year in London by
Emile's associate William Barry Owen, with s supervised
by Emile's American associate Fred Gaisberg. By 1900, when the
Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft becomes a joint-stock company
with headquarters in Berlin, Berliner's disc has eclipsed
Edison's cylinder as the industry standard, and Gaisberg is busy
acquiring respectability for the new medium by signing up famous
artists. Enrico Caruso makes his first for the
Gramophone Company in Milan in 1902. Among others following suit
are Mattia Battistini, Emma Calvé, Alessandro Moreschi (the last
castrato), Antonio Scotti, Leo Slezak, Francesco Tamagno (Verdi's
first Otello), Geraldine Farrar, Mary Garden, and Elena Gerhardt.
The Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin becomes the first singer whose
reputation is actually estab-lished by the gramophone. In 1904,
the company finally succeeds in persuading the great Nellie Melba
to record for it, and a year later Gaisberg brings his
team and equipment to the Welsh castle of Adelina Patti - after
Melba the world's biggest opera star. Deutsche Grammophon is soon
appointed purveyor to the British and Spanish royal households,
thereby acquiring the ultimate seal of approval. By 1907 its
Hanover factory has some 200 re-cord-pressing machines in
operation and that year it turns out the first two-sided records.
The Second Decade (1910-1919) The earliest orchestral
is marketed in 1910: the opening movement of Grieg's Piano
Concerto with Wilhelm Backhaus, who two years earlier made his
debut for the com-pany playing selections from Bach's
Well-Tempered Clavier. Another famous pianist, Ignace Jan
Paderewski, makes his debut in 1911. In 1913, Deutsche
Grammophon causes a sensation with its first complete
of an or-chestral work: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, with the
Berliner Philharmoniker under its princi-pal conductor Arthur
Nikisch, is released on four double-sided discs, for Mark 9.50
(then equivalent to about $2.25 / 1,70 ) per disc; in Britain it
is issued on single-sided discs over sev-eral months. Also
published at this time are excerpts from Wagner's Parsifal with
the Berliner Philharmoniker under Alfred Hertz. With the outbreak
of World War I, Deutsche Grammophon's assets are impounded by the
Ger-man government on the grounds that the company is English and
therefore its holdings are en-emy property. In 1916, the German
and English firms - the latter destined to become the modern EMI
- go their separate ways. Deutsche Grammophon can no longer use
the trademark "His Master's Voice" or export from Germany discs
recorded abroad. Because the company can no longer sell records
by such top names as Caruso, Melba, and Patti, a new repertoire
has to be built up. In the next years, s will focus on
the finest artists of Germany and central Europe. The Third
Decade (1920-1929) In 1920 the 25-year-old Wilhelm Kempff makes
his first Deutsche Grammophon (Beethoven), as does
Elisabeth Schumann ("Non so più" from Figaro, sung in German).
Thus begins a new direction for the company with artists
including the soprano Maria Ivogün, conductors such as Hermann
Abendroth, Leo Blech, and Hans Pfitzner and a
philoso-phy of uncut performances, faithful to the score. In 1921
Frida Leider records Elisabeth's Greet-ing from Tannhäuser and
Richard Strauss is the pianist in his own lieder for baritone
Heinrich Schlusnus, who soon becomes one of the company's leading
singers. In 1924 DG is allowed to resume use of the Nipper "His
Master's Voice" trademark as well as its pre-war matrices for
issue in Germany, while the Polydor logo is introduced for
exported re-cords. The releases of this period emphasize Wagner
and often feature the Berlin Staatskapelle under Leo Blech or the
Berliner Philharmoniker under Max von Schillings. By 1925, when
the electro-acoustic system is introduced, the company
has brought out all nine Beethoven Symphonies, with Oskar Fried
and others conducting the Berlin Staatskapelle, plus such
large-scale symphonies as Bruckner's Seventh and Mahler's Second.
In 1926, Wilhelm Furtwängler overcomes his scepticism regarding
the medium to record Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Weber's
Freischütz Overture with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In
"Beethoven Year" 1927, when the company takes over the American
Brunswick label, its catalogue also contains the composer's
symphonies conducted by Otto Klemperer, Hans Pfitzner, and
Richard Strauss, as well as the Adagio from Bruckner's Eighth
conducted by Klemperer, Haydn's "Oxford" under Hans
Knappertsbusch, the Mozart 39 and "Jupiter" conducted by Strauss,
Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" with Bruno Walter and the Fledermaus
Overture under Erich Kleiber, all with the Berlin Staatskapelle,
which also plays for Strauss's s of his symphonic poems
(1926-33). By the time of Joseph Berliner's death in 1928 and
Emile's the following year, DG's annual production has reached
nearly 10 million records, with the Hanover factory employing
some 600 people. The Fourth Decade (1930-1939) Ravel's Boléro is
recorded by the company's new French subsidiary Société
phonographique française Polydor S.A. in 1930, with the composer
himself conducting the Lamoureux Orchestra. The worldwide "great
depression" precipitates a decline in record sales and in 1932
the company merges with Polyphon and moves its headquarters back
to Hanover. In 1937, after further years of falling production,
Deutsche Grammophon AG goes into liquidation and in its place
Deutsche Grammophon GmbH is founded, co-financed by the Deutsche
Bank and Telefunken Gesell-schaft. In spite of increasing Third
Reich restrictions, some important s continue to be
made. In December 1938 the first record by ert von Karajan
(the Zauberflöte Overture with the Berlin Staatskapelle) is
released. Other DG artists in this period included conductors
Paul van Kempen, Carl Schuricht, and Victor de Sabata; pianist
Elly Ney; violinist Georg Kulenkampff; and singers Erna Berger,
Tiana Lem-nitz, Walther Ludwig, and Julius Patzak. The Fifth
Decade (1940-1949) After the outbreak of World War II and faced
with a shortage of raw material, Deutsche Gram-mophon again
stagnates - and in 1941 it is taken over by the electronics and
engineering com-pany Siemens & Halske. In spite of curtailed
production, projects such as a relatively complete St.
Matthew Passion conducted by Bruno Kittel in 1942 are produced
(with the matrices taken by submarine to Japan, where Nippon
Polydor has ordered 17,000 sets). On 9 May 1942 the Gestapo
formally prohibits DG from producing masters using Jewish artists
and orders the destruction of all records in which they are
featured. Some s continued to be issued during this and
the following year, notably of Karajan conducting the Berlin
Staatskapelle, Concertgebouw, Berliner Philharmoniker, and RAI
Orches-tra of Turin. Among the other s from 1943 is
Strauss's Ein Heldenleben, conducted by the composer. After the
war's end, a small record-manufacturing facility is opened in
Berlin while the de-stroyed factory and administrative buildings
in Hanover are being rebuilt. In 1946, Deutsche Grammophon
becomes the first company to make all s using mag-netic
tape. In the following year, Archiv Produktion is founded to
promote early music - its first s are of Bach played in
Lübeck's Jakobikirche by organist Helmut Walcha, who re-mains
closely related with the label for 30 years. In 1949 exclusive
rights to the trademark "His Master's Voice" in Germany are sold
to Electrola (EMI Germany) and the yellow Deutsche Grammophon
label with tulip crown is introduced. Eugen Jochum, Ferenc
Fricsay (who is to be a mainstay of the company's roster during
the 1950s), and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau make their first
s for the now-Yellow Label. The Sixth Decade (1950-1959)
In 1950 78-rpm records with up to nine minutes playing time per
side are introduced, based on the DG invention of variable
grooves, and the next year the company releases its first 33-rpm
long-playing records (also known as LPs). Wilhelm Kempff begins a
new Beethoven piano-sonata cycle in 1950 and records the
Beethoven Concertos in 1953 (he re-records both in stereo in the
'60s). Furtwängler resumes his association with Deutsche
Grammophon in 1951. The Amadeus Quar-tet and the violinist
Wolfgang Schneiderhan make their first DG s in 1951 and
1952 respectively. In 1959, having already recorded Brahms,
Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert, the Ama-deus Quartet embarks on a
complete stereo of the Beethoven Quartets. Also that
year, Karajan returns to the company from EMI - he will make some
330 records for DG over the next thirty years, including three
Beethoven cycles and the complete Ring. Two other conductors play
a significant part in establishing Deutsche Grammophon's strong
postwar position in the Classical and Romantic repertoire: Karl
Böhm (most notably in Mozart and the conductor's friend Richard
Strauss) and Rafael Kubelik (most notably in Dvořák and Smetana,
Lohengrin, and a complete Mahler cycle). The versatile American
conductor Lorin Maazel is signed in 1957. Archiv Produktion makes
some pioneering s of medieval and Renaissance music
during its first decades; how-ever the focus is on Baroque, above
all the complete Bach organ works with Walcha and Ger-man and
Italian repertoire directed by Rudolf Baumgartner, Fritz Lehmann,
August Wenzinger, and Karl Richter, who after Lehmann's death
becomes the label's chief Bach interpreter. In 1956 the company
transfers its headquarters to Hamburg, while the production
s remain in Hanover. In the following year, the new Deutsche
Grammophon trademark, the "cartouche", is introduced. The Seventh
Decade (1960-1969) In 1960, DG signs an exclusive agreement with
Martha Argerich, one of a number of leading pianists who join the
label over the next decades. In 1962 Karajan's first stereo
of the nine Beethoven Symphonies with the Berliner
Philharmoniker is released as DG's first subscription package. In
this decade's early years, the label records Verdi operas at La
Scala - Claudio Abbado, who makes his DG debut in 1967, resumes
the series in the mid-'70s. His numerous s over the
coming decades include the complete symphonic works of Beethoven,
Brahms, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Schubert, as well as more
than a dozen complete operas. Significant large-scale projects in
this period include Fischer-Dieskau with Schubert's complete
lieder, followed over the next ten years by his comprehensive
collections of lieder by Brahms, Liszt, Schumann, and Wolf. In
1969, anticipating the Beethoven bicentenary in 1970, DG releases
its first Beethoven Edition on 76 LPs. Other generously
documented complete composer anniversary editions undertaken
include: Beethoven again in 1977 and 1997; Bach in 1975 and 1985;
Brahms in 1983 and 1997; and Berg in 1985. The electronics
companies Siemens (Munich) and Philips (Eindhoven) combine their
interests in the business in 1962, establishing a new
entity DGG/PPI (Philips Phonographic Indus-try); however DG
retains control of its own activities and catalogue.
The Eighth Decade (1970-1979) A restructuring of the DGG/PPI
group in 1971 is followed by the formation of PolyGram, with
headquarters in Baarn (Netherlands) and Hamburg. In 1973, to mark
its 75th anniversary, Deutsche Grammophon releases The Symphony
on ninety-three LPs. Also in this decade, DG continues to expand
its international horizons as Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli makes
a series of distinguished s beginning in 1971. In 1972,
three conductors begin long-term associations: Daniel Barenboim
(also as a pianist), Seiji Ozawa and, most prominently, Leonard
Bernstein, who in 1981 becomes an exclusive DG artist. Bernstein
begins the Austro-German symphonic repertoire, largely
from live concerts with the Wiener Philharmoniker, as well as
many of his own and other American works (his 1985 of
West Side Story becomes one of the bestselling releases in the
company's history). Carlo Maria Giulini makes his first
s for DG in 1976 with the Chicago Symphony Or-chestra.
During the coming years the company documents his return to opera
after a long ab-sence to record Rigoletto in Vienna, Falstaff in
Los Angeles, and Il trovatore in Rome. Carlos Kleiber's first
, Der Freischütz in 1973, is followed over the next
decade by La Traviata, Die Fledermaus, Tristan - and symphonic
works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert. In 1978 a brilliant
career begins as 14-year old violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter makes
her debut of Mozart with the Berliner Philharmoniker
under her mentor Karajan. Also Gidon Kremer records the first of
many lauded projects for Deutsche Grammophon. The LaSalle
Quartet's s of the Second Viennese School win numerous
prizes. Archiv Produktion signs exclusive contracts with the
violinist Reinhard Goebel and his Musica Antiqua Köln in 1977 and
with the harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock and his English Concert
the next year. These represent the company's first
period-instrument ensembles since Wenzinger's Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis in the 1950s. Also in 1978, John Eliot Gardiner makes
his first for Archiv with the English Baroque Soloists.
In 1980, PolyGram takes over Decca Records. The Ninth Decade
(1980-1989) Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts his first Deutsche
Grammophon in 1980 - and three years later signs the
first of several long-term exclusive -agreements,
resulting in a complete Mahler-cycle with the Philharmonia
Orchestra, Bruckner symphonies with the Dresden Staat-skapelle,
and several opera projects. James Levine becomes an exclusive DG
artist in 1987, making s including Mozart's complete
symphonies and violin concertos with the Wiener Philharmoniker
and Itzhak Perlman and the Metropolitan Opera production of
Wagner's Ring. The label's three premiere pianists following
Kempff's retirement, Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini, and
Krystian Zimerman, all make distinguished s with
repertoire that Kempff generally avoided, particularly Chopin,
Liszt, and music of the 20th century. Ivo Pogorelich be-gins
s in 1981. Two elder statesmen of the keyboard come to
Deutsche Grammophon: Rudolf Serkin in 1981 and Vladimir Horowitz
- the latter releases five successful discs between 1985 and
1989. A younger generation of artists begins to join the label,
including singers (Kathleen Battle, 1984; Anne Sofie von Otter,
1985; then later, Bryn Terfel, 1993; and Thomas Quasthoff, 1999),
in-strumentalists (cellist Mischa Maisky, 1982; pianist Maria
João Pires, 1989), string quartets (Hagen, 1985; Emerson, 1987),
and orchestras (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, 1985). At the end of
1984 Siemens sells 40% of its half share in PolyGram
International to Philips, who later buys the remaining 10% in
1987. In 1986 the Hanover factories - the first and largest
produc-ers of CDs - are taken over from PolyGram by Philips as
part of a Hanover factories joint venture with the
company, DuPont; Hanover remains the label's most important
supplier. In 1987 DG, with its sister PolyGram labels Philips and
Decca, begins to release videocassettes and laser discs of
mainly concert and opera s licensed from Unitel,
entering a new era of video s of classical music. The
Tenth Decade (1990-1999) In 1989 and 1990 respectively, the music
world loses two great conductors long associated with Deutsche
Grammophon, ert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein. At the
same time two other accled conductors begin new phases of
activity at DG: Pierre Boulez and André Previn, featuring works
of the 20th century (including their own). On the Ar-chiv label
John Eliot Gardiner conducts period-instrument s of
Baroque (Bach orato-rios, Monteverdi operas), Classical (Mozart
operas and Beethoven symphonies), as well as Ro-mantic works. New
agreements are made with conductors Myung-Whun Chung,
1990; Oliver Knus-sen and Christian Thielemann, 1995. Archiv
Produktion's roster is further internationalized through the
signing of Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort & Players; Marc
Minkowski and his Musiciens du Louvre; and the Renaissance wind
band Piffaro. In 1998 PolyGram is acquired by Seagram - and is
merged with its subsidiary Universal, form-ing the world's
largest record company, Universal Music Group. Deutsche
Grammophon also reaches its centenary in 1998, as the world's
largest and most suc-cessful classical record company of its day.
The Eleventh Decade (2000-2009) At the beginning of the new
millennium, the Universal Music Group is purchased by the Vivendi
Group, adding the largest record company to its portfolio as its
new-media vision expands. Michael Lang becomes General Manager of
Deutsche Grammophon in July 2001 and later is promoted to
President. The keyword of his vision for the company is
"revitalization" - Deutsche Grammophon focuses on strengthening
its artist roster through new exclusive agree-ments.
These signings include singers (Anna Netrebko, 2002; Rolando
Villazón, 2005; Measha Brueg-gergosman, Elīna Garanča, and René
Pape, 2006; Patricia Petibon, 2008; Ildebrando D'Arcangelo,
2009); pianists (Hélène Grimaud, 2002; Lang Lang, 2003; Rafał
Blechacz, 2006; Pierre-Laurent ard, 2007; Yuja Wang and Alice
Sara Ott, 2008); violinists (Hilary Hahn, 2002; Giuliano
Carmignola, 2003; Vadim Repin, 2006; Daniel Hope, 2007); and, in
a decade that witnessed the passing of the legendary conductors
Giulini, Kleiber, and Sinopoli, a new generation of conductors
joins the label (Esa-Pekka Salonen and Andrea Marcon, 2003;
Gustavo Dudamel, 2005; Daniel Harding, 2006). The contemporary
scene is represented by accled composer Osvaldo Golijov, who
releases the song-cycle Ayre in 2005 to inaugurate the first of
a series of premiere s on DG. A new imprint, edge, is
launched in 2003 for music that embraces the world and becomes
the home for successful soundtracks (Frida, Motorcycle Diaries),
iconic artists (Mercedes Sosa), and captivating projects such as
the Café de los Maestros tango album. And in 2006 a new
digital-only imprint, DG Concerts, brings top-flight, live
orchestral re-cordings directly to iTunes listeners, inviting
them into the great concert halls of the world via the internet.
Next Deutsche Grammophon becomes the first major classical label
to sell its s directly to music lovers over the
internet. With the launch of its DG Web Shop in 2007, the
complete catalogue is now available in more than 180 countries;
in addition, over 1,000 out-of-print re-cordings are available
again as downloads. Beginning in 2008 the online offering expands
to include the mail-order sale of CDs and DVDs to European
customers. In re of these remarkable achievements,
Deutsche Grammophon is named "Label of the Year 2007" by
Gramophone magazine - who writes: "Deutsche Grammophon stands for
all that is best about classical music." 7/2009
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