How Does Harmonia Mundi Continue to Thrive?
With the reported demise of Telarc Records (see HP’s recent blog), the Tower Records bankruptcy, and classical music sales down some 30% in the past year, things were beginning to look pretty bleak for the future of classical recordings and for those companies who produce them. However, at least one record label has bucked the current trend, and continues to not only grow (with sales up 9% during the past year), but produce noteworthy recordings. Indeed, Harmonia Mundi recordings are well-represented on HP’s Super Disk and Super SACD lists. Its formula for success includes a commitment to musicians, recording quality, period instruments, and its audience. Moreover, Harmonia Mundi continues to reinvent itself in these turbulent times.
A few days ago, NPR's Frank Browning did a piece on All Things Considered featuring the Harmonia Mundi story, and its 83-year old founder, Bernard Coutaz and his wife, Eva (who is chief of production), in a broadcast entitled, “Harmonia Mundi Defies The Music Industry Blues.” If you missed it, don’t worry. You can hear it at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103216539 or read the companion text.
What’s more, you can also hear excerpts from a couple of Harmonia Mundi recordings on the NPR site, courtesy of the label: the “Inflammatus” from Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (performed by Concerto Vocale) and Eric Satie’s “Avant-dernieres Pensees” (performed by Alexandre Tharaud). You can also see/hear Jean-Guihen Queyras perform a selection from Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello (No. 3 in C major). Here’s hoping you purchase the recordings and support this innovative label. Enjoy!
Comments
The majors keep regurgitating their old (and occasionally great) recordings in a multitude of formats. Some of the companies are recording but old chestnuts. How many recordings of the same symphony can you listen to. Harmonia Mundi records things that are not frequently recorded and do it beautifully. Their recordings transport one to the performance.
Naxos is similar in intent but the quality is a bit irregular.
I wonder if their commitment to certain growing "niche" markets - SACD and multichannel - may have something to do with it. Those are the only types of recordings I myself buy these days, and Harmonia Mundia is a very trustworthy label in terms of repertoire, performances and recorded quality. Of couse, Telarc was committed to those markets, too, and look what happened to them. But, the musical quality of many Telarc classics - I am thinking particularly of a number of weak Robert Spano/Atlanta performances - was suspect.
Hi Jim,
It's good to read that HM is still at it. Also, what's VERY important is the continuation of work in the art of Acoustic Venue. Unless we want to listen to the same recordings "ad nauseaum".
The Melbourne Recital Centre is already regarded as the "Best Venue of it's Size" - 1000 seats for Chamber music in the world. It's acoustic designers - Ove Arup , have modelled it on London's Wigmore Hall and Austria's MUSIKVEREIN, but then have taken it quite a few steps further - since it could be designed/built from scratch and was not a refit into an older structure.
The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir are over 150 years old, and this is their first performance of a PURCELL GALA, the first time they've used authentic baroque instruments, and their first use of the Melbourne Recital Centre.
As a recording engineer [as well as a film-maker], I was very keen to "hear" what all the hype was about.
My first reaction to the room is that it is almost "anechoically quiet" - no noise. This does give the sound a degree of "dryness". But this also gives the sound a breathtaking dimensionality - instruments and performers are rendered with a 3D palpability - particularly when using Neumann mics and state-of-the-art location recording equipment.
Here are some sequences from Sunday night's concert [RMP @ MRC]:
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_2_FINAL-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_3_FINAL-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_5_FINAL-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_7_final-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_9_FINAL-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_15-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_13-1.wmv
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/RMP_RMC_17-1.wmv
also, here is a documentary I filmed last November on the MRC:
http://www.reel2reel.tv/ADC/MUS_MRC.wmv
There haven't been many "breakthroughs" in the world of concert hall design or music recording [particularly acoustic music] for many years. I believe the MRC is a new and important reference point.
sincerely,
Kostas Metaxas
Producer/Designer
www.metaxas.com
Hi Kostas,
Yes, the acoustic of the hall is extremely important. Years (and years) ago TAS wrote about the "sound" of many of the great and/or popular concert halls. It was fascinating! (Sorry, I don't remember the issue numbers). How great that a hall was designed from the ground-up for chamber music by an architect who is also a musician.
Speaking of fascinating, your documentary on the MRC is wonderful. Great work! Thank you for bringing it to our/my attention.
Please keep us posted on the release of recordings that are recorded at the MRC, as well as your upcoming documentaries/films.
There is a big difference between Telarc and Harmonia Mundi: the latter always preferred music and musical discovery, to mere dynamics and sound. Listening to an Harmonia Mundi recording is typically an intellectual pleasure.
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