With a festive concert in the Berlin Philharmonie on 6. November is the oldest classical music Label in the world celebrates its anniversary. A review of twelve decades of classical music and music history.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Herbert von Karajan
For over 50 years, Karajan worked with the “yellow Label”. All four Times he recorded all nine Beethoven symphonies, but also countless other works. On the official Karajan-site, a number is called: 1279 recordings. Pattern valid, he strives for perfection interpretations and a large interest in the technology Karajan’s trademark.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Ferenc Fricsay
As chief conductor of the Radio Symphony orchestra Berlin, he was instrumental in the reconstruction of musical life in post-war Germany. The 1914 Budapest-born conductor, was particularly appreciated for his Mozart performances, which were characterised by Drama, warmth and fervor. In 1948 he signed an exclusive contract with DG, and has never recorded for another Label.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
He initiated a Renaissance of the art song and recorded all the songs of Franz Schubert, and hundreds more. His recording activity seems to be almost encyclopedic. With his intellectually-oriented interpretations, perfect vocal technique and a clear Sense of purpose, he shaped a vocal style-so much so that every song the singer shows his influence.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Leonard Bernstein
After the Second world war, many Jewish artists of the company have remained for decades; amber was one of the first who broke with the unwritten law. From the end of the 70s he was associated with the DG and was then exclusive artists. Especially in his later years with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, have been documented on recordings.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Anne-Sophie Mutter
40 years – a third of the company’s history, the DG is connected to the violinist, in the meantime, with the Label. At the time, as a 13-Year-old from the conductor Herbert von Karajan discovered, came out with their first Album in 1978: Mozart violin concertos with Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Since then, a further 46 recordings, with more than 140 works created.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Maurizio Pollini
In 1960, DG took the Italian pianist for the first Time, in 2020 it will be 60 years of cooperation between Label and artist. Pollini out especially appreciates the company’s policy of the “yellow label”, beyond market strategies of less well-known but important works.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Gustavo Dudamel
“Since my Childhood, in Barquisimeto, the DG is part of my DNA,” says the Venezuelans. The artists on the recordings with him, opened up a world beyond his home town, “which is as large as the imagination itself.” As chief conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Dudamel is one of the young hopefuls of the world of Classical music.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Andris Nelssons
Like all conductors of his Generation, the images of the DG were one of the formative influences in his youth. The Latvian conductor directs two important world orchestras, and with each big project: with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he takes a cycle of the symphonies of Dmitry Shostakovich on and with the Gewandhaus orchestra in Leipzig, all the symphonies of Anton Bruckner.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
The only 43-year-old canadian Maestro has already made recordings with various orchestras, now a new Era begins: As a future chief conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Yannick will conduct “” perhaps decades-long performances are captured on sound recordings.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Lang Lang
That there are tens of millions of young Chinese men and women inside the today piano lessons to take, is also due to this pianist. At DG, he appreciates the “unique synergy between the Traditional and the New”.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Daniil Trifonov
“Unquestionably, the most amazing Pianist of our time” calls him the London “Times”. Because of its unique, never predictable interpretations of the 27-year old Russian cult status. His premiere album in the year 2013, a Live recording from Carnegie Hall. In a follow-up recording, two years later, one of Trifonov’s self-composed work, with the name “Rachmaniana” is heard.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Anna Netrebko
During her Childhood in Russia, recordings played from the West, it’s all-too-important role. In the training of singers and professional musicians. No significant classical artist, no major artist is left of the recordings contained footage of their previous unaffected.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Herbert von Karajan
For over 50 years, Karajan worked with the “yellow Label”. All four Times he recorded all nine Beethoven symphonies, but also countless other works. On the official Karajan-site, a number is called: 1279 recordings. Pattern valid, he strives for perfection interpretations and a large interest in the technology Karajan’s trademark.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Ferenc Fricsay
As chief conductor of the Radio Symphony orchestra Berlin, he was instrumental in the reconstruction of musical life in post-war Germany. The 1914 Budapest-born conductor, was particularly appreciated for his Mozart performances, which were characterised by Drama, warmth and fervor. In 1948 he signed an exclusive contract with DG, and has never recorded for another Label.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
He initiated a Renaissance of the art song and recorded all the songs of Franz Schubert, and hundreds more. His recording activity seems to be almost encyclopedic. With his intellectually-oriented interpretations, perfect vocal technique and a clear Sense of purpose, he shaped a vocal style-so much so that every song the singer shows his influence.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Leonard Bernstein
After the Second world war, many Jewish artists of the company have remained for decades; amber was one of the first who broke with the unwritten law. From the end of the 70s he was associated with the DG and was then exclusive artists. Especially in his later years with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, have been documented on recordings.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Anne-Sophie Mutter
40 years – a third of the company’s history, the DG is connected to the violinist, in the meantime, with the Label. At the time, as a 13-Year-old from the conductor Herbert von Karajan discovered, came out with their first Album in 1978: Mozart violin concertos with Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Since then, a further 46 recordings, with more than 140 works created.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Maurizio Pollini
In 1960, DG took the Italian pianist for the first Time, in 2020 it will be 60 years of cooperation between Label and artist. Pollini out especially appreciates the company’s policy of the “yellow label”, beyond market strategies of less well-known but important works.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Gustavo Dudamel
“Since my Childhood, in Barquisimeto, the DG is part of my DNA,” says the Venezuelans. The artists on the recordings with him, opened up a world beyond his home town, “which is as large as the imagination itself.” As chief conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Dudamel is one of the young hopefuls of the world of Classical music.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Andris Nelssons
Like all conductors of his Generation, the images of the DG were one of the formative influences in his youth. The Latvian conductor directs two important world orchestras, and with each big project: with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he takes a cycle of the symphonies of Dmitry Shostakovich on and with the Gewandhaus orchestra in Leipzig, all the symphonies of Anton Bruckner.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
The only 43-year-old canadian Maestro has already made recordings with various orchestras, now a new Era begins: As a future chief conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Yannick will conduct “” perhaps decades-long performances are captured on sound recordings.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Lang Lang
That there are tens of millions of young Chinese men and women inside the today piano lessons to take, is also due to this pianist. At DG, he appreciates the “unique synergy between the Traditional and the New”.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Daniil Trifonov
“Unquestionably, the most amazing Pianist of our time” calls him the London “Times”. Because of its unique, never predictable interpretations of the 27-year old Russian cult status. His premiere album in the year 2013, a Live recording from Carnegie Hall. In a follow-up recording, two years later, one of Trifonov’s self-composed work, with the name “Rachmaniana” is heard.
-
The artists of the yellow Labels
Anna Netrebko
During her Childhood in Russia, recordings played from the West, it’s all-too-important role. In the training of singers and professional musicians. No significant classical artist, no major artist is left of the recordings contained footage of their previous unaffected.
In December, 1898, in Hanover, founded in, is the record company Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DG) as old as recording technology itself. Behind Emil, were Berlin – the Hanover-born American inventor of the shellac disc and the player – and his brother, Josef. Berliner’s disc was a further development of the roll of Thomas Edison’s.
Already in 1902, he produced his first recordings with the great Italian Tenor Enrico Caruso. Many other followed. By 1907, the gramophone record factory in Hanover, 200 press machines.
A lot of names, a Tradition
In the decades afterwards, many names were with the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft in conjunction with: the gramophone Company, Polydor, Siemens & Halske, Telefunken, archive productions, Polygram. With some of the company was affiliated, and others she founded, and in others it has risen. Today, Deutsche Grammophon is part of Universal Music Group, but the name of the company is as well as the long-standing relationships with the artists.
In 1913, it gave the first complete recording of an orchestral work: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was released on four double-sided discs; Arthur Nikisch conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Inventor and company founder Emil Berliner
Two world wars meant two bitter break-ins in the history of the company. In the First world war, exports from Germany, also sound recordings were boycotted by the allies. Before the Second world war, the national socialists continued the process of “linearization”. Jewish and other “non-Aryan” artists were displaced, many of your sound files destroyed: an irreplaceable loss for the history of music.
It goes with the time
It is only in the post-war period, the yellow Label came. The DG had to reinvent themselves, and soon they stand for the biggest names in the world of Classical music: the conductors Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm and Wilhelm Furtwängler, or the singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Their Baroque recordings of the series “archive of production” were appreciated all over the world.
Contributed to a large upswing in the invention of the Compact Disc the beginning of the 1980s. According to a market saturation, the consumers were fascinated suddenly by the new technology, many older recordings have been digitally remastered.
Orchestral recording in front of the funnel
In the digital age, the company moves with the times and offers recordings on Streaming platforms Spotify Apple Music to Amazon. However, the DG still makes 80 percent of its sales in the classical field in the Form of phonograms, only 20 per cent, with digital distribution because – at least in Germany. In the USA meanwhile, 55 per cent of all classical recordings are digitally distributed.
Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon, “in the Internet age, with its bewildering variety of music, a longing for value, experiences, portfolio, and orientation – and this leads to a classical Renaissance.” This does not exclude new Genres or teaching, including those of the company-sponsored Neo-classical or the “Klassik-Lounge”, in the reputable artist in a casual Club atmosphere occur. Often the Event is sent via the live stream.
In General, says Trautman, the Trend in the classical market, and today’s individual and unique interpretations – and the boundaries between media become liquid. Here, the musicians convey their art, often over several media channels to Social media. Thus, the “yellow Label” will be in the future present.