Post by Beagle August 4, 2005 (21 of 557)
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brenda said:
i'll be getting them for sure
Ditto. Quick, before Western Civ runs out of gas.
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Post by mdt August 4, 2005 (22 of 557)
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pentaman said:
Many of our new recordings sell to fans of the featured artists.
Pentaman
So why not try to get some of the "big names" on board, that are being droped one after the other by the majors. Some of them have started releasing on their own labels after having been droped. Couldn't they also record for "Pentatone" ? The artists would get the best sound they ever had and the label would get names seeked by large numbers of listeners.
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Post by brenda August 4, 2005 (23 of 557)
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pentaman said:Julia Fischer is our best selling artist
dear pentaman, a thank you to pentatone for the forthcoming Julia Fischer release of Mozart 3 & 4, - it's good to see a company examining its releases and avoiding duplication. It must have been tempting to go for the 3&5 coupling so many labels have plumped for, but as the owner of your (very good) recording of the Mozart 5 (Eschkenazy/CCO/Boni) it was a great relief to see that you've avoided that duplication and given us three difft. concertos in SACD. One I'll definitely be getting. Thanks, B.
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Post by seth August 4, 2005 (24 of 557)
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mdt said:
So why not try to get some of the "big names" on board, that are being droped one after the other by the majors. Some of them have started releasing on their own labels after having been droped. Couldn't they also record for "Pentatone" ? The artists would get the best sound they ever had and the label would get names seeked by large numbers of listeners.
I agree, but what killed the major labels was that they became all about the big name artists. I don't want to see the label become about 'so and so conducting orchestra x.'
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Post by ramesh August 4, 2005 (25 of 557)
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pentaman said:
Ramesh,
To give you an idea, we need to sell approx. 1000 copies to cover remastering and initial costs of artwork. We have quite a few titles still on our list which will probably sell better than the Beethoven quartets, but if you can find a lot of supporters we are certainly prepared to consider to bring them forward.
Best,Pentaman
Dear Pentaman,
Thank you very much for being flexible. That's now 6 of us as Beethoven Quartetto Italiano supporters; give us time to get the other 994… However, the three Rasumovsky quartets still leave room on 2 SACDs. I think you should consider getting Ms Fischer to record the 'Spring' sonata Op24, preferably with Mr Getty playing the piano or turning the pages; and place this as the filler for the Rasumovsky quartets. This way, both Ms Fischer's fan club and Maecenas helps out, everyone is happy…
Another way of reducing costs is to commission the artists to write their own booklet notes. Hyperion do this a lot ( though they are a mite parsimonious in the royalties department ), and it has worked out very well with Angela Hewitt. Hyperion have respected her intelligence as well as her musicianship, and Hewitt has responded to the challenge. I note that Ms Fischer says she likes German literature on her web site. I made the comment earlier that in her Bach booklet, she was not as expansive as she could have been, but if she is interested in literature, she can be encouraged in her ability to write. She could be reminded that in the preparation of Thomas Mann's 'Doktor Faustus', Mann wrote to Schenker the musicologist for help, and indeed, the analysis of Beethoven's Op111 in the novel is as much Schenkerian as it is Mannian. Hence, give her the material, and she can express it in her own way.
On another matter, someone mentioned the cover art on Pentatone discs. I think it is generally excellent. The RQR covers are legible from a distance, no small matter with elderly classical buyers, and it has a distinct brand identity. Pentatone treats its women artists without cynicism, unlike Punyversal and other labels, where string players especially are presented like hookers. Lara St John appears to have spent so much money buying her fiddle that she had no money for any clothes when it came to the cover shoot of her Bach disc. The DGG SACD of Mutter's Tchaikovsky has 16 photos of her and none of the composer. Hahn in her Elgar concerto SACD is mysteriously photographed on a titanic Edwardian bordello-quality sofa, where one could imagine portly King Edward VII snogging Camilla Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's great-great grandmother, without any springs breaking. Surely another low point is the new Decca SACD of the 'Four Seasons', where on the cover, the come-hither bimbo violinist is holding her fiddle as though a battery operated electrical appliance has run out of volts.
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Post by nickc August 4, 2005 (26 of 557)
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ramesh said:
Dear Pentaman,
Thank you very much for being flexible. That's now 6 of us as Beethoven Quartetto Italiano supporters; give us time to get the other 994… However, the three Rasumovsky quartets still leave room on 2 SACDs. I think you should consider getting Ms Fischer to record the 'Spring' sonata Op24, preferably with Mr Getty playing the piano or turning the pages; and place this as the filler for the Rasumovsky quartets. This way, both Ms Fischer's fan club and Maecenas helps out, everyone is happy…
Another way of reducing costs is to commission the artists to write their own booklet notes. Hyperion do this a lot ( though they are a mite parsimonious in the royalties department ), and it has worked out very well with Angela Hewitt. Hyperion have respected her intelligence as well as her musicianship, and Hewitt has responded to the challenge. I note that Ms Fischer says she likes German literature on her web site. I made the comment earlier that in her Bach booklet, she was not as expansive as she could have been, but if she is interested in literature, she can be encouraged in her ability to write. She could be reminded that in the preparation of Thomas Mann's 'Doktor Faustus', Mann wrote to Schenker the musicologist for help, and indeed, the analysis of Beethoven's Op111 in the novel is as much Schenkerian as it is Mannian. Hence, give her the material, and she can express it in her own way.
On another matter, someone mentioned the cover art on Pentatone discs. I think it is generally excellent. The RQR covers are legible from a distance, no small matter with elderly classical buyers, and it has a distinct brand identity. Pentatone treats its women artists without cynicism, unlike Punyversal and other labels, where string players especially are presented like hookers. Lara St John appears to have spent so much money buying her fiddle that she had no money for any clothes when it came to the cover shoot of her Bach disc. The DGG SACD of Mutter's Tchaikovsky has 16 photos of her and none of the composer. Hahn in her Elgar concerto SACD is mysteriously photographed on a titanic Edwardian bordello-quality sofa, where one could imagine portly King Edward VII snogging Camilla Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's great-great grandmother, without any springs breaking. Surely another low point is the new Decca SACD of the 'Four Seasons', where on the cover, the come-hither bimbo violinist is holding her fiddle as though a battery operated electrical appliance has run out of volts.
he he :)
as usual i love your posts ramesh!
cheers
nick
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Post by stvnharr August 4, 2005 (27 of 557)
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pentaman said:
Ramesh,
To give you an idea, we need to sell approx. 1000 copies to cover remastering and initial costs of artwork. We have quite a few titles still on our list which will probably sell better than the Beethoven quartets, but if you can find a lot of supporters we are certainly prepared to consider to bring them forward.
Best,Pentaman
Well,
Sign me up for the Beethoven Quartets. Would love to have them all!
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Post by pentaman August 5, 2005 (28 of 557)
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brenda said:
dear pentaman, a thank you to pentatone for the forthcoming Julia Fischer release of Mozart 3 & 4, - it's good to see a company examining its releases and avoiding duplication. It must have been tempting to go for the 3&5 coupling so many labels have plumped for, but as the owner of your (very good) recording of the Mozart 5 (Eschkenazy/CCO/Boni) it was a great relief to see that you've avoided that duplication and given us three difft. concertos in SACD. One I'll definitely be getting. Thanks, B.
dear Brenda, eventually we will be duplicating since we plan the complete cycle including the three single movements for violin and orchestra (the Adagio in E KV 261, the Rondo in B-flat KV 269 and the Rondo in C KV 373). Furthermore the Sinfonia concertante in E-flat KV 364 (viola-soloist Gordan Nikolic) and the Concertone in C KV 190 (2nd violin-soloist Gordan Nikolic) will form part of this series. But you will want to have them all we expect after you have listened to the first album. I have just heard the final edit and what makes this recording unique is the cadenzas written by Julia herself. She is not only a marvellous violinist (and pianist)and delivers a stunning perfoemance, but above all.... we are flabbergasted by the cadenzas. I am curious to hear if you agree.
Best,Pentaman
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Post by pentaman August 5, 2005 (29 of 557)
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seth said:
I agree, but what killed the major labels was that they became all about the big name artists. I don't want to see the label become about 'so and so conducting orchestra x.'
we are cautious with big names dropped by the majors. We come from a major ourselves and know how most of the big names are "spoiled"(financially and otherwise) by the majors.
Pentaman
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Post by mdt August 5, 2005 (30 of 557)
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seth said:
I agree, but what killed the major labels was that they became all about the big name artists. I don't want to see the label become about 'so and so conducting orchestra x.'
Guess i thought of the big names who became big deservedly and not because of marketing campaigns. After having heard live what someone like Abbado can get out of an orchestra like the Berlin Philharmonic (2 big names that you wouldn't want at Pentatone because they are big)i really wish they would record with someone that is capapable of capturing at least some of the sound they produce, and believe me the sound is really something very special.
And about the artists of the past, wouldn't it be great to hear Callas, Pavarotti, Kleiber, Karajan etc. in quality transfers to SA-CD of the original masters ?! The majors will not due it, so why not have the big names on indies as well. I'm sure Pentatone is capable of selecting musically valuable material and would not blindly licence recordings only for the names.
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