The record label Deutsche Grammophon, based in Hamburg, Germany, is celebrating its 111th birthday this fall with a 55-CD box set with 144-page booklet, DVDs, downloads, a dedicated website, and more. The label, founded in 1898, has launched an anniversary site, which will remain live for 111 days beginning on September 11; it includes interactive elements and will feature a different recording from The Collector’s Edition 55-CD box set each week. DG has also released 11 Classic Videos on DVD, a compilation from the Unitel Classica catalog ranging from Furtwängler’s 1954 Don Giovanni with Cesare Siepi and Lisa della Casa to The Making of West Side Story. Audio recordings are also available as LossLess downloads from the label’s online web shop. The label has released State of the Art—The Story of Deutsche Grammophon, a limited-edition 224-page hardcover book published by Verlhac detailing the label’s history. Christopher Roberts, president of Classics and Jazz for Universal Music Group International, stated, “Since its 100th anniversary eleven years ago, Deutsche Grammophon has continued to thrive in an especially challenging global environment for recorded music. Deutsche Grammophon flourishes because it has never lost sight 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.”
Posted September 22, 2009
