BMG announced the launch of Modern Recordings, a label for new classical, jazz and electronic music, mostly instrumental but also extending to singer-songwriters.
The label – the first new imprint to be launched by BMG since its launch in 2008 – will be led by renowned Berlin-based music executive Christian Kellersmann, who will serve as Senior Vice President New Classics & Jazz.
Modern Recordings will capitalize on the growing international appetite, also driven by streaming, for new leftfield music arising out of the classical and jazz worlds.
The firsts artists signed to Modern Recordings include Scottish composer Craig Armstrong, producer Robot Koch, composer Meredi, and producer, composer and conceptual artist Hendrik Weber aka Pantha du Prince.
Its first release is German countertenor Andreas Scholl and pianist Tamar Halparin’s Twilight People, out this Friday, November 15, 2019, which is already attracting rave reviews with renowned classical critic Norman Lebrecht describing it as “pure pleasure”.
Said Christian Kellersmann, "The first releases show the breadth of ambition of Modern Recordings. We will give international musicians a home to realize extraordinary projects. Across borders. Across genres. Across boundaries. We see a great opportunity to offer such artists all the benefits of BMG’s global approach to records.”
Kellersmann reports to BMG EVP Global Repertoire & Marketing Fred Casimir. Before joining BMG in February 2019, Kellersmann made a significant impression on the music industry in his years in classical music and jazz at Universal Music in Germany. Key projects included the innovative classical club format “Yellow Lounge”, which he launched and ran for 12 years as well as the “Recomposed” series in which British composer Max Richter notably reworked Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. His signings included platinum-selling Max Raabe, founder and leader of the Palast Orchester, and trumpeter Till Brönner. Kellersmann was also responsible for marketing campaigns for the likes of Anna Netrebko, Lang Lang, Melody Gardot, and Diana Krall.
Following his departure from Universal, he launched the label Neue Meister at Edel and reactivated the German jazz label MPS.
Fred Casimir said, "Christian Kellersmann is a pioneer in the development of new classical and jazz music and Modern Recordings is a significant addition to our family of labels. We will support artists in this exciting new international market, which – thanks to streaming – has grown significantly in the last couple of years and offers further great potential."
The first releases on Modern Recordings are:
2019
Andreas Scholl and Tamar Halparin - Twilight People
One of the world’s leading countertenors, Andreas Scholl’s debut Modern Recordings release sees him perform an impressive sound journey between East and West with his wife, the Israeli pianist Tamar Halparin. Together they interpret an illustrious series of folk songs in arrangements by 20th-century composers such as Benjamin Britten, Aaron Copland, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. These are supplemented by specially composed songs by Israeli composer Ari Frankel and the Egyptian oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros, who accompanies Scholl and Halparin with his instrument. The album will be released on November 15, 2019.
2020
Pantha du Prince - Conference of Trees
Performer and sound artist Hendrik Weber known best under his pseudonym Pantha du Prince presents a unique combination of electronic music and traditional instruments as he explores the communication of trees and creates a sound concept based on it. Some of the sound sources and Instruments were crafted by himself. This sound experiment was premiered live at the festival summer in Hamburg's Kampnagel factory. What he experienced is a breakthrough recording of experimental music, visual poetry, club culture, and speculative science.
Meredi Arakelian - Stardust
The Berlin composer describes Stardust as an "escape" from the contemporary classical scene, demonstrating in a series of piano pieces how complex harmonies can sound simple and refreshing.
Robot Koch - The Next Billion Years
Fresh from performing his award-winning "immersive performances" at a series of planetariums and full-dome buildings in Berlin, San Francisco, New York, and Moscow, Los Angeles-based producer and composer Robot Koch has recorded his upcoming album The Next Billion Years together with Estonian-American composer Kristjan Järvi and his orchestra.
Craig Armstrong - The Edge Of The Sea
Legendary Scottish composer Craig Armstrong explores a whole new genre in The Edge Of the Sea - Gaelic Psalm Singing. Working with Calum Martin and the Scottish Ensemble he showcases a traditional vocal sound in a way that is both authentic and contemporary.
