Under normal circumstances, if a record label chose an advertising slogan such as ‘Britain’s brightest record label’, I would accuse them of shameless conceit. As it’s Hyperion Records however, all I can do is concede, say it’s perfectly true and 100% deserved.
Hyperion were emerging in the 1980’s, just as my teenage interest in classical music was developing. Since then, they have grown to become one of the most important and respected names in the classical music industry. The secret of their success resides with their mission to uncover the lost and hidden jewels of the classical music repertory. As a small independent, Hyperion has always been well placed to invest in obscure, high quality music that for the most part, the big commercial labels wouldn’t risk investing in.
More than twenty years on it’s easy to take them for granted but the fact remains they changed the landscape of recorded music irrevocably. Much of what we now take for granted as ‘mainstream’ was first brought to our attention by this amazing label.
Today, Hyperion is a thriving player in the industry and while most of the major labels are cutting back their recording activities in the present climate, Hyperion shows no sign of abating. It’s roster of artists may not include many classical ‘mega-stars’ but it does include a pantheon of the best and most respected musicians in their fields, along with a wealth of young, emerging or previously undiscovered talent.
Their current output maintains its focus on rare or undiscovered music, peppered with occasional forays into the mainstream, if they feel one of their artists has something new or interesting to say. In this vein, they have just given us a new cycle of Beethoven symphonies from Sir Charles Mackerras. With the countless recordings already available, you may say this is a travesty from a label like Hyperion. Mackerras however is renowned for his fresh approach to these works. The pieces may be well trodden but the conductor’s approach is quite the opposite and anyone investing in these performances is sure to hear them in a new light, particularly if like me, you were nurtured on the likes of Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In a similar vein, many would consider the solo piano music of Maurice Ravel to be a well trodden path. It was an inspired and somewhat unexpected choice to record Bach specialist Angela Hewitt in this repertory. The resulting recordings were astounding, many reviewers commenting on how it was almost like hearing this well known music for the first time.
Undoubtedly, forays into the mainstream such as these help to subsidise their more adventurous recording activities and put music that would remain by and large unknown into mainstream accessibility. Recent examples include their discs of choral music by Eric Whitacre and Veljo Tormis. Both are highly regarded in their native USA and Estonia respectively but their adoption into the Hyperion catalogue gives them an international exposure previously impossible. The secret is the general buyer has come to respect Hyperion’s judgement more than any other small label. We know that if they choose to record it, it has to be worth listening to.
A large proportion of what we now take for granted was brought to our attention by Hyperion. Until the collapse of communism, Russian sacred choral music was a largely unknown and unperformed commodity in the west. The visit of the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir to the London Proms in 1991 causes a sensation with their performance of the Rachmaninov Vespers and all of a sudden, there was a new thirst for this music. Hyperion were already there however. They may not have had access to a Russian choir but already in 1990, they had recorded the Corydon Singers, one of the country’s top chamber choirs in a superb, stylistically informed performance which even now remains one of the best on disc. It became a bestseller and made the music available to the wider listening public for the first time.
Through the eighties and nineties, the label also introduced us to composers like Granville Bantock; a towering figure in British music in his day and a contemporary of Vaughan Williams but later largely forgotten. It’s no overstatement to say Hyperion’s extensive recordings with Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra brought this major figure back to life.
The impressive list goes on, not only in repertory but also with their chosen artists. Many musicians owe their reputations to the exposure given them by Hyperion. Westminster Cathedral Choir is considered to be one of the gems of the British choral tradition but nearly all of us know them through their countless recordings with Hyperion. Their discography is now one of the greatest of all the British cathedral or collegiate choirs.
Pay a visit to Hyperion’s web site when you get the chance. It’s catalogue is a goldmine of hidden treasure and you can listen to extracts from most of their recordings as well as being able to order direct. One thing I can guarantee is you are bound to discover something new and worth listening too.
Chris.
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