Profil receives Midem Classical Award

2009 got off to a sensational start for PROFIL. In Cannes, the MIDEM Classical Awards jury awarded the "Historical" prize to Profil's 2008 CD boxed-set release "Fritz Busch and Dresden" (Edition Staatskapelle Dresden, Vol. 30), honouring a quite exceptional series planned as a belated act of homage to a great conductor driven out of Germany by the Nazis in 1933. The boxed set comprises 3 CDs of all the extant recordings by the Staatskapelle Dresden (from 1923 to 1932) under the direction of Fritz Busch, plus a detailed introductory booklet and a DVD of contemporary documents and an original cinema film of 1932 (Tannhäuser Overture).

Alongside the Grammy, the MIDEM Classical Award is one of the most important distinctions that the music industry can bestow. Given once a year, it is chosen by a jury selected from the top editorial staff of international music magazines. The award was presented on January 20, 2009, at a gala event in Cannes. Even before the award was made, reviews in internationally respected music publications were praising the box, with its elegant gold finish, for setting global standards in the editing of historical recordings.

Some press comments:

"Opulent is surely an understatement for this lavish documentation: three CDs, a film DVD and a thick introductory booklet tell how a great conductor rose to fame only to be thrown out on his ear by the Nazis — along with the story of the gramophone's early days and the remarkable music broadcasting of the period" (SPIEGEL 1/2009)

"A music document which simply every music lover should possess" (Gramophone GB)

"This box is more than a precious treasure for every record collector, it is an important document of modern history." (Der neue Merker, Vienna)

Bernard Haitink's 80th birthday

One of the greatest conductors of the present day celebrates his 80th birthday on March 4, 2009, and Hänssler Profil is honouring Bernard Haitink on this occasion with a new release in the EDITION STAATSKAPELLE DRESDEN series, Bruckner's Eighth Symphony (PH 07057). Haitink's Bruckner interpretations have benchmark status around the world, so this concert recording, made during the disastrous flooding of Dresden in 2002, is sure to be very well received. The Semperoper, traditional home of the Dresden symphony concerts, was under water at the time and so the concert was moved to the Palace of Culture. From there, it was broadcast live by the MDR broadcasting station under severe technical difficulties. The emotions awakened by this concert, in this environment, transmitted themselves directly to the audience, and the recording of the event offers eloquent testimony to the mood of that evening.

The latest news on Richard Wagner

Two different Wagner operas will be released by Profil this spring. A new production of Lohengrin, with the WDR Symphony Orchestra and Choir under Semyon Bychkov, features a top international ensemble: Johan Botha as Lohengrin, Adrienne Pieczonka as Elsa von Brabant, Petra Lang as Ortrud and Falk Struckmann as Friedrich von Telramund. The remaining parts are sung by the equally excellent Kwangchul Youn as King Henry and Eike Wim Schulte as King's Herald. This is a fine recording that will surely acquire benchmark status.

The complete recording of Parsifal under Ferdinand Leitner, made at the Grand Opéra de Paris on March 26, 1954, documents a historical event long thought lost to posterity. The recording was discovered among the possessions of the late, great Martha Mödl, who sings Kundry in this memorable production. Nor will the rest of the cast in any way disappoint Wagner fans: Wolfgang Windgassen as Parsifal, Gustav Neidlinger as Amfortas, Otto von Rohr as Gurnemanz and Frithjof Sentpaul as Titurel will revive memories of a glorious era in Wagner singing. The recording has been restored with the usual skill and care by THS Studio Holger Siedler and is available under Order No PH 09009.

New Series: Wolfgang Sawallisch Edition

Conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch is to be the subject of a dedicated Profil series. PH 07021 is the order number for Volume 1 of the new series, comprising Mozart's Jupiter and Haffner Symphonies. On these recordings, Wolfgang Sawallisch directs the Symphony Orchestra of Bavarian Radio. Further planned releases include Mendelssohn's Elijah and Haydn's The Seasons.

This new series will stand alongside other continuing editions, such as the Günter Wand Edition, the Edition Staatskapelle Dresden, Carlo Maria Giulini and the Chopin Edition.

Profil — The fine art of music! — We live up to our name!