- published: 05 Sep 2009
- views: 54808
Archiv Produktion is a subsidiary label of Deutsche Grammophon founded in 1948.
The first head of Archiv from 1948–1957, was Fred Hamel, a musicologist who set out the early Archiv releases according to 12 research periods from 1. Gregorian Chant to 12. Mannheim and Vienna. Hamel's successor 1958-1968 Hans Hickmann (Rosslau, 1908-d.Blandford Forum, 1968) was a professor at the University of Hamburg who focussed on Bach and Handel. The next director was Andreas Holschneider (b.1931) from 1970-1991. In December 1991 Holschneider gave an interview to Gramophone where he defended the entry of Archiv, and authentic instrument specialists such as John Eliot Gardiner into Romantic territory of Schumann and Berlioz. The next head was Peter Czornyj (b.1956) from 1992.
In parallel the Decca Group also acquired in 1970 the rights the recording catalogue of the French-Australian music publishers Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre and began to issue early music recordings using the l'Oiseau-Lyre brand.
The first recording was of Helmut Walcha playing Bach, 1947, released 1948.
[Instrumental]