120 Years of Deutsche Grammophon: The Anniversary Edition

The story of Deutsche Grammophon goes back as far as the birth of recording itself. Founded in June 1898, in Hanover its directors are Emile Berliner – inventor of both the disc and the player – and his brother Joseph. By 1900, Berliner’s disc has eclipsed Edison’s cylinder as the industry standard. In 1910, DG markets the earliest orchestral recording: the opening movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Wilhelm Backhaus. By the time of Joseph Berliner’s death in 1928 and Emile’s the following year, DG’s annual production has reached nearly 10 million records, with the Hanover factory employing some 600 people.

In 1950 78-rpm records with up to nine minutes playing time per side are introduced, based on the DG invention of variable groove spacing, and the next year the company releases its first 33-rpm long-playing records. In 1957, Deutsche Grammophon’s trademark “cartouche” is introduced. 1962 heralds the first stereo recording: the Beethoven Symphony Cycle with Karajan. DG produces the first digital recording in 1979 (Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Gidon Kremer and the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Lorin Maazel) and three years later sees the introduction of the CD and the first Deutsche Grammophon title in mass production: Richard Strauss’s Eine Alpensinfonie with the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

Since its foundation Deutsche Grammophon has always been a pioneer in the use of new technology but it is during this decade where digital technology is on a level to move beyond familiar audio and video products, and as we consume more and more music through streaming platforms the shifting landscape has presented new opportunities for Deutsche Grammophon. The history of recorded classical music is the history of Deutsche Grammophon; and since the label has always been at the forefront of innovations and home to the world’s greatest performers it remains the future of classical music. Deutsche Grammophon is classical music.

Deutsche Grammophon’s unrivaled roster is divided in 12 Chapters representing the essential genres within DG’s recording activities. Many genres include new compilation albums bringing together very rare early recordings including many released internationally for the first time and several recordings newly digitised from historic shellac discs:

• Orchestral (27 CDs)
• Concertos (22 CDs)
• Piano Solo (17 CDs)
• Chamber Music (11 CDs)
• Opera (11 CDs)
• Oratorio & Sacred (5 CDs)
• Lied (8 CDs)
• Archiv Produktion (6 CDs)
• Polydor & Light Music (3 CDs)
• Avant-garde (4 CDs)
• Neoclassical (3 CDs)
• Spoken Word (3 CDs)

120 CDs telling the story of the Yellow Label, sub-divided by genre and including many recordings released internationally for the first time and recordings newly digitised from historic shellac discs

1 Bonus CD with brand-new unreleased recordings “The years to come” (including Daniil Trifonov)

1 Blu-ray Audio featuring the complete Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Herbert von Karajan

Each album presented in spined wallets with original sleeve art

200-page book (in E/F/G) with extensive documentation including:
1. Introduction by Richard Evidon
2. 4 substantial essays about DG’s history: The Early Years, The Golden 50s, The Star Years, The Future
3. 12 shorter essays about every genre
4. Numerous photographs and facsimiles from the archives of Deutsche Grammophon