Watch: Sacked French soprano sings at ‘game-changer’ classical launch

Watch: Sacked French soprano sings at ‘game-changer’ classical launch

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norman lebrecht

April 26, 2018

Deutsche Grammophon today launched what it called a ‘game-changing classical service’ on French TV channel Canal+.

To set the thing off they called in Julie Fuchs who has just been sacked by Hamburg State Opera for being four months’ pregnant and is very newsworthy indeed at the moment.

Julie posted her aria.

Here’s the press release:

Paris, Thursday, April 26 — Canal+ Group and Universal Music Group launch Deutsche Grammophon+, an innovative channel featuring exclusive and specially curated content showcasing Deutsche Grammophon’s prestigious catalogue.

An audio and audio-visual feast, the channel provides an extensive range of curated music hosting over 400 programmes and classical works at launch; including short documentaries, interviews, portraits, key artist and composer anniversaries, catalogue repertoire, albums, new releases and the openings of all operas in France. Content will be expanded upon regularly and Deutsche Grammophon’s iconic artists will recommend their favourite works in personally curated playlists.

Content featured on Deutsche Grammophon+ includes previously-unreleased filmed concerts, most notably a concert shot in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, the audio will be released for the first time by a classical record company in Dolby ATMOS surround sound audio technology.  Deutsche Gramophon has embarked on a program of 10 re-masterings of audio recordings into ATMOS to be released by the end of 2018 with a similar rollout planned for 2019. These feature highlight recordings from the analogue era, including artists such as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and Carlos Kleiber.

Deutsche Grammophon+ is a beautifully curated channel for Canal subscribers, classical music enthusiasts and new fans alike. A stylish, intuitive and entertaining gateway into the rich universe of classical music, its history and its leading lights, Deutsche Grammophon+ is available for streaming via myCANAL. Featuring cutting edge high-resolution recording technology, and for the first time ever, Dolby ATMOS. Deutsche Grammophon+ is currently available for all subscribers with the latest-generation Canal set-top boxes and will be offered via third-party set-top boxes at a later stage. The channel is available within the CANAL Family package, as well as the Panorama and Intégrale offers.

Gerald-Brice Viret, EVP Canal+ TV Channels: “We are very proud to offer the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon catalogue to our classical music loving subscribers. This new video on demand and streaming channel came to life thanks to the Universal Music, Deutsche Grammophon and CANAL+ teams’ expertise.  All part of the Vivendi group, these teams have united their efforts in order to offer a particularly rich and innovative service. An unprecedented service in the media landscape.”

In partnership with Canal+, the channel will grow to encompass repertoire from other classical labels within Universal Music Group.

The channel’s overarching goal is to encourage a passion for classical music and to showcase the full wealth of Deutsche Grammophon’s classical repertoire and its extraordinary artists, from the most revered legends to the avantgarde, including new composers and young developing artists.

Clemens Trautmann, President, Deutsche Grammophon comments: “We are delighted to launch our game-changing classical service in partnership with the inspired team at Canal+.  Our outstanding artists, composers and the incredible catalogues we are custodians of deserve a platform of equally high quality and ambition.  Investing in artists and culture is part of our strategic vision, we will continue to innovate with our partners as we foster a deeper understanding of, and love for, classical music and develop new audiences and ways of enjoyment.”

 

Et voici le promo:

Comments

  • Sharon says:

    I assume that this is what in the United States we would call a cable TV channel that will be available through certain cable TV services.

    Although Classical Arts Showcase which showed mainly TV clips of concerts showed on certain non profit channels that were part of cable services in the US, I do not believe that, at least in the US, a classical arts channel would be economically feasible even as a subscriber cable channel through any cable TV service without a lot of government subsidy. I suppose that the European channel will have some advertising.

    But, who knows? C-Spann, which interviews politicians and political science academics, and shows government hearings, political conference and US congressional sessions 24-7 has two channels that are somehow financially viable without advertising. I sometimes find C-Spann deadly dull and I have strong interest in US public policy.

    Maybe in Europe, or even the US, there is a larger hidden audience for classical music than we think. After all, virtually every major city has at least one classical music channel

  • Sharon says:

    I meant, virtually every major city in the US has at least one major classical music channel

  • Sharon says:

    Correction.
    I meant, virtually every major city in the US has at least one classical music radio channel.

    • V.Lind says:

      What, a local one? Or do you mean these cities allow airspace to some classical channel available throughout a region, or nationally?If you have one per major city you are doing pretty damned well.

    • HRBmus says:

      The classical radio situation in the US is dire you’ll find. Every city has it’s horror story of either threatened or non-existent classical radio. Here in Philadelphia, home to one of the world’s greatest orchestras and conservatories, we have ONE, half-time, low-power, semi-professional station: WRTI, run from Temple University.

  • Tamino says:

    Out of tune much of the time.
    She has a heated way running her social media PR. I wonder how helpful that at the end of the day is. I would think twice about hiring her. She seems to be not that great as a singer by the stuff she proudly puts online, and she has a tendency to be a trouble maker if things do not go her way 100%.

  • David M says:

    “the audio will be released for the first time by a classical record company in Dolby ATMOS surround sound audio technology.”

    Actually, DG is not the first classical record company to release material in Dolby ATMOS. Both the Choir of King’s College Cambridge – on their album “1615: Gabrieli in Venice” – and LSO Live – on their disc of Thomas Ades’ Asyla / Tevot / Polaris – have releases that include Dolby ATMOS 3D surround streams.

    Additionally, I believe the 2L label has released albums containing a similar rival technology – Auro-3D.

    It seems that successful independent classical labels don’t count in DG’s eyes then…

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