What’s Warner Classics in English?
mainAlain Lanceron, Paris-based president of Warner Classics, has appointed another Frenchman, Patrick Lemanski, to run Warner Classics UK, thereby delivering a coup de grace to what once was true-Brit EMI Classics.
Lemanski arrives from Harmonia Mundi, another French label.
Lanceron also announced the signing of a harpsichordist, Jean Rondeau – French, of course.
This actually is a big improvement on the last team that Warner Classics had which was virtually nonexistent. Patrick Lemanski is a very knowledgeable classical music executive.
The sad truth is that the “True British” EMI Classics team passed out of existence ages ago when the “True Brit” Guy Hands , who had no knowledge of music or the music business, took over the company and ran it into the ground. He is the culprit in this story not the Russians who run Warner or the French EMI and HM execs who now run Warner Classics for them.
The French recording companies are still operating — while the UK recording companies have long since collapsed. Bring on the French ! ! !
You mean companies like Abeille Musique:
http://www.francemusique.fr/actu-musicale/la-societe-abeille-musique-mise-en-liquidation-52874
Patrick Lemanski has combined practical hands-on enthusiasm and a broad general knowledge in his work at Harmonia Mundi. He loves records and has built two successful new labels in the last few years. Warners have made a shrewd appointment
Harmonia Mundi UK, where Lemanski has been MD for eight years, has a portfolio of 50 distributed labels on the classical side alone – and some very knowledgeable and hardworking label managers. Lemanski will no doubt be hoping for the same sort of support at Warners.
Although it is sad that Warner now promotes EMI’s back catalogue as if all the legendary recordings were theirs from the beginning, this choice for the upcoming repertoire demonstrates true insight of what is needed. Most majors have gone down, while Harmonia Mundi has almost become a major in recent years.