Death of a label founder, 91
mainWolf Erichson, founder of the early-music label Seon which he sold to Sony at the height of the CD boom, has died in Nice aged 91.
Starting at Das Alte Werk and Teldec before he struck out on his own, Erichson produced over 800 classical recordings.
His favoured artists included Bruno Weil, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Anner Bylsma, Frans Brüggen, Giuliano Carmignola and Gustav Leonhardt.
photo: Sallie Erichson
After 1991 Ericson went on to produce wonderful early music recordings for Sony. He is leaving behind a remarkable legacy. RIP
While I’m not an ‘early music’ buff in particular, I know first hand that Wolf Erichson had a proud effect upon that community. The late Joseph Spencer had an early music radio program at KPFA in Berkeley called “Court and Chapel” (something like that). He aired many of the W.E. produced recordings that Sony Classical reissued on to CD. Joseph Spencer was also one of the co-owners of The Musical Offering, a cafe and music store in Berkeley, CA (cd’s, vinyl and a few dvd’s) At that time, the store was greatly dedicated to early music and Mr. Spencer stocked many of the said W.E. produced recordings. I know – I sold them to him (I was with Sony). By the way, The M.O. is still there and has many used classical L.P.’s these (as well as many new and used cd’s).
Wolf Erichson lived latterly in the South of France, where in semi-jocular recognition of his commanding nature it was said of him that while he spoke little or no French, the locals came to learn to speak German. His choice of listening in his last years – even up to the day before his death – was the polyphonic music of the Huelgas Ensemble. Erichson, who had been instrumental in launching that Belgium ensemble to the ears of a wider audience in the early 1990s, always maintained a close personal friendship with its director Paul van Nevel. A surprise omission therefore from the ‘favoured artists’ list!