# What makes the Hyperion label so good?



## ribonucleic (Aug 20, 2014)

It has led in the number of nominees for MusicWeb International's "best of year" list in 2 of the last 3 years, so I don't think it's just me that esteems it so highly.

So what are they doing better than Deutsche Grammophon with what I presume are one-twentieth of the resources? 

More talented artists? More skilled engineers? More stimulating repertoire?


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

ribonucleic said:


> It has led in the number of nominees for MusicWeb International's "best of year" list in 2 of the last 3 years, so I don't think it's just me that esteems it so highly.
> 
> So what are they doing better than Deutsche Grammophon with what I presume are one-twentieth of the resources?
> 
> More talented artists? More skilled engineers? More stimulating repertoire?


The talent and engineering are fine but no better than for DG. The difference is the repertoire. Hyperion offers recordings of works not often or ever having been recorded before, and the music tends to be excellent. The warhorse labels like DG go more for the tried and true works that already have dozens of recordings on the market; they also love to do box dumps on the market.


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## UniversalTuringMachine (Jul 4, 2020)

Hyperion records have all these delicious pianists for me, Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Marc Hamelin, Steven Osborne.

They also have produced two great box sets that I cherish:
The Romantic Piano Concerto (very high standard)
Complete Schubert Lieder (overkill but amazing nonetheless)


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## UniversalTuringMachine (Jul 4, 2020)

Bulldog said:


> The talent and engineering are fine but no better than for DG. The difference is the repertoire. Hyperion offers recordings of works not often or ever having been recorded before, and the music tends to be excellent. The warhorse labels like DG go more for the tried and true works that already have dozens of recordings on the market; they also love to do box dumps on the market.


DG also has this marketing strategy to sign good-looking young musicians (dressed in high fashion). It's all about stardom and the legacy for DG, that's the impression I am getting.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

UniversalTuringMachine said:


> DG also has this marketing strategy to sign good-looking young musicians (dressed in high fashion). It's all about stardom and the legacy for DG, that's the impression I am getting.


I'm not fooled by good-looking young folks unless they are female and highly erotic.


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## Gray Bean (May 13, 2020)

wonderful recorded sound
First rate artists
Excellent repertoire 
Great liner notes
Beautiful cover art


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Gray Bean said:


> wonderful recorded sound
> First rate artists
> Excellent repertoire
> Great liner notes
> Beautiful cover art


That's all that needs to be said.


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## UniversalTuringMachine (Jul 4, 2020)

Bulldog said:


> I'm not fooled by good-looking young folks unless they are female and highly erotic.


They do have a bunch of delicious (music wise of course) violinsts: Lisa Btiashvili, Hilary Hahn, Mari Samuelsen, and spohie Mutter (if you are into aged wine).


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I first liked the early music catalog, their lieder/song series; I purchased the Schubert (before the box) , Schumann, Brahms and am buying the Liszt lieder volumes as they come out. The Orlando Consort Machaut series has been excellent, as well as Peter Phillips' Palestrina recordings.

Their recordings feature great sound and production values, and as noted above the liner notes are usually above average and informative.

Yeah, a favorite label. I only wish they licensed their recordings for streaming.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Wouldn’t know, because those of us who rely on streaming do not have access to their recordings, nor are they even available on YouTube. Good on them, I guess, for sticking to their model and refusing to join the streaming trend. The YouTube prohibition seems a touch too far though IMO.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Bulldog said:


> The talent and engineering are fine but no better than for DG. The difference is the repertoire. Hyperion offers recordings of works not often or ever having been recorded before, and the music tends to be excellent. The warhorse labels like DG go more for the tried and true works that already have dozens of recordings on the market; they also love to do box dumps on the market.


This pretty much covers it. Also, it's not hip to select the work of a major label, of which DG is basically the last one.

DG is still making a few really standout recordings, though, so don't be too fooled, OP.

(ETA: Hyperion is definitely a great label, no doubt.)


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

The Finzi Choral Works, and Martinu/Hogwood box showed up at my local record store so I bought them. They were priced at a third of the retail price so it was a no brainer. Both great recordings too!


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I'm pleased to have quite a few Hyperions on my disc shelves, including the complete (so far -- it seems endless!) Romantic Piano Concerto set, the Romantic Violin Concerto set, and the Romantic Cello Concerto set. (I never started collecting the Classical Piano Concerto discs -- I have a limited bank account, alas.)

When I bought the first couple Romantic Piano Concerto discs I had no idea it would go onto the 50s and 60s and 70s and now 80s in number. It got to the point that I felt obligated to keep adding to the collection. I have several I have not yet opened, but these Corona-times give me much time for accessing the listening room and I've dipped into quite a bit of music these past several months. So I may get to hear the entire set (and those of the Violin and Cello set as well!) by the time this "stay at home" phase of the virus ends. 

And, I'm in no personal hurry for it to end. And even when it does, I may just continue my self-quarantining. Lots of music left to hear.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Gray Bean said:


> wonderful recorded sound
> First rate artists
> Excellent repertoire
> Great liner notes
> Beautiful cover art


Yep, this pretty much sums it up!


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## mark6144 (Apr 6, 2019)

The liner notes on their website are always informative, but sadly I have to read them while listening to someone else's performance since Hyperion is absent from streaming services.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

mark6144 said:


> The liner notes on their website are always informative, but sadly I have to read them while listening to someone else's performance since Hyperion is absent from streaming services.


Yes, it's frustrating, but presumably makes good business sense. Classical music is a niche product, and since Hyperion doesn't have big names on its roster, it's a niche within a niche, and probably won't earn enough revenue from streaming services to stay afloat financially.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

The pianists mentioned by UniversalTuringMachine in post #3 are definitely a factor, plus the repertoire; and let's not forget the luscious lovelies presented in the cover art!












wkasimer said:


> Yes, it's frustrating, but presumably makes good business sense. Classical music is a niche product, and since Hyperion doesn't have big names on its roster, it's a niche within a niche, and probably won't earn enough revenue from streaming services to stay afloat financially.


But at least they have identified their main demographic group: dirty old men!


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> ...and let's not forget the luscious lovelies presented in the cover art!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hmm ….

Then how come my Hyperion covers are moreso like the following?:









































Not so "sexy" stuff, that!


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

^^^ Apparently, it's either images *for* dirty old men, or images *of* dirty old men . . .


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven [to me] that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.

In addition, they have found a number of pianists, violinists and orchestras that would ordinarily be thought of as lower than tier 2, but which perform at the highest level in the Hyperion recordings.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.




Little good can be said about someone who seems compelled to make such ignorant and irrelevant swipes.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

^^^Exactly. And Hyperion has actually showcased post-1950 works as well and treated them with their top-quality production. The symphonies of Robert Simpson, for example (all eleven of them were composed after 1950). They have a complete box set and sell them individually as well. Superbly performed and recorded and with amazingly-detailed liner notes (portions of the written score included in some). So no, they are not out to prove anything of the sort about the inferiority of post-1950 music.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.


What those two series have shown is that there are plenty of obscure Romantic era concertos that deserve greater exposure - nothing more, nothing less.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

I love Hyperion. Got at least 20 albums from Machaut to Davies and back.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

SONNET CLV said:


> Hmm ….
> 
> Then how come my Hyperion covers are moreso like the following?:
> 
> ...


You're buying the wrong ones, my friend.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Knorf said:


> Little good can be said about someone who seems compelled to make such ignorant and irrelevant swipes.


Little good can be said about someone who resorts to a personal swipe when they don't like an opinion. And the same goes for those who posted a Like and should know better.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

DaveM said:


> Little good can be said about someone who resorts to a personal swipe when they don't like an opinion. And the same goes for those who posted a Like and should know better.


Should know better than what...? That wasn't a personal swipe, it was an evaluation of a pattern of behavior, and an evaluation that I happen to "like"


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Little good can be said about someone who resorts to a personal swipe when they don't like an opinion. And the same goes for those who posted a Like and should know better.


You are the only member who used a thread about the worth of the Hyperion label to dump on modern music; your posting was a detour and not relevant to the thread's theme. Also, you used the word "proven" which isn't generally considered a word that expresses an opinion.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> You are the only member who used a thread about the worth of the Hyperion label to dump on modern music; your posting was a detour and not relevant to the thread's theme. Also, you used the word "proven" which isn't generally considered a word that expresses an opinion.


I didn't take you for someone who doesn't know the definition of an opinion and who appears to be justifying a personal swipe.


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## Mifek (Jul 28, 2018)

millionrainbows said:


> But at least they have identified their main demographic group: dirty old men!


You've just made me realize that many of my choices put me in this category...
On the other hand, I would definitely agree with Hyperion that the music by Scriabin, Chopin and Schubert is much more sexy than what SONNET CLV listens to


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

DaveM said:


> I didn't take you for someone who doesn't know the definition of an opinion and who appears to be justifying a personal swipe.


I was giving you a couple of thoughts to chew on. Instead, you quickly spit them out and took a swipe at my ability to define a simple word.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

flamencosketches said:


> Should know better than what...? That wasn't a personal swipe, it was an evaluation of a pattern of behavior, and an evaluation that I happen to "like"


I'll keep that in mind the next time I don't like one of your opinions. And I won't have to wait long.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> I was giving you a couple of thoughts to chew on. Instead, you quickly spit them out and took a swipe at my ability to define a simple word.


Seems you don't like a swipe that you take personally any more than I do.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

DaveM said:


> I'll keep that in mind the next time I don't like one of your opinions. And I won't have to wait long.


You'll quickly find that when I present opinions, I don't set out to "prove" them, or denigrate the opinions of others in doing so.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Seems you don't like a swipe that you take personally any more than I do.


You continue to key on what others have said to you instead of focusing on your role in these contentious postings. I'm done with this.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven *[to me]* that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.


Note that the original post was made at 14:32, and later edited at 17:05, a full 2-1/2 hours later. That's when I think the [to me] part was added.

Note Knorf's post, which followed at around 15:00. It quotes the offending post, and no "to me" disclaimer is evident.

Hey, I think Scriabin is "modern," or at least somewhat harmonically advanced.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

millionrainbows said:


> Note that the original post was made at 14:32, and later edited at 17:05, a full 2-1/2 hours later. That's when I think the [to me] part was added.


The square brackets were meant to indicate an edit and was added to emphasize that it is an opinion, something I thought would be obvious, but apparently wasn't. Who are you 'noting' to and what is your point?


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

SONNET CLV said:


> Hmm ….
> 
> Then how come my Hyperion covers are moreso like the following?:
> 
> ...


You mean, you don't think Cipriani Potter is sexy? :lol: Plus, he was on the _staff _of The Royal Academy of Music! Ohh-la-la!


Potter in 1838


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I love the St. Petersburg Shostakovich Quartets; I have all of them.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Nothing wrong with personal taste but it was the insinuation that post 1950 compositions are inferior to the obscurities of the previous century. Why not just offer some examples of worthy pieces you've discovered?


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

Anyone can have an opinion. But, come on, opinions aren't necessarily merely neutral. Some opinions are founded in ignorance, or prejudice, for example. Spouting an ignorant opinion, and following it up with an attempt to present as a victim with something akin to "it's only my opinion" when people point out its ignorance, will neither fool anyone nor prevent people from seeing the ignorant-opinion-spouter for who they are, especially when they double down.

Do I need to explain further? I think Hyperion is a terrific label, and its Romantic concertos series is a fantastic achievement, having brought a number of gems out of unjust obscurity. It would be irrelevant to the thread, and ignorant on my part as well, however, if I followed this with: "thus proving all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed before 1750." 

But here's the thing, swiping at music since 1950 attacks living composers, making it personal in a way that music before 1750 wouldn't be, because a number of living composers of various styles, interest, and professional achievement are active on Talk Classical, and in this thread. But my guess is that DaveM knows that, and was basically trolling. Otherwise, you can add another trowelful of ignorance on that comment.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Knorf said:


> Anyone can have an opinion. But, come on, opinions aren't necessarily merely neutral. Some opinions are founded in ignorance, or prejudice, for example. Spouting an ignorant opinion, and following it up with an attempt to present as a victim with something akin to "it's only my opinion" when people point out its ignorance, will neither fool anyone nor prevent people from seeing the ignorant-opinion-spouter for who they are, especially when they double down.
> 
> Do I need to explain further? I think Hyperion is a terrific label, and its Romantic concertos series is a fantastic achievement, having brought a number of gems out of unjust obscurity. It would be irrelevant to the thread, and ignorant on my part as well, however, if I followed this with: "thus proving all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed before 1750."
> 
> But here's the thing, swiping at music since 1950 attacks living composers, making it personal in a way that music before 1750 wouldn't be, because a number of living composers of various styles, interest, and professional achievement are active on Talk Classical, and in this thread. But my guess is that DaveM knows that, and was basically trolling. Otherwise, you can add another trowelful of ignorance on that comment.


The use of the terms 'ignorant/ignorance' 4 times aimed at someone else in one paragraph could be said to indicate your own insecurity. There was nothing 'trolling' about my post. It is due to the many 19th century, many previously unknown, concertos and symphonies recorded by Hyperion that have proven to me something I've always suspected: That these works were not unknown because they were inferior, but rather due to the lack of recordings, there was only limited venues for them to be heard.

Also, these recordings indicated to me that the music of these composers had to rise to higher standards than today because the quality of their works determined or supported their employment and/or academic standing/status. IMO, the experience and talent required to compose the melodies and their development plus the orchestration surpasses much of what I've heard over the last several decades. For me, this is relevant to what makes Hyperion so good which is the OP.

Btw, Hyperion has, by my count, recorded far more classical music of works during and before the Romantic period than after. I could be wrong, but assuming for the moment that I'm right, why is that?

So, you may not like my opinion, but try to respond with substance rather than the desperation of personal remarks.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven [to me] that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.
> 
> In addition, they have found a number of pianists, violinists and orchestras that would ordinarily be thought of as lower than tier 2, but which perform at the highest level in the Hyperion recordings.


I think the committed performance is part of the key. These are often works that might seem lame in lesser hands.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> You mean, you don't think Cipriani Potter is sexy? :lol: Plus, he was on the _staff _of The Royal Academy of Music! Ohh-la-la!
> 
> 
> Potter in 1838


Don't you think that he is a little old for you?


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> But at least they have identified their main demographic group: dirty old men!


Otherwise known as art lovers, at least that is what they tell their wives.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Another Hyperion series that I've enjoyed over the years is Bach's organ works performed by Christopher Herrick.

Another series I almost forgot is the Haydn String Quartets (series by London Haydn Quartet and Salomon Quartet) - I love these works on period instruments.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

One thing I'm not thrilled about concerning Hyperion is that the company has deleted many wonderful recordings including Handel operas and oratorios and Stanford chamber works. Bring them back!!


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

ribonucleic said:


> It has led in the number of nominees for MusicWeb International's "best of year" list in 2 of the last 3 years, so I don't think it's just me that esteems it so highly.
> 
> So what are they doing better than Deutsche Grammophon with what I presume are one-twentieth of the resources?
> 
> *More talented artists? More skilled engineers? More stimulating repertoire?*


I've been getting into choral music the last few years, and I'm amazed at how many of the choral discs I've purchased over the last 3-4 years are from Hyperion.

*More talented artists?*
In the world of choral music, Hyperion does record a large number of excellent choirs. All together they have recorded just over 230 different choral groups which are represented in their current catalog. Some of the best choirs in the world have recorded with them. So, to answer the question, I would say that they do have more talented (choral) artists then many other labels.

*More skilled engineers?*
I don't think so. They do have excellent engineers, but to be honest, so do most of the labels.

*More stimulating repertoire?*
I believe they do a great job of presenting a lot of interesting music in the choral repertoire as well as recording a good deal of 'new' choral music.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> You mean, you don't think Cipriani Potter is sexy? :lol: Plus, he was on the _staff _of The Royal Academy of Music! Ohh-la-la!
> 
> 
> Potter in 1838


Potter? Sexy?

Yes. About as sexy as a cross between Andrew Jackson and Edgar Allan Poe!


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven [to me] that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.
> 
> In addition, they have found a number of pianists, violinists and orchestras that would ordinarily be thought of as lower than tier 2, but which perform at the highest level in the Hyperion recordings.





Knorf said:


> Little good can be said about someone who seems compelled to make such ignorant and irrelevant swipes.


Yes.

Sorry to reignite the negativity on this thread, but I need to respond anyway, even against my better judgement.

Here we have a thread started about a specific label, that could be very informative. There are no mentions in the OP concerning any specific periods of classical music, there are also no mentions of any specific specific periods of classical music for the first 19 posts of the thread.

Then, with no reason that I can tell (other than to stir the sh_t?), DaveM finds a way to shoehorn derision of 70 years of music, in a thread that seriously couldn't be any further away from talking about modernism and contemporary classical music.

Seriously, someone could probably start a thread on their favorite pizza place, and the anti-modernists on TC could probably find a way to deride post 1950 classical music.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Hyperion don't do Pizzas, but if they did ........


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Simon Moon said:


> Yes.
> 
> Sorry to reignite the negativity on this thread, but I need to respond anyway, even against my better judgement...


I further explained my position which you ignored. In any event, people, including myself, have appeared to have moved on. You don't seem sorry at all about trying to reignite a dead issue.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Robert Simpson fans like myself owe a huge debt to Hyperion.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Simon Moon said:


> Here we have a thread started about a specific label, that could be very informative. There are no mentions in the OP concerning any specific periods of classical music, there are also no mentions of any specific specific periods of classical music for the first 19 posts of the thread.


It's interesting that you key on the different periods of classical music. I always key on specific composers and their works. Different strokes I guess.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Simon Moon said:


> There are no mentions in the OP concerning any specific periods of classical music, there are also no mentions of any specific specific periods of classical music for the first 19 posts of the thread.


In my post , #9, I referred to their *early music* catalog, which is extensive and very good. IN the same post I mention two of the series I have enjoyed, the Orlando Consrot Machaut series and the Peter Phillips Palestrina mass cycle:



> I first liked the early music catalog .... The Orlando Consort Machaut series has been excellent, as well as Peter Phillips' Palestrina recordings.


I am confused by the thrust of your post, it seems you wish to stir up controversy where there really isn't any, further obfuscating this thread from its topic.


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

Hyperion is on a CD and Download sale at Presto Classical until November 15th. I'm fairly anew at Baroque repertoire and I don't own much. Can you recommend me Hyperion or Helios CDs of Orchestral or Sacred music that are considered as greatest versions? Composers I own little from like *Monteverdi, Handel, Vivaldi and Bach,* to mention a few.


























I'm still browsing through the sales. Any ideas?


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Just a word about the label rather than arguing about derogatory comments. The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by the late George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted". Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by composers such as Robin Milford, Alan Bush and Michael Berkeley. Ted Perry actually financed himself in the early days by running a minicab service and packing the records in his garage! The success of the venture was sealed with a critically acclaimed and hugely popular disc of music by Hildegard of Bingen, A Feather on the Breath of God, directed by the medievalist Christopher Page and his group Gothic Voices. It appears that Ted heard the music on the radio while driving his minicab and set out to record it. The ventures sold a quarter of 1 million discs and financed future projects.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Granate said:


> Hyperion is on a CD and Download sale at Presto Classical until November 15th. I'm fairly anew at Baroque repertoire and I don't own much. Can you recommend me Hyperion or Helios CDs of Orchestral or Sacred music that are considered as greatest versions? Composers I own little from like *Monteverdi, Handel, Vivaldi and Bach,* to mention a few.
> 
> I'm still browsing through the sales. Any ideas?


Any of Robert King's and The King's Consort's recordings of Handel oratorios and operas can be recommended, but don't miss his Musick for the Royal Fireworks coupled with Handel's Coronation Anthems... it's a "must-have" recording imho. Likewise, The King's Consort's recording of Monteverdi's Vespers is one of the all-time greats.

Whilst I wouldn't call them best-ever recordings, I really like Stephen Layton's recordings of Bach/Handel passions, oratorios and masses. His Messiah and St John Passion are favourites of mine.

Going back a few centuries to Hildegard of Bingen, Gothic Voices "Gramophone Award Winners Collection" has their classic _A Feather On The Breath Of God_ bundled with two other fine Gothic Voices records at a bargain price. (Edit: this isn't baroque music, of course, but it's worth checking out _A Feather On The Breath Of God_ alone. It's a beautiful recording.)


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

I think Hyperion is great, but they've been focusing less on HIP than a label like Harmonia Mundi, which makes me prefer Harmonia Mundi. They have Staier and Isabella Faust, for instance, along with Melnikov. They also have the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

vtpoet said:


> I think Hyperion is great, but they've been focusing less on HIP than a label like Harmonia Mundi, which makes me prefer Harmonia Mundi. They have Staier and Isabella Faust, for instance, along with Melnikov. They also have the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.


Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi, BIS and ECM are favorites. DG and Decca are hit or miss, but kudos to the latter for their excellent Bartok (complete works) set.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Some of the Purcell with King has very little competition, I think, the same is true for a bunch of Handel oratorios (and probably also some of the sacred Vivaldi). Of the recordings I have heard, I don't think King is always the best choice in the piece where there is a lot of competition but I don't know e.g. his b minor mass. For the most famous Bach (and Handel, Vivaldi) there are so many great choices one does not need to depend on hyperion sale.
Of the "older music" I liked "The mirror of Narcissus" but my disc got bronzed (which was a problem of some early (early 1990s) hyperion recordings but should be of no concern with new discs nowadays.


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## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

UniversalTuringMachine said:


> Hyperion records have all these delicious pianists for me, Stephen Hough, Angela Hewitt, Marc Hamelin, Steven Osborne.
> 
> They also have produced two great box sets that I cherish:
> The Romantic Piano Concerto (very high standard)
> Complete Schubert Lieder (overkill but amazing nonetheless)


Did they ever issue the "Romantic Piano Concerto" series as a "box set"? If yes, I would happily buy the whole shebang, even if it means a lot of duplication since I have several of the individual discs. Ditto for the violin and cello sets.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Red Terror said:


> Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi, and ECM are favorites. DG and Decca are hit or miss.


Yeah, DG. They're like the fuddy-duddy label for the oldsters.  The label of the halcyon days, before HIP, when classical music was all about big-name, big ego, big operatic boobs, big sound, big instruments and big concert hall personalities like Karajan, Barenboim, Böhm, Abbado, Kempff, Boulez, Pearlman, etc... In fariness, Archiv Production is also theirs. That's where they sent their HIP talent, like Gardiner, Pinnock and Kenneth Gilbert, which have produced some of the finest recordings of the latter 20th century, but now even Archiv's vault is getting a little long in the tooth. Decca was the British alter ego to DG, but always sort of a second tier/budget DG. The poor man's DG. Decca was always there to pick up the scraps DG or Archiv passed over. Their one moment of greatness was "The Three Tenors". That was pure gold. Lightning in a bottle. And they milked that for all it was worth, baby. Let me tell you. They milked that cow so dry you could have used it as a kite. And it was never long before Decca's recordings were re-released on their budget label. I write all this having been a classical music buyer.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

vtpoet said:


> I think Hyperion is great, but they've been focusing less on HIP than a label like Harmonia Mundi, which makes me prefer Harmonia Mundi.


Indeed, especially for Bach. However, because Presto has a Hyperion sale on at the moment, it's worth snapping some of their baroque recordings while the price is right. They're all of excellent quality, even if they're not first-choices.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Indeed, especially for Bach. However, because Presto has a Hyperion sale on at the moment, it's worth snapping some of their baroque recordings while the price is right. They're all of excellent quality, even if they're not first-choices.


Yes, if I didn't already have their complete box sets of Purcell, Schubert and Schumann songs. I await their complete Brahms Songs. It's a sickness.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Let's not forget about *BIS*-another fabulous label.

https://bis.se


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Before people start criticising DG and Decca as ‘ruddy-duddy’ please remember the pioneering they did in the early days of LP and stereo. The number of recordings which are now available because they were bold enough to pioneer is incredible. They have now lost their pioneering age of course but some of us can remember when they were in the cutting edge of recording


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

haziz said:


> Did they ever issue the "Romantic Piano Concerto" series as a "box set"? If yes, I would happily buy the whole shebang, even if it means a lot of duplication since I have several of the individual discs. Ditto for the violin and cello sets.


We have a 'Romantic Piano Concerto' set issued by Brilliant in very good performances.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

Red Terror said:


> Let's not forget about *BIS*-another fabulous label.
> 
> https://bis.se



View attachment 160089


Like these. Fabulous performances and recordings


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## Bernamej (Feb 24, 2014)

To me the obvious absolutely GREAT other label that is to me as admired as Hyperion is: CPO !!!
Both these labels have gems and rarities recorded and both have great image covers.
The sound is also exquisite on CPO, so as the interpreters. 
Where CPO shines, IMO, is the neglected symphonic repertoire and neglected baroque repertoire.
Hyperion and CPO are by fat my two favorite labels, and I have hundreds of CDs of both.


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## advokat (Aug 16, 2020)

Gray Bean said:


> Beautiful cover art


Actually, this is the only aspect of Hyperion that I dislike. I think their cover art is dowdy. That often passes for "taste" in Britain. Otherwise, it is a great label, albeit not the only great one, of course. I have great repsect for the French Mirare label, for example - my theory is that you can take any disc of theirs (save for the composers you dislike, of course), and you will invariable enjoy it. Very carefully curated.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I am not in any way keen on any particular label but I can't say I ever much liked any Hyperion recording. The sound, often said to be so great, often seemed mushy and generalized to me.

I admired Graham Johnson's attempt to record lied but never thought they were the final word in that repertoire.

Otherwise I don't think there are any performers now or in the past contracted to that label I like that well. I thought other labels including Columbia/Sony and Decca/London had better sound and artists than Hyperion which seemed very British to me. I don't dislike Brits but I thought the better ones recorded for Angel/EMI.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Hyperion did have sometimes a rather distant sound in the 1990s. It never bothered me for chamber/piano music but I think it was a drawback for some recordings, such as Bruckner choral works with Matthew Best and some of Purcell, Handel with King. Although I mostly have piano/chamber music from them, I think the sound got better (less distant, more immmediate) in the last 15-20 years or so, but this is very anecdotal as I don't have a huge amount of their discs.

I think the great presentation (incl. the covers it's clear above average for me) and overall solid quality made hyperion a bit overrated, especially in well covered repertoire. This holds also for Johnson's Lieder projects. It is only to be expected that with a large number of different singers such a series is going to be a mixed bag


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## advokat (Aug 16, 2020)

I note that people criticise Hyprion as well. Well, may be I have been lucky and simply did not buy any subpar Hyperion discs. I own the following Hyperion albums that are almost constantly in my rotation:
1. Bach piano transcriptions, 10-disc series. (Absolutelly great series, abominable cover art).
2. Romantic piano concerto series (not all, about 10 discs)
3. Everything by Stephen Hough
4. About 10 discs of Angela Hewitt
5. Everything by Pavel Kolesnikov
6. Turina's chamber music (this one features good covert art, I concede, you cannot go wrong with Sorolla)
7. Medtner/Rachmaninov piano concerti
8. Avison: Concerti Grossi after Scarlatti
9. Vivaldi: complete sacred works box
10. Liszt: complete piano works by Leslie Howard box
11. Three double discs of Tallis sholars (like the cover art on those)
12. Cardoso (top notch music, performance and quality; awful cover art - you cannot illustrate Cardoso music with a Zurbaran painting, you just cannot - wrong for the disc, and garish graphic additions).
13. Charpentier (contender for top-ten worst cover art designs)
14. Gombert
15. Manchicourt
16. Something else, do not recall right now.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

DaveM said:


> Hyperion, with its Romantic Piano and Romantic Violin Concerto series, have single-handedly proven [to me] that almost all of the lesser known concertos from the 19th century they record are an improvement over most of the classical music composed after 1950.




And people wonder what is wrong with classical music audiences. Remember that a mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work unless it's open.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I've especially enjoyed their lieder/song series and have the Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms recordings. I also very much enjoy their Early Music catalog, and it is quite extensive. The Josquin, Machaut, and Renaissance Music series, are all favorites.

I also have the Liszt big box. I was on the verge of getting the Angela Hewitt Bach box, but have refrained, since I've over-spent my budget lately on opera and will need to take a break from purchases for a while.

They are a quality label and almost always have something of interest in their monthly emails.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Neo Romanza said:


> And people wonder what is wrong with classical music audiences. Remember that a mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work unless it's open.


And what is going on in one's mind by resurrecting a post, in a vacuum, from well over a year ago. Or maybe the purpose is to stir up something that everybody moved on from long ago. Remember, a mind is it's own place, and in itself, can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven. (John Milton).


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm not a fan of DG's recording engineering.

From my experience, they tend to record soloists much too far forward, so the tend to sound too physically large within the soundstage. And they also do not seem to capture the spatial cues and ambience as well as Hyperion, and other labels. 

Many of their recordings, to me, sound more like the way movie soundtracks are recorded, where every section of the orchestra, are all at the same level, and in your face.

For me, the Hyperion recordings I have, the orchestra, and all the sections, have a more natural placement within the space of the soundstage. And the soloist sounds like the correct physical size, and in the correct position with relation to the orchestra. No 6 foot long violins, right in my face.

OK, so I am exaggerating a bit, but when there are quite a few labels that get this stuff right, like Hyperion, those are the labels I lean toward.

I will add, that I have not bought a DG recording in quite a long time, since I was turned off by their recording methods, so it is possible, that their recent recordings do not have the same issues, that I perceive as problems.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Hyperion is an extremely valuable label because of all the offbeat repertoire it has recorded , but DG has plenty of offbeat repertoire too , and plenty of music by important contemporary composers such as Thomas Ades and others , as well as recently deceased ones such as Henze and Stockhausen .


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