Eterna (record label)

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Friesenlied, Walter Jenson with his orchestra, Berlin 1952

Eterna was a record label of the state GDR sound carrier producer VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin for classical music, operas, operettas, political songs (workers' songs) as well as folk songs, jazz and church music.

history

The label was founded by the Lied der Zeit Schallplatten-Gesellschaft mbH , which was founded in 1947 as a company of the singer Ernst Busch . From this company, after the expropriation of Ernst Busch in 1953, the state-owned company VEB Deutsche Schallplatten was formed.

A subsidiary with the label Nova was later founded for contemporary serious music . The new label Litera was created around 1963 for literary texts, readings, theater and radio plays as well as political documentaries . In addition to records, music cassettes were also produced. Eterna CDs were produced by Supraphon in Prague .

7-inch (17.5-cm) record with minuets (1964)

With the great GDR orchestras and the conductors Herbert Blomstedt , Herbert Kegel , Rudolf Kempe , Franz Konwitschny , Kurt Masur , Václav Neumann , Otmar Suitner , Peter Schreier and others as well as the virtuosos Ludwig Güttler , Karl Suske and others. a. outstanding productions could be recorded. In 1977 Eterna published the complete works of Ludwig van Beethoven on 116 long-playing records. In addition, recordings were made with Western artists such as the conductors Herbert von Karajan , Wolfgang Sawallisch and Colin Davis . From 1954 to 1972, GMD Dieter-Gerhardt Worm, later for many years chief conductor of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic in Karl-Marx-Stadt and Chemnitz , had overall responsibility for repertoire planning, artists and budget .

The record prices were set by the state. Records of the label Nova cost 10.10  marks of the GDR , literary and Eterna records 12.10 marks.

In 1985 Eterna released four “ Direct Metal Mastering ” (DMM) LPs under license from the West German company Teldec , and from 1986 onwards there were numerous other DMM records from Eterna. The DMM records cost 15.60 marks.

The productions of classical and new music were subsidized by the higher proceeds from popular productions on the Amiga label (selling price mostly 16.10 marks) .

In the west, recordings of the Eterna label were sold by large record companies such as Deutsche Grammophon , Telefunken , Ariola Eurodisc , Philips and EMI . For example, on the occasion of Peter Schreier's 60th birthday, Philips released a 12-CD box with choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach with the participation of the singer, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Rundfunkchor Leipzig and other well-known soloists.

Conversely, Eterna sold recordings with Western ensembles and soloists under license in the GDR. There were also joint productions with Deutsche Grammophon in the 1950s.

Sub-labels

Sublabels included Bach's organ works on Silbermann organs, The Beautiful Voice, The World of Opera, ETERNA Edition and Voices of the Birds of Central Europe. Eterna also took over the distribution of recordings for the Soviet Melodija label (МЕЛОДИЯ ETERNA).

literature

Bernd Meyer-Rähnitz, Frank Oehme, Joachim Schütte: The "Eternal Friend" - Eterna and Amiga; The discography of the shellac records (1947–1961), Albis International Bibliophilen-Verlag, Dresden-Ústí 2006, ISBN 80-86971-10-4

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Record sleeve for the Eterna LP No. 725 092 - Ludwig Güttler 17: Music for trumpet, corno da caccia and organ , recording from 1985
  2. ↑ As an example: WA Mozart ∙ David Oistrach ∙ Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden ∙ Franz Konwitschny - Violin Concerto in A major KV 21 at Discogs
  3. ↑ As an example: Peter Schreier - Beethoven-Lieder Vol. 1 at Discogs
  4. ↑ As an example: Schumann - Symphony No. 4 In D Minor, Op. 120 / Concert piece In F major, Op. 86 For 4 Horns And Orchestra at Discogs
  5. ↑ As an example: Schumann - The Dresden State Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch - The Four Symphonies / Overture, Scherzo And Finale / Manfred-Overture at Discogs
  6. ↑ Bach Schreier - special edition with 12 CDs for the 60th birthday of Peter Schreier, Philips CD-No. 446 779-2, 1985/1994
  7. ^ For example: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Ravel: La Valse (London Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Claudio Abbado), music cassette, Eterna No. 1 29 070, under license from Deutsche Grammophon, Hamburg; Frédéric Chopin: Etudes (piano: Maurizio Pollini), record, ETERNA 8 27 764, under license from Deutsche Grammophon.
  8. ↑ As an example: Johannes Brahms, Staatskapelle Dresden, Franz Konwitschny, Wilhelm Kempff - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D minor Op. 15 at Discogs