遗珠再现：Janus Classics 厂牌与富特中协的首次合作
新的开始，古典与现代的融合！古典音乐唱片厂牌 Janus Classics 于 2023 年于美国创立，致力于为全球的乐迷带来无与伦比的听觉体验。雅努斯是罗马神话中的神祇，其形象为两张连结在一起的面孔，一张面向过去一张展望未来。这与我们的音乐精神十分契合：服务世人敬爱的历代大师，同时推广优秀的当代作曲家和演奏家。我们未来的发行不仅包括未正规化或数字化的历史录音的修复重制，也会包括优秀的官方广播母带转制和厂牌自主录音，展现音乐的多个历史维度。目前，我们已与奥地利现当代音乐合奏团 Sonorous Consort 展开长期合作，致力于将杰出的新音乐更多进入大众视野。
作为新晋的唱片厂牌，我们荣幸地宣布将与富特文格勒中国协会展开名为 “富特文格勒的音乐遗产”（Furtwängler’s Legacy Project）的系列合作，计划于 2023 年 11 月 23 日联合发行我们的第一张唱片、系列首作：保罗·克莱茨基（Paul Kletzki）与西南无线电交响乐团的贝多芬第三交响曲录音，编号 JACL-1。
克莱茨基作为富特文格勒的学生受其影响颇深，但耐人寻味的是二战前后的政治局面使这对师生的情谊变得复杂而微妙。这段历史在小册子中有翔实的叙述。与此同时，和富特文格勒中国协会先前的发行类似，小册子内亦包含曲目和演绎的细节分析和评价，以及录音相关的技术介绍。小册子的印刷以高精度完成，以确保流畅、舒适的阅读体验。
乐迷们熟知克莱茨基与捷克爱乐为 Supraphon 厂牌录制的贝多芬交响曲全集，但此次发行的西南无线电交响乐团（现 SWR 交响乐团的前身，当时由汉斯·罗斯鲍德带领）在 Concert Hall 厂牌的录音由于没有任何正规的、令人满意的数字化发行从而被人们所忽视。在细致地修复了录音中不同类型的噪声、杂音、失真，改善了音量平衡度、器乐的透明度等各种音频问题之后，我们的团队以 24-bit 192 khz 的规格进行了严格的母带重制，力图在最大限度保留录音原始信息的前提下达到理想化的音效，还原录音室中的声音。此外，本张 CD 的压制在今年夏天由为 Exton、Tower SACD 等知名古典音乐厂牌制作唱片的东京电化公司完成，精度和质量均为业内顶级。克莱茨基为 Concert Hall 厂牌还留下了诸多录音，其温暖的模拟声音氛围和在当时前沿的立体声录音技术将会继续在我们的未来发行中得到忠实的呈现，敬请期待。
JACL-1 将于 2023 年 11 月 24 日上线淘宝预售，11 月 30 日发货，相关详细信息请留意我们或富特中协的公众号。
The Wilhelm Furtwängler Society of China will jointly release a recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 by Paul Kletzki with the Sinfonieorchester des Südwestfunks on 23 November 2023, in collaboration with the newly established American classical music label Janus Classics, under the catalogue number JACL-1. This marks the society’s first collaboration with Janus Classics and also the label’s inaugural release.
Janus is a figure from Roman mythology depicted with two faces — one looking to the past and the other to the future. This concept aligns well with the musical ethos of Janus Classics: honouring revered past masters while promoting outstanding contemporary composers and performers. Janus Classics’ future releases will encompass not only historical recordings, such as those yet to be formalized or digitized (this release being an example), but also excellent official broadcast tape transfers and label independent recordings, showcasing music across multiple historical dimensions. Apart from collaboration with Wilhelm Furtwängler Society of China, Janus Classics has also established a long-term partnership with Sonorous Consort, a contemporary music ensemble in Graz, Austria, aiming to bring exceptional works of Neue Musik into the public eye.
Kletzki, deeply influenced by Furtwängler as his student, had a complex and delicate relationship with him due to the political landscape before and after World War II. This historical context is thoroughly documented in the booklet. Similar to the society’s previous releases, the booklet also includes detailed analyses and evaluations of the piece and performance, as well as technical insights related to the recording. The booklet is meticulously printed to ensure a smooth and enjoyable reading experience.
Music enthusiasts are familiar with Kletzki’s Beethoven cycle recorded with the Czech Philharmonic for the Supraphon label. However, the recording by the Southwest Radio Symphony Orchestra (then led by Hans Rosbaud, precursor to the present SWR Symphony Orchestra) for the Concert Hall label went largely unnoticed due to the absence of any formal, satisfactory digitized release. After meticulous restoration of various audio issues like noise, distortion, volume balance, and instrument transparency, the Janus Classics team conducted a rigorous 24-bit 192 kHz remastering to optimize the sound while preserving the original recording’s essence, aiming to recreate the studio’s ambiance. Additionally, the CD production for this album was carried out this summer by Tokyo Denca Corporation, a company renowned for producing records for prominent classical music labels like Exton and Tower SACD, ensuring top-notch precision and quality. Kletzki’s recordings for the Concert Hall label, known for their warm analogue sound and cutting-edge stereo recording techniques at that time, will continue to be faithfully presented in Janus Classics’ future releases—stay tuned for more.
JACL-1 will be available in China for pre-sale on Taobao on 24 November 2023, and will be shipped on 30 November 2023. Please stay tuned to this website or Janus Classics’ Instagram for further detailed information for purchasing overseas.
