I Fagiolini
Fact 276 Factory Classical Label Sampler
The Factory Classical label was launched in 1989 with five albums by composer Steve Martland, the Kreisler String Orchestra, the Duke String Quartet, oboe player Robin Williams and pianist Rolf Hind. Composers included Martland, Benjamin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Francis Poulenc, Dmitri Shostakovich, Michael Tippett, György Ligeti and Elliott Carter. Releases continued until 1992 and included albums by Graham Fitkin, vocal duo Red Byrd, a recording of Erik Satie’s Socrate, Piers Adams playing Handel’s Recorder Sonatas, Walter Hus and further recordings both of Martland’s compositions and of the composer playing Mozart.
Fact 316 I Fagiolini The Art of Monteverdi
John Metcalfe (the viola player for the Durutti Column) was the project co-ordinator on the first wave of releases on the Factory Classical label. He says “My job title was misleading. I’d always had an idea to do a classical label run by and for artists to have a say in their repertoire, design, the way they wanted to record etc and to do the more pop thing of getting the audience to identify more closely with the performer. I spoke to Bruce about it, he mentioned it to Tony who said that Alan Erasmus had had a similar idea a while ago but no one to implement it. Wilson gave me carte blanche to do the whole thing. I was a kid in a sweet shop. I chose the artists and with them organised the recordings, editing etc. It was important for the music to be twentieth century with at least one British piece on each CD – the point being that you didn’t have to have a world cup or a shit disco beat over the top or another bollocks version of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to make excuses for classical music to an already patronised and assumed dumbed-down audience. Beyond that the musicians could do what they liked. I was proud of it – it was one of the first attempts at getting more control into the hands of the musicians and saying any one who wants to do it can.”
Factory Classical Label Covers
Designed by Peter Saville Associates, the series was to have its own distinctive house style within the Factory catalogue. Saville looked at classical labels Deutsche Grammophon and ECM for the visual codes and packaging of this genre. There was a conscious desire to package the artists in a contemporary manner that placed the emphasis on the performers. Factory had previously packaged pop records in the fashion of classical records, they were now doing the inverse: presenting classical music as pop.
Fact 316c I Fagiolini The Art of Monteverdi
