Deutsche Schallplattenkritik

Deutsche Schallplattenkritik
Name	Deutsche Schallplattenkritik
Native name	Deutsche Schallplattenkritik e.V.
Formation	1963
Type	Association
Headquarters	Berlin
Location	Germany
Language	German

Contents

Deutsche Schallplattenkritik is an independent German association of music critics founded in 1963 that publishes quarterly lists and awards annual prizes to recordings across genres. The association operates within the cultural landscapes of Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne and engages with institutions such as the Deutsches Musikarchiv, Bavarian State Library, Deutsche Grammophon and festivals like the Bayreuth Festival and Salzburg Festival. Its activities intersect with artists, labels and organizations including Herbert von Karajan, Luciano Pavarotti, Philips Records, Decca Records and ECM Records.

History

The association was established amid the post-war cultural revival influenced by figures associated with Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall, La Scala and critics writing for outlets like Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt and Der Spiegel. Early decades saw interactions with conductors such as Karl Böhm, Otto Klemperer, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and soloists like Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Kempff, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Mstislav Rostropovich. During the 1970s and 1980s the association broadened coverage to include jazz and contemporary music scenes connected to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman and composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Iannis Xenakis and Heinz Holliger. The advent of digital recording and labels like Sony Classical, EMI Classics and Warner Classics prompted institutional responses and debates involving cultural bodies including the Bundesregierung, Goethe-Institut and the European Union cultural programs.

The association is organized as a non-profit with an elected board drawn from critics affiliated with publications such as Neue Zürcher Zeitung, The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Il Sole 24 Ore and radio institutions like Deutschlandfunk, BBC Radio 3, NPR and Radio France. Membership has included writers and scholars connected to conservatories and academies like the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Royal College of Music, Juilliard School, Conservatoire de Paris and universities such as Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Columbia University. The body operates specialist juries for genres—classical, jazz, world music, pop, historical recordings—liaising with producers at Philips Records, Decca Records, ECM Records, Nonesuch Records and festivals including Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Aix-en-Provence Festival and Tanglewood Music Festival.

Annual awards are given in multiple categories that mirror industry distinctions such as Grammy Awards, ECHO Klassik, Polar Music Prize and Brit Awards; categories include chamber music, opera, symphonic recordings, solo instrumental, contemporary composition, jazz, folk/world, historical reissues and production. Special prizes have been granted for lifetime achievement comparable to honors like the Praemium Imperiale, Wolf Prize and Polar Music Prize, and for curatorial projects akin to those recognized by the International Classical Music Awards and the Gramophone Awards. The association’s categories have acknowledged work connected to artists and ensembles such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Kronos Quartet and producers from Deutsche Grammophon and ECM Records.

Publications include quarterly critics’ lists, review anthologies and curated recommendations distributed in print and digital formats, paralleling outlets like The New York Times, Gramophone (magazine), BBC Music Magazine and The Wire (magazine). The rating system employs juries that convene to assign recommendations and prize shortlistings, using criteria comparable to those applied by panels for the Gramophone Awards, NPR Music critics’ lists and the BBC Music Magazine Awards. Reviews often reference performances by artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, Nicholas McGegan, Esa-Pekka Salonen and recordings on labels including Sony Classical, Decca Records, ECM Records, BIS Records and Harmonia Mundi.

The association’s recommendations have affected sales and programming at institutions like the Berlin Philharmonic, Staatsoper Berlin, Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and influenced catalog decisions at labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, EMI Classics and ECM Records. Critics and editors from publications including Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Guardian, The New York Times and Gramophone (magazine) have debated its selections, and its prize choices have intersected with recognitions like the Grammy Awards, Polar Music Prize and regional honors such as ECHO Klassik. The association’s stance on historical reissues and archival restorations has fed discussions in archives and libraries like the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, British Library, Library of Congress and the Deutsches Historisches Museum.

Category:Music criticism Category:German music organizations