NMC Recordings
Encyclopedia
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.
founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst
Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended main means of packaging its recordings at the time. Matthews continues as a producer of NMC's recordings. NMC was originally administered through the Society for the Promotion of New Music
. In 1992, NMC became independent, and Matthews invited Bill Colleran to become NMC's first board chairman. Colleran served in this capacity from 1993 to 2004.
Additional financial support for NMC resulted after the 1993 Copyright Duration Directive (93/98/EEC), which extended the copyright term from 50 to 70 years. As a result, the music of Gustav Holst came back into copyright, and NMC obtained increased funding as a result. In 2004, 70 years after Holst's death, his music went back out of copyright, which removed this source of funding to the NMC Foundation.
's Bhakti (NMC D001) http://www.nmcrec.co.uk/?page=catalogue/item.html&id=1 and a recital of contemporary solo piano music by Michael Finnissy (NMC D002). NMC's first opera recording was of Harrison Birtwistle
's The Mask of Orpheus (NMC D050). Its single best-selling issue is of Anthony Payne
's realisation of the sketches for Edward Elgar
's Symphony No. 3
(NMC D053). As of March 2009, the NMC catalogue numbers over 150 recordings. NMC releases 10 to 12 discs per year. NMC has several sub-categories within its releases:
NMC has an overriding principle of maintaining all its titles in its catalogue and not deleting any issues.
in 2009.
In parallel, the label curated a series of 4 concerts, the first public performances of the songs, at Kings Place
, London from 1–4 April 2009.
History
The composer Colin MatthewsColin Matthews
Colin Matthews OBE is an English composer of classical music.-Early life and education:Matthews was born in London in 1946; his older brother is the composer David Matthews. He read classics at the University of Nottingham, and then studied composition there with Arnold Whittall, and with Nicholas...
founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended main means of packaging its recordings at the time. Matthews continues as a producer of NMC's recordings. NMC was originally administered through the Society for the Promotion of New Music
Society for the Promotion of New Music
The Society for the Promotion of New Music was founded in London in 1943 with the intention of promoting the creation, performance and appreciation of new music...
. In 1992, NMC became independent, and Matthews invited Bill Colleran to become NMC's first board chairman. Colleran served in this capacity from 1993 to 2004.
Additional financial support for NMC resulted after the 1993 Copyright Duration Directive (93/98/EEC), which extended the copyright term from 50 to 70 years. As a result, the music of Gustav Holst came back into copyright, and NMC obtained increased funding as a result. In 2004, 70 years after Holst's death, his music went back out of copyright, which removed this source of funding to the NMC Foundation.
Recordings
NMC's first recordings, from 1989, were of Jonathan HarveyJonathan Harvey (composer)
Jonathan Harvey is a British composer. He has held teaching positions at universities and music conservatories in Europe and the USA and is frequently invited to teach in summer schools around the world.-Life:...
's Bhakti (NMC D001) http://www.nmcrec.co.uk/?page=catalogue/item.html&id=1 and a recital of contemporary solo piano music by Michael Finnissy (NMC D002). NMC's first opera recording was of Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
's The Mask of Orpheus (NMC D050). Its single best-selling issue is of Anthony Payne
Anthony Payne
Anthony Payne is an English composer, most famous for the work published as Edward Elgar: The Sketches for Symphony No. 3 Elaborated by Anthony Payne...
's realisation of the sketches for Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
's Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 3 (Elgar)
Edward Elgar's Third Symphony was incomplete at the time of his death in 1934. Elgar left 130 pages of sketches which the British composer Anthony Payne worked on for many years, producing a complete symphony in 1997, officially known as "Edward Elgar: the sketches for Symphony No 3 elaborated by...
(NMC D053). As of March 2009, the NMC catalogue numbers over 150 recordings. NMC releases 10 to 12 discs per year. NMC has several sub-categories within its releases:
- Archive series: important works and historical recordings from the 20th century
- Ancora series: reissues of recordings deleted from other labels (e.g. Collins Classics)
NMC has an overriding principle of maintaining all its titles in its catalogue and not deleting any issues.
The NMC Songbook
To mark its 20th anniversary in 2009, NMC Recordings commissioned The NMC Songbook, a collection of art-songs from 96 composers, each on the general theme of "Britain", scored for one or two voices, and various instrumental accompaniments. NMC recorded the collection of songs (NMC D150) for commercial release in April 2009. This recording received the Gramophone Contemporary AwardGramophone Award
The Gramophone Awards are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry, often referred to as the Oscars for classical music. The winners are selected annually by critics for the Gramophone magazine and various members of the industry, including...
in 2009.
In parallel, the label curated a series of 4 concerts, the first public performances of the songs, at Kings Place
Kings Place
Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space, a home for The Guardian newspaper since December 2008 and the headquarters of Network Rail...
, London from 1–4 April 2009.
Awards
Several NMC releases have won critical awards:- Robin HollowayRobin HollowayRobin Greville Holloway is an English composer.-Early life:From 1952 to 1957, he was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral...
: Second Concerto for Orchestra (NMC D015M; 1994 Gramophone Magazine Award) - Harrison Birtwistle: The Mask of Orpheus (NMC D050; 1998 Gramophone Award)
- Jonathan Harvey: Body Mandala (NMC D141; 2008 Gramophone Award)
- Julian AndersonJulian AndersonJulian Anderson is a British composer and teacher of composition.-Biography:Anderson studied at Westminster School, then with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music, with Alexander Goehr at Cambridge University, privately with Tristan Murail in Paris, and on courses given by Olivier Messiaen,...
: Book of Hours (NMC D121; 2007 Pizzicato Supersonic Award) - Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
: Britten on Film (NMC D112; 2008 MIDEM Classical Award) - The NMC Songbook (NMC D150; 2009 Gramophone Award)