From “Grammophone”, the classical music website:
We celebrate Harmonia Mundi with this first Record Label of the Year Award not only for a year of great variety and high-quality music-making, but also to salute a company whose philosophy has not wavered since its foundation in 1958.
Harmonia Mundi are based in an old farmhouse, a stone’s throw from the town of Arles and little more from the city of Nīmes. It is here, under the benign presidency of Bernard Coutaz, 80 this year and one of the great men of the classical record industry, that a constant stream of wonderful recordings are made.
HM’s A&R is, uniquely, in the hands of two remarkable women, Eva Coutaz in France and, in the company’s Los Angeles office (could there be a more marked contrast to the peace and quiet of Arles?), Robina Young. And equally essential to the winning HM equation is Francoise Pelaud, who looks after HM Iberica.
The Early Music world would certainly be a very different place without Harmonia Mundi and Bernard Coutaz, but 45 years on, the label’s reach extends far beyond that fertile area of musical exploration. From an 80-year-old magazine to an 80-year-old visionary, we offer the warmest thanks, congratulations and birthday greetings.
Label of the Year in association with Midem Classique and Jazz.
Gramophone Awards 2003 in association with Britannia Classical.