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12-397: Its Latin name harmonia mundi translates as "harmony of the world". In the 1950s, two music entrepreneurs, Frenchman Bernard Coutaz and German Rudolf Ruby, met by chance on a train journey and started a friendship based on their musical interests. They formed a business relationship and set up two classical music record labels, both named Harmonia Mundi . Coutaz's Harmonia Mundi (France)

24-538: A number of subsidiary labels such as Ambronay, Discograph, Le Chant du Monde and World Village. Harmonia Mundi has received several accolades for its specialist recordings, including Label of the Year 2003 in the Gramophone Classical Music Awards ; Best Opera Recording for René Jacobs' recording of Mozart 's Le nozze di Figaro at the 2005 Grammy Awards ; and Label of the Year 2006 at

36-963: Is a branch of Harmonia Mundi (France). There are also operations in the United Kingdom and in Spain. The label was acquired by PIAS Entertainment Group in September 2015. In November 2022, Universal Music Group purchased 49% stake in [PIAS] (including Harmonia Mundi). Noted artists and ensembles who have recorded with Harmonia Mundi have included Maya Youssef , René Jacobs , Dominique Visse , William Christie , Alfred Deller , Andreas Scholl , Philippe Herreweghe , Maurice Steger , Alexander Melnikov , Isabelle Faust , Jean-Guihen Queyras , Kent Nagano , Samuel Hasselhorn , Raphaël Pichon , Amandine Beyer , Freiburger Barockorchester , les Siècles , Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Collegium Vocale . Harmonia Mundi also issues recordings under

48-667: The Midem Classical Awards . Bernard Coutaz Bernard Coutaz (30 December 1922 – 26 February 2010) was a French musical publisher, founder of the Harmonia Mundi label. Coutaz was born into a working-class family in Saint-Auban-sur-l'Ouvèze and studied at the Salesians of Don Bosco , but was asked to leave in 1945, during his novitiate , for having organized a Marxist study group. In

60-481: The 1950s he became a journalist with Groupe Bayard, then ' Témoignage chrétien . During this period Coutaz published four novels and was an editor at Éditions ouvrières. At some time during this period Bernard Coutaz met Rudolf Ruby, a German sharing Coutaz' interests first in books, later in music. In 1958 Coutaz founded Harmonia Mundi (France), an independent label specializing in classical music in Paris with 26,50F in

72-646: The bank. In the same year, or 1959, Rudolf Ruby founded Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (DHM) in Freiburg-im-Breisgau . The name Harmonia Mundia was shared and each distributed the recordings of the other. The link was maintained until first BASF, then EMI, bought into the German label, then finally (after Ruby retired in 1993), DHM became part of BMG and then Sony. In 1962 Coutaz relocated to Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in Provence. The label's first recording

84-608: The two labels began to loosen after Deutsche Harmonia Mundi partnered with BASF and then with EMI . In 1989 Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) took over the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi's distribution. Ruby retired in 1992 and Coutaz tried unsuccessfully to buy the German record label and Deutsche Harmonia Mundi was wholly acquired by BMG. BMG is part of Sony Classical Records . Coutaz's Harmonia Mundi continued as an independent label for many years. In 1986 Harmonia Mundi (France) moved to Arles , France. Harmonia Mundi (US)

96-517: Was another artist to start with, then return to, Harmonia Mundi. Harmonia Mundia U.S.A. was set up in 1982 to distribute and later record and manage artists in North America, among them Anonymous 4 . Harmonia mundi Ibèrica performs a similar role in Spain and Portugal, as distributor and producer of local recordings such as Toldra's Catalan zarzuela El giravolt de maig . Éditions Bernard Coutaz publishes music books and fiction. Bernard Coutaz

108-748: Was convinced to join the Harmonia Mundi label. Deller's account of their first meeting, shows Coutaz' initial approach to artist management. The success of Deller's recordings, and the artist-first management style of Coutaz and his wife Eva, attracted other loyal recording artists among them Philippe Herreweghe , René Jacobs , and the Ensemble Clément Janequin . Coutaz also published the early recordings of Les Arts Florissants of William Christie . Many of Konrad Junghänel 's first recordings were with Harmonia Mundi, to whom his Cantus Cölln came from DHM-BMG in 1997. Andreas Scholl

120-740: Was founded in Saint-Michel-de-Provence , France, in 1958, and around the same time, Rudolf Ruby set up Deutsche Harmonia Mundi . The two labels shared similar aims and specialised in recordings of Early and Baroque music , with an emphasis on scholarly, historically informed performance and high-quality sound and production values. They also shared the Harmonia Mundi name for commercial reasons and collaborated for many years, sharing artists, material and distribution, and competing successfully with classical labels such as Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre 's Decca Records and Deutsche Grammophon 's Archiv Produktion . The association between

132-562: Was made Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1993 and officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres . In 2009 he was awarded a Special Award by Gramophone Magazine. He died in Arles in 2010. Novels: Journalism: Significant recordings: Saint-Auban-sur-l%27Ouv%C3%A8ze Saint-Auban-sur-l'Ouvèze ( French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿obɑ̃ syʁ luvɛz] , literally Saint Auban on

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144-423: Was of Slavonic liturgy sung by French monks. This was followed by a series dedicated to historic organs, for which Coutaz toured France, Spain and Germany with his recording equipment in his Citroën 2CV . A significant breakthrough occurred after hearing Alfred Deller in concert at Avignon . In a much recounted story Coutaz drove Deller to his farm, and after a night of music, wine and goat's cheese, by dawn Deller

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