Philips Records
Philips Phonographic Industry N.V. was the first subsidiary of the Philips Group for recordings.
History
From the 1930s, electric record player came on the market, and most of the manufacturers of these devices sold their own records. At Philips, we waited for the introduction of long-playing record in 1947 before they moved their own foundation into consideration. This product was thought superior to shellac records far and marketable, an assessment that should be confirmed quickly. Philips founded his production company on 28 September 1950 in Baarn, near the Dutch broadcasting center Hilversum. By 1951 there is also a record factory was built. The catalog of popular music was initially mainly from productions of the Dutch division of Decca Records. However, their own recordings should be created for serious music, which initially presented itself as a difficult task, since all known artist already had contracts with established labels. As producers, they won Jaap van Ginneken, a radio producer, and Us van der Meulen, who in 1939 had already been included Willem Mengelberg's legendary St. Matthew Passion on Philips -Miller film.
First recordings were so in December 1950 instead of the Willem van Otterloo and the Hague Philharmonic Orchestra The Hague less known. There was a hall with good acoustics neither in Baarn still in The Hague, was elected as Recording the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In January 1951, could also be included for the first time the Concertgebouw Orchestra; Paul van Kempen conducted Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, at the same time a suitable work for a premiere. During the year, the Symphonies 5 and 6, and Romeo and Juliet were still in the same cast to it.
1952 Antal Dorati and could Eugen Jochum commit for recordings with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jean Fournet 1953 with French orchestras and poach in 1954 Eduard van Beinum by Decca. Other well-known artists who met in the fifties to Philips, were Clara Haskil, Arthur Grumiaux and I Musici. They played in 1955 for Philips a then virtually unknown work a: Vivaldi's Four Seasons. With the Philips series Monumenta Musicae Italicae led by the musicologist Vittorio Negri started the revival of Italian baroque music. 1959, the Four Seasons were again re-recorded the same cast, this time in stereo. This recording has survived to this day almost continuously in the catalog.
The classic catalog of the Philips label quickly grew from 38 records 1952 107 pieces 1953 pieces 283 1955 already 680 productions in 1956. However Included in these numbers are also licensed recordings at Columbia Records in 1951, which until 1961 neither producer nor production had for Europe. This Philips could also publish recordings American star artists such as Eugene Ormandy, Bruno Walter and Rudolf Serkin. A similar Matrizenaustausch existed with the label Mercury Records, which had developed the most successful recording system Mercury Living Presence. Mercury recordings were released in Europe on the Philips label, Philips recordings in the United States on the Mercury label. The admissions process Living Presence was exploited in the 1960s and developed it even further; later they took over Mercury completely.
1961 Sir Colin Davis has been committed, who started his Berlioz - complete recording of the orchestral and stage works with Les Troyens. 1963 Bernard Haitink began his cycle of all Bruckner symphonies. In 1969, the new producer Erik Smith Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields of Decca, also Alfred Brendel.
In 1962, Philips Philips Phonographic Industry in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, which brought in Siemens, in the Philips Group gramophone one. Siemens received through a share swap 50 % of Philips Phonographic Industry, in return, Philips 50 % of the DGG. In 1967, the Philips Phonographic Industry was renamed Phonogram International, 1972, the group merged to form PolyGram. The Philips label is used to this day by their successor organizations.