One of the world’s leading producers of recordings in period-instruments performance, Wolf Erichson continues his decade-long association with Sony Classical with the label debut of violin virtuoso Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. The disc features a dynamic new interpretation of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, coupled with the world premiere recordings of three Vivaldi concertos. The recording continues Erichson’s commitment to the standards he helped establish in producing music that reflects the most recent research into performance practice and the highest level of artistic achievement.
Since 1989 Erichson has been associated with Sony Classical as producer and founder of the award-winning early music label Vivarte. With this label, in well over 100 recordings, Erichson broke new ground, recording authentic performances of lesser-known and newly discovered repertoire ranging from the middle ages to the 19th century, in addition to definitive performances of central works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart and Haydn. Under Erichson, Vivarte became one of the leading addresses for early music on record, featuring such distinguished artists as Gustav Leonhardt, Barthold Kuijken, Anner Bylsma, and Bob van Asperen, as well as leading period-performance ensembles including Tafelmusik, L'Archibudelli and the Huelgas Ensemble.
A native of Hamburg, Erichson attended the city's famous Wilhelm Gymnasium, known throughout Germany for its emphasis upon the Humanities, and then served an apprenticeship as an organ builder. He went on to study musicology and singing at the University of Hamburg, and founded a chamber choir. In 1958, he joined Teldec (Telefunken/Decca) and made his first recordings of Bach organ works with Karl Richter in 1960. Erichson was a co-founder of "Das Alte Werk," the Teldec series which first brought worldwide recognition to such artists as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Brüggen, Gustav Leonhardt and ensembles including Concerto Amsterdam, Concentus Musicus Wien, and Capella antiqua München. Between 1960 and 1972 he produced over 200 records, which have won close to 50 international awards.
In 1972, Erichson founded an independent production company, Seon Music Film, whose recordings of early music won the highest approbation. Seon’s products were distributed through Philips, RCA Hamburg, Pickwick USA and Polydor Japan. He also realised numerous projects in the field of classical music for Pro Arte Munich, BASF Germany and RCA Hamburg/Germany. From 1980 to 1991, he produced a series of recordings with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Emerson Quartet for Deutsche Grammophon. Erichson was the producer of the Emerson Quartet´s recordings of the complete Bartok Quartets, which won several Grammy Awards in 1990, including “Best Classical Album”. In 1993, he was honored with a special prize for Lifetime Achievement by the jury of the "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik." ###
