LYRICHORD -
STILL SPRY AT FIFTY-FIVE
by Christina Roden
In the year 2000, Lyrichord turned 50 years old, a milestone
that has been achieved by very few independent labels. How Lyrichord has
managed to survive for over half a century despite repeated episodes of bizarre
market conditions makes a fascinating and instructive tale. Above all,
it is a family history - the story of a tenacious father and son who consistently
put their love of music and passion for excellence on the line and kept the
faith.
In 1950, the late Peter Fritsch began a record company in
a landmark brownstone in New York's Greenwich Village, where Lyrichord
was housed until 2001. The operation was initially devoted to Classical
Music, but the proprietor's vision and curiosity were also engaged
by what later became known as World Music. Unusual Classical pieces
and ethnomusicology were unlikely areas of specialization to pursue during
the relentlessly conformist, xenophobic '50's. However, pockets of academics
and other renegade souls craved alternatives to the dominant tastes
of the time and the label gathered a following. During the 60's, interest
in ethnic music began to attract more general interest and the future of
this aspect of the label's catalog was assured.
Lyrichord 's international field recordings were and are among
the finest of their kind. Many were produced in state-of-the-art early
stereophonic sound from tapes compiled by respected cultural anthropologists.
Colin Turnbull's groundbreaking Pygmy songs were set down during an
extended journey through what was then the Belgian Congo. Katsumasa
Takasago started out with solo and ensemble recordings from Japan,
including the landmark "Masterpieces For The Shakuhachi (Japanese wooden flute)",
but eventually fanned out into the rest of Asia, the Near East and Europe.
John Levy, meanwhile, was most at home with Asian and Indian cultures. Lyrichord
re-released his "Tibetan Buddhist Rites From The Monasteries Of Bhutan" as
a four CD box in 1994. It won NAIRD's "Indie" award in 1994 and continues
to gamer raves.
Virtually every World Music professional of a certain age
can cite at least one Lyrichord recording that directly influenced
his or her choice of career. The label and its team of pioneering scholars
preserved priceless rituals and folkways that were nearly lost and
their efforts are recognized today as some of the first fruits of the
science of ethnomusicology.
In 1978, a Lebanese musician-ethnomusicologist by the name
of All Jihad Racy was commissioned to compose a score that would accompany
the American tour of treasures from King Tutankhamen's tomb. "Ancient
Egypt" was performed on original Middle-Eastern instruments and drew
heavily from folklore. A sense of suspended time permeates the ethnic flavors,
mirroring the stunned awe experienced by contemporary viewers of the artifacts,
the paradox of gazing on such enigmatic splendor amid the turbulence of the
late 20th century. "Ancient Egypt" presaged the New Age phenomenon while
remaining faithful to its sources and has been One of Lyrichord’s most highly
praised recordings for over two decades, Racy’s 1997 follow has also received
rave reviews.
When Peter Fritsch's son Nick, took over the firm in 1988,
he started the laborious process of re-mixing favorites from the extensive
World Music back catalogue for reissue in CD format. He has continued
the label's policy of capturing endangered acoustic traditions, but
is aware that the organic evolution of a shrinking planet naturally
leads to unexpected collaborations that are authentic on their own
terms. Lyrichord provides an open forum for exploratory combinations of civilizations
and genres which may well come down to future generations as folk music.
From its inception, LYRICHORD released Classical recordings that
were somewhat esoteric and demanded total engagement from the listener.
Peter Fritsch had an aversion to the war-horses that major labels favored
with their repeated attention and concentrated predominantly on the
Early Music, 20th century organ and chamber music repertoires.
Nick Fritsch launched a formal imprint devoted to Early Music
in 1994. The LYRICHORD EARLY MUSIC SERIES (LEMS) quickly became a vital force
within a specialized genre, which appeals to listeners from the Classical,
New Age and World Music markets. "In the early '60's," he recalls, "LYRICHORD
acquired Experiences Anonymes, a small audiophile label that had invested
some 100.000 dollars into the production of definitive realizations of Medieval
and Renaissance music. One afternoon in 1992,1 got out one of these master
tapes and heard the voice of the legendary countertenor, Russell Oberlin.
Far from being some obsolete interpretation of a then misunderstood period
of music, I was hearing a voice of extraordinary, universal beauty and power.
I spent the better part of a year remastering these rare stereo recordings
and the LYRICHORD EARLY MUSIC SERIES was born."
The Russell Oberlin reissues met with a rapturous reception
and the LEMS catalogue expanded to include new recordings of similarly
vivid performances. A loyal customer base was attracted by widespread
praise from the print media, heavy airplay and word-of- mouth. One recent
highlight is The ARTEK Ensemble's first-ever American cast performance of
Monteverdi's complex and luscious early baroque opera, "Orfeo", conducted
by Gwendolyn Torn. The LEMS is also the home of Schola Discantus, who are
noted for the crystalline purity of their performances of 15th and 16th century
Franco-Flemish polyphony. The group's conductor, Stanford University's Kevin
Moll, retrieves ancient scores out of the realm of theory via detective work
coupled with the latest software. Still another outfit, Frederick Renz’ Ensemble
For Early Music, weaves garlands of gleefully profane 14th century dances
with Crusades-era Arabic underpinnings on "Istanpitta". Rare keyboards such
as Richard Troeger’s Bach on Clavichord series, Shawn Leopard and John Paul’s
amazing Trio Sonatas on Lautenwercke recordings, even revival-era harpsichords
shine on Paul Wolfe’s “When They Had Pedals” historic recordings of Frescobaldi
and Handel Suites.
The LEMS artists differ widely in their repertoires and
philosophies. The one common thread is that each scholar is also a
gifted interpreter and thus is able to inhabit as well as accurate his
or her milieu. Period detail is not the sole consideration. Works that
have proven hardy enough to foil oblivion tend to lose their bloom when
handled with bloodless rectitude. The LEMS artists have attained a balance
of accuracy and virility that has earned the admiration of Early Music devotees
while also fostering the interest of beginners.
Though the elder Mr. Fritsch passed away in April of 2004,
and Lyrichord went through several rough years due to distribution problems,
while traversing the financial mine field that the new century laid at the
feet of the entire music industry, Nick is still plugging away, now with
a new retail distributor (City Hall Records) and now sharing and creating
many projects with a new partner in crime, Stephen McArthur of Multicultural
Media and The World Music Store.com. "We are not afraid of taking chances."
he says “Labels like Lyrichord are still toughing it out, doing more
than selling pre-packaged slices of pop culture. They carry on the past
and living traditions of the human race, which tell us where we came from,
who we are and what we can become. And in these decidedly troubled times,
we must all start to examine who we are, and start finding answers.”
-Christina Roden