Harmonia Mundi

Founded in 1958, harmonia mundi is the oldest independent classical music label. Its founder, Bernard Coutaz, set up the label in Paris, then in 1962 in Saint-Michel de Provence. Following the advice of his friends – musicologists Carl De Nys and the organologist Pierre Rochas – Coutaz began by building a catalogue based on a repertoire dedicated to the organ. This work allowed him to develop a particular sensitivity to the sound of instruments at a time when the melodic influence still largely dominated the phonographic production. After a decisive meeting with Alfred Deller in 1968, the label began to make a series of recordings of English Renaissance and Baroque music. Recordings with musicians of the next generation have multiplied, giving harmonia mundi an image as a forerunner in the interpretation of the repertoire on early instruments. These developments made it possible to win over a new and ever-wider audience as the early and especially the Baroque repertoires became more and more important on the international music scene. At the same time, the catalogue was enriched and opened up to numerous collaborations from all countries. Today, harmonia mundi records all repertoires, from early music to 21st century music, while paying constant attention to the musicians of the younger generation. After its acquisition by [PIAS] in 2015, harmonia mundi continues and expands its activities and welcomes a new generation that is now distinguished in France and internationally. The recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion by Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon won the Gramophone Award in 2022 and the Victoires de la Musique Classique in 2023, while the Debussy’s Pélléas et Mélisande by Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth was awarded as best opera recording at the International Classical Music Awards in 2023.