Lyrita

From the 1960s to the 1990s, those with a taste for obscure English classical composers, or for the obscure works of the well-known ones, needed only one port of call: Lyrita Records. Founded in 1959 by Richard Itter, the label specialised in finding the great unknowns of our musical canon, and putting them before the public. It did so on vinyl LPs that became renowned both for the high standard of their pressings and their performances: LPs that today change hands for up to £150 on the internet.

In the early 1990s Lyrita put some of its catalogue on CD, and released some new material: but then, for 15 years, there was silence. Attempts to persuade Itter to release the rest of the catalogue in digital form, and to put out a wealth of hitherto unreleased recordings, failed. Then in 2006 Lyrita entered an exclusive agreement with Wyastone Estate Limited and virtually all the Lyrita recordings are now available on CD, many for the first time.