The pioneering classical percussionist Colin Currie launches his own record label, beginning with a recording of Steve Reich’s Drumming, out in March 2018. Distributed by LSO Live and its partners worldwide, Colin Currie Records is a platform for the soloist's diverse projects, celebrating the extraordinary developments for percussion music over the past century.
Featuring key percussion repertoire - from solo works and percussion concerti to chamber music and original collaborations - the label will also champion new percussion music by contemporary British composers, reflecting Currie’s longstanding commitment to this area. The first release on Colin Currie Records will be the debut album by Colin Currie Group: the ensemble founded by Currie to perform the music of Steve Reich. The recording of Reich’s iconic Drumming(1970-71) was made possible by a crowd-funding campaign which Reich enthusiastically endorsed, saying “It will be, I am sure, the best recording of Drumming ever made.”
Hailed as “the world’s finest and most daring percussionist” (The Spectator), Currie is an exhilarating solo and chamber artist at the peak of his powers. As the driving force behind new percussion music for 20 years, Currie has irreversibly transformed the percussion landscape for soloists, challenging and commissioning today’s foremost composers to write new works.
Currie has had works written for him by composers including Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, James MacMillan, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Brett Dean, Anna Clyne, Andrew Norman and Julia Wolfe, with future premieres planned of works by Helen Grime, Harrison Birtwistle, Simon Holt and Andy Akiho. Currie’s commitment to commissioning and creating new music was recognised in 2015 by the Royal Philharmonic Society who awarded him the Instrumentalist Award.
Colin Currie comments: "The percussion world has expanded exponentially, with more opportunities for soloists and young performers than ever before...and the wealth of new music in the past twenty years is staggering. I'm incredibly honoured to play my part in that. It seems a seminal and important moment to capture these remarkable developments on record and I'm very excited about having the chance to curate my own recordings."
LSO Live, the London Symphony Orchestra’s pioneering, artist-led record label will support the creation, development and worldwide distribution of Colin Currie Records. Currie is the first solo artist to partner with LSO Live, following the launch of labels for the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
Future release plans on Colin Currie Records include a solo recital disc featuring works by Carter, Xenakis, Stockhausen, Hosokawa, Mantovani and Wallin, as well as further recordings of Steve Reich’s repertoire with Colin Currie Group.
Becky Lees, Head of LSO Live, said: “LSO Live was set up to put artists in control of their recordings. I am delighted that Colin Currie, one of the world’s great percussionists, will become the first solo artist to launch a label through LSO Live, joining our partners The Choir of King’s College Cambridge, and the Mariinsky Orchestra. Colin’s commitment to new music chimes well with the Orchestra’s work, making Colin Currie Records an ideal partner for LSO Live at this stage. Having created a successful player-led and owned recording model for the LSO it is wonderful to be able to use our expertise to advise and assist other musicians, in putting themselves in control of the music they record, and making the most of the new ways of reaching audiences in the 21st century.”
Colin Currie Records launches with a concert at London's Kings Place on 20 January 2018, in an all-Steve Reich programme performed by Colin Currie Group.