Reference Recordings Bought By Dorian

It's been a rough year for the music industry—and possibly an even rougher one for audiophile labels. The Dorian Group, however, seems to be thriving. Parent company to Dorian Recordings, the Dorian Group announced last week its acquisition of Reference Recordings. During its 25 years in business, RR has consistently garnered praise from audiophiles for the sound quality of its recordings, and has scored eight Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards.

Dorian reports that RR's identity and key staff will remain intact, including the label's famed recording engineer, Keith Johnson. The company says, "RR's state-of-the-art audiophile production quality and reputation will continue leading the field in innovative thinking and technical achievements such as HDCD."

As part of the new arrangement, Dorian says that SACD releases from RR will be offered in the near future and that exclusive worldwide distribution for the label will be through On-Demand Media Services.

Three new recordings from RR have also been promised: The Minnesota Orchestra under Eiji Oue performing works of American composer Dominick Argento and featuring soprano Frederica von Stade; German-born 17-year-old organist Felix Hell debuting with a recording the label says is "destined to become a touchstone demonstration recording"; and a release of works by the composer John Tavener, including the world premiere of Ikon of Eros for solo violin, orchestra, and choir, performed by the Minnesota Orchestra and Chorale under Paul Goodman and featuring concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis as soloist.

Dorian's Craig Dory is clearly a fan of Johnson's work. "Keith's recordings were a big influence on getting me to take it to the limit," he said. "We both believe in quality recordings of interesting music. Pooling together our resources, while maintaining the distinct identities of the labels, is what will allow us to thrive in the future." Johnson adds that, as a result of the acquisition, his label expects to "expand our repertoire and to reach out to more musicians and listeners."

Dorian's Brian Levine notes that the acquisition of RR has by no means satisfied the company's hunger for growth. "In a challenging environment like this, becoming a more substantial player through acquisition is our strategy for success. We are continuing to search for complementary, premium quality, niche-oriented labels for acquisition and will seek the financing needed to fuel that growth."

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