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\n\tBERLIN \u2014 Deutsche Grammophon marked its 125th anniversary in Berlin last night (Dec. 6) at the first of three concerts to celebrate the classical music label\u2019s legacy, as well as its current stars. At the city\u2019s storied Konzerthaus, new signing Joana Mallwitz conducted her orchestra; violinist Bomsori Kim and cellist Kian Soltani performed Ludwig van Beethoven<\/a>\u2018s Triple Concerto, and Bruce Liu played the German master\u2019s Choral Fantasy. Liu, one of the label\u2019s rising stars, in 2021 won the International Chopin Competition.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Berlin concert will be followed by concerts in Philadelphia and Seoul. The U.S. event, on Dec. 9, will feature Mar\u00eda Due\u00f1as, H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Grimaud and Moby, who has recently released some work on the label; and in South Korea, on Dec. 15, Vikingur \u00d3lafsson will perform the \u201cGoldberg Variations.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTo this day, Deutsche Grammophon is home to the biggest classical stars of their time,\u201d said Frank Briegmann<\/strong>, chairman and CEO of Universal Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon, at a reception before the concert. \u201cIt is the guardian of a cultural treasure of incredible proportions.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDeutsche Grammophon, a cultural institution in the classical music world, is the oldest operating record company. It was founded in 1898 by Emile Berliner, a German Jew who moved to the U.S. and in 1887 patented the \u201cGramophone,\u201d a technology for recording and reproducing sound by engraving and tracing it with a stylus \u2013 initially on a cylinder and then on a flat disc. After licensing the rights to manufacture his invention, he sent his nephew, Joseph Sanders, to open a German subsidiary, which severed its relationship with the parent company in 1914.<\/p>\n \n\tIn 1941, the company was purchased by Siemens & Halske, a corporate ancestor of today\u2019s Siemens company. Over the next two decades, Deutsche Grammophone became known for its distinctive yellow logo and high-fidelity classical music recordings that were marvels of technology at the time and are still considered iconic today. As its rival recording companies shifted toward pop, Deutsche Grammophone focused on classical, and then also contemporary music. In 1962, Siemens formed a joint venture with the Dutch company Philips to run the company that became PolyGram International \u2013 which in 1999 was purchased by what was then the parent company of Universal Music Group and merged with it.<\/p>\n \n\tThe company\u2019s catalog, reputation and logo still endure, and about a year ago it launched Stage+<\/a>, a high-fidelity subscription streaming service that includes access to performances on video. The label\u2019s anniversary concerts will be shown on the service.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNothing has changed,\u201d said label president Dr. Clemens Trautmann<\/strong>, referring to the company\u2019s record for using the new technology of the time. \u201cAnd everything has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n