Amiata Records
Encyclopedia
Amiata Records is an independent cross-cultural record label founded in 1992 by Matteo Silva and Marc Eagleton with
headquarters in the historic center of Florence
and offices in London, Lugano and Rome. Amiata derives its name from the mountain in southern Tuscany
, one of the most un-spoilt areas of central Italy
. AMIATA's motto is "The Most Meaningful Sound Next to Silence", a phrase taken from a 1995 review of AMIATA releases in Audiophile Recording, a British audiophile
magazine. Amiata has established a strong international reputation for its outstanding recordings of world music
, ethnic music, authentic folk, innovative contemporary classical music
, ancient music
, jazz
, relaxation music and even cutting-edge electronic music.
and Gianfranco Pernaiachi; minimalistic composers like Terry Riley
, Hans Otte
and Steve Reich
, outstanding vocalists like Sainkho Namtchylak
, Faraualla, Amelia Cuni, saxophonist Angelo Ricciardi, flutist Andrea Ceccomori, guitarists Dominic Miller
and Paolo Giaro, bassists Andrea Donati and Enzo Pietropaoli
and string quartets like the Bernini Quartet.
The label's output shares a certain common aesthetic framework, including a very characteristic audiophile recording sound, repertoire consisting mostly of original compositions by the artists and often large booklets, sophisticated packaging and minimalist cover art. Some have credited the label's early aesthetic approach as a precursor, for better or worse, of the new-age music movement and the Italian daughter of German jazz label ECM.
There is a clear link between some AMIATA recordings and so-called world music, especially the folk recordings and arrangements by the Fratelli Mancuso
, the work of Antonio Infantino and Ustad Nishat Khan
. Other examples of AMIATA's world music are records by the Bauls of Bengal, Tibetan Lama Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, Indian virtuoso Zakir Hussain
, Gabin Dabiré
and the Ensemble Club musical Oriente Cubano.
The AMIATA New Series was created to document Western contemporary classical works—the first of these was the world-premiere recording of Hans Otte
Aquarian Music who gave to the series a certain minimalist approach confirmed by other releases of music by Steve Reich, Terry Riley
, Ludovico Einaudi
, Arvo Pärt
.
On many releases, the multicultural and classical sides of AMIATA are combined: for example, Ustad Nishat Khan
's Meeting of Angels features him playing sitar solos over the Ensemble Gilles Binchois
singing Gregorian chant.
The label was distributed in the USA for many years by Ryko Distribution and after Warner Bros. Records
acquisition of Ryko by the independent MVD Entertainment Group.
Matteo Silva continues to take an active interest in the music released by the label, acting as producer on most of its recordings. The typical AMIATA session is just three days—two days to record, one day to mix. Silva in general dislikes overdubbing.
headquarters in the historic center of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and offices in London, Lugano and Rome. Amiata derives its name from the mountain in southern Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, one of the most un-spoilt areas of central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. AMIATA's motto is "The Most Meaningful Sound Next to Silence", a phrase taken from a 1995 review of AMIATA releases in Audiophile Recording, a British audiophile
Audiophile
An audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
magazine. Amiata has established a strong international reputation for its outstanding recordings of world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, ethnic music, authentic folk, innovative contemporary classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, ancient music
Ancient music
Ancient music is music that developed in literate cultures, replacing prehistoric music.Ancient music refers to the various musical systems that were developed across various geographical regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, India, China, Greece and Rome. Ancient music is designated by the...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, relaxation music and even cutting-edge electronic music.
History
The first AMIATA release was Ad Infinitum in 1992 by italian composer and label founder Matteo Silva. For some years Amiata Records specialised in new music, releasing recordings by experimental artists like Michael VetterMichael Vetter
Michael Vetter is a German composer, novelist, poet, performer, calligrapher, artist, and teacher.-Biography:Vetter was born in Oberstdorf in the Allgäu region of Germany, and received a conventional school education...
and Gianfranco Pernaiachi; minimalistic composers like Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
, Hans Otte
Hans Otte
Hans Otte born Hans Günther Franz Otte in Plauen, Germany was a German composer, pianist, radio promoter, and author of many pieces of musical theatre, sound installations, poems, drawings, and art videos. From 1959 to 1984 he served as music director for Radio Bremen...
and Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, outstanding vocalists like Sainkho Namtchylak
Sainkho Namtchylak
Sainkho Namtchylak is a singer originally from Tuva, a small autonomous republic in the Russian Federation just north of Mongolia. She is known for her Tuvan throat singing or Khöömei.-Style:...
, Faraualla, Amelia Cuni, saxophonist Angelo Ricciardi, flutist Andrea Ceccomori, guitarists Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller is an Argentine-English guitarist who toured and recorded with World Party and King Swamp, worked on Phil Collins' solo album ...But Seriously and played guitar on every Sting album and tour since 1990...
and Paolo Giaro, bassists Andrea Donati and Enzo Pietropaoli
Enzo Pietropaoli
Enzo Pietropaoli is an Italian jazz bassist.Born in Genoa, lives in Rome since 1961, he debuted with the "Trio Di Roma" in 1975 .- Biography :...
and string quartets like the Bernini Quartet.
The label's output shares a certain common aesthetic framework, including a very characteristic audiophile recording sound, repertoire consisting mostly of original compositions by the artists and often large booklets, sophisticated packaging and minimalist cover art. Some have credited the label's early aesthetic approach as a precursor, for better or worse, of the new-age music movement and the Italian daughter of German jazz label ECM.
There is a clear link between some AMIATA recordings and so-called world music, especially the folk recordings and arrangements by the Fratelli Mancuso
Fratelli Mancuso
The Fratelli Mancuso, the brothers Enzo and Lorenzo Mancuso, are musicians who were born in Sutera in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily. They moved to London in the 1970s and have been based in Città della Pieve, Umbria since 1981....
, the work of Antonio Infantino and Ustad Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan is an Indian sitar player and son of surbahar player Imrat Khan.Khan was born in the mid-1960s in Kolkata. He performed with musicians of the genres jazz, Gregorian chant, flamenco and Western classical music. In August 2002, Khan performed for the Diet of Japan in Tokyo and played in...
. Other examples of AMIATA's world music are records by the Bauls of Bengal, Tibetan Lama Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, Indian virtuoso Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
, Gabin Dabiré
Gabin Dabiré
Gabin Dabiré is a singer, guitar player, and composer from Burkina Faso who is resident in Italy.Born in Bobo Dioulasso in the African state of Burkina Faso, Gabin Dabiré’s first experiences in music were taking lessons from and playing with the great masters of the traditional music of Burkina...
and the Ensemble Club musical Oriente Cubano.
The AMIATA New Series was created to document Western contemporary classical works—the first of these was the world-premiere recording of Hans Otte
Hans Otte
Hans Otte born Hans Günther Franz Otte in Plauen, Germany was a German composer, pianist, radio promoter, and author of many pieces of musical theatre, sound installations, poems, drawings, and art videos. From 1959 to 1984 he served as music director for Radio Bremen...
Aquarian Music who gave to the series a certain minimalist approach confirmed by other releases of music by Steve Reich, Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
, Ludovico Einaudi
Ludovico Einaudi
Ludovico Einaudi OMRI is an Italian contemporary music composer and pianist.-Biography:Born in Turin, Italy, Einaudi's mother played to him on the piano as a child. He began his musical training at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, gaining a diploma in composition in 1982...
, Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...
.
On many releases, the multicultural and classical sides of AMIATA are combined: for example, Ustad Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan is an Indian sitar player and son of surbahar player Imrat Khan.Khan was born in the mid-1960s in Kolkata. He performed with musicians of the genres jazz, Gregorian chant, flamenco and Western classical music. In August 2002, Khan performed for the Diet of Japan in Tokyo and played in...
's Meeting of Angels features him playing sitar solos over the Ensemble Gilles Binchois
Gilles Binchois
Gilles de Binche , also known as Gilles de Bins , was a Franco-Flemish composer, one of the earliest members of the Burgundian School, and one of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century...
singing Gregorian chant.
The label was distributed in the USA for many years by Ryko Distribution and after Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
acquisition of Ryko by the independent MVD Entertainment Group.
Matteo Silva continues to take an active interest in the music released by the label, acting as producer on most of its recordings. The typical AMIATA session is just three days—two days to record, one day to mix. Silva in general dislikes overdubbing.
Catalogue
Its catalogue now numbers over a hundred titles creatively presented in 7 series, which are Secret World, Roots, New Music, Cutting Edge, Inner Arts, Classica and Multimedia Arts. Amiata offers musical sounds for curious souls and intelligent ears and for people who, leaving behind prejudices, are inquisitive enough to journey into new lands.Design
The label is world-renowned for the design and packaging of its album covers. This was profiled in a 2006 in an exhibition in Florence. It is interesting to note that while newer CD releases frequently use o-sleeves that cover the traditional jewel box, the inlay cards never use two-sided printing or clear trays.Recent Amiata Records Releases
Fratelli MancusoFratelli MancusoThe Fratelli Mancuso, the brothers Enzo and Lorenzo Mancuso, are musicians who were born in Sutera in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily. They moved to London in the 1970s and have been based in Città della Pieve, Umbria since 1981....
- Requiem
Whisky Trail - San Frediano
Ayub OgadaAyub OgadaAyub Ogada is a musician from Kenya. Ogada was born in Mombasa and is one of the Luo people of Western Kenya.He received his first exposure to Western culture early on. When he was six, his parents , toured the college circuit in the U.S...
- Tanguru
Club Musical Oriente Cubano - AlgoRitmo
Whisky Trail - Chaosmos
Fratelli MancusoFratelli MancusoThe Fratelli Mancuso, the brothers Enzo and Lorenzo Mancuso, are musicians who were born in Sutera in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily. They moved to London in the 1970s and have been based in Città della Pieve, Umbria since 1981....
- Cantu
Synaulia - Volume II
Special Projects
Fairy Tales of the World - A collection of twelve CDs containing fairytales from as many countries on five continents, each read by an actor and set to music from the place where it originated. Each CD will be inserted in an illustrated book with the full text of the fairytale. An introduction to cultural diversity aimed at young and old alike from our edutainment program.Achievements
- Winner price of one Naird Award (U.S.A.) as Best Independent Record Label
- Nominated to the Grammy Awards (U.S.A.) twice
- Production of “Magnificat”, an album ordered by the Vatican for “The Jubilee 2000”, with the collaboration of Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, José CarrerasJosé CarrerasJosep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
, Montserrat CaballéMontserrat CaballéMontserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
, etc.
- Production of the popular work (15 CDs), “World music”, for newspapers such as “L'espressoL'Espressol'Espresso is an Italian newsmagazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies, the other being Panorama. Since the latter has been acquired by right-wing tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, l'Espresso enjoys the reputation of being the main politically independent newsmagazine...
” and “la RepubblicaLa Repubblicala Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
”.
- Production of the Encyclopedia “Musiche del Mondo”, 65 volumes published by RCS Fabbri Editori
- Production and release of Synaulia, Music from Ancient Rome Vol. I. and II. An important cultural project which has become a landmark of music archeology.
- Synchronization of different tracks into several internationally well-known success movies such as , among others, The Gladiator (2000 film)Gladiator (2000 film)Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
by Ridley ScottRidley ScottSir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
, The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith 1955 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed as Plein Soleil .The film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth...
by Anthony MinghellaAnthony MinghellaAnthony Minghella, CBE was an English film director, playwright and screenwriter. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007....
, The Village (2004 film)The Village (2004 film)The Village is a 2004 American fantasy-thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan about a end-of-the-19th-century village whose inhabitants live in fear of the creatures inhabiting the woods beyond it. The movie was shot in a recreation of a 19th-century village outside Philadelphia,...
….
- Synchronization of different tracks into several award winning documentaries
- Synchronization of different tracks into several TV advertisements (e.g.: Nissan, CarlingCarlingCarling brands are currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company. In South Africa it is distributed by SABMiller.Carling Black Label is the name of a brand of Canadian lager in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and South Africa...
, California DC.)