DECCA RECORDS’ LEGENDARY PRODUCER CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN AND
SOUND ENGINEER JAMES LOCK HAVE DIED
Two of the towering giants of the classical recording world
have died within a week of each other. Christopher Raeburn and
Jimmy Lock worked for The Decca Record Company (both as full-time
employees and as freelancers) for a combined total of just under
100 years.
Both Raeburn and Lock played crucial roles in some of the greatest
recordings ever made, none of which have ever left the catalogue
and are still considered benchmarks by which all others following
are judged.
They were instrumental in forming what became the celebrated
‘Decca Sound’ which among its many qualities was
a striving to capture the unique sound of an orchestra by recording
them in their own concert hall rather than in a recording studio.
Among the many recordings they worked on together are Joan
Sutherland & Luciano Pavarotti’s La Fille du Regiment;
Herbert von Karajan’s Madama Butterfly with Pavarotti
& Mirella Freni; Sutherland’s second Lucia di Lammermoor
and the culmination of Solti’s series of Strauss opera
recordings the multi-award winning Die Frau ohne Schatten.
Christopher Roberts, President Classics & Jazz, Universal
Music Group International commented:
“Christopher and James’ legacies are incalculable
as both worked for decades on hundreds of recordings that will
always be listened to and enjoyed by millions of people. Their
work for Decca will live on, as will the work they did for so
many musicians and musical organisations all of whom found their
guidance and support invaluable. Everyone at Decca is committed
to producing great recordings for future generations and in
so doing will honour their memory and contribution to the company.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to both families at this
time.”
Christopher Raeburn first joined The Decca Record Company in
1954 and after a period researching in Vienna rejoined the company
full-time in 1958, where he remained until 1991 after which
he continued to work as a freelance producer.
The list of artists and recordings that Christopher worked
on are too numerous to list and include collaborations with
most of the great musicians of the post-war era. Being initially
based in Vienna , Christopher worked on all the recordings Decca
was then making with the Vienna Philharmonic, including the
first ever studio recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle with
Sir Georg Solti. He developed close relationships with many
artists, not least Pavarotti, Sutherland, András Schiff,
Kyung Wha Chung, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Marilyn Horne and Radu
Lupu. Christopher was also the producer of the original Three
Tenors concert, the best selling classical CD of all time with
sales of over 13 million albums and videos worldwide.
Christopher was also celebrated during his lifetime for the
help and support he gave young musicians, often out of the public
eye. Among those he’s most associated with are Cecilia
Bartoli and Angelika Kirchschlager. His bond with Bartoli was
particularly close and he played a vital role in developing
both her performing and recording career. As Christopher produced
almost all of her recordings it’s particularly fitting
that the last recording he made was Bartoli’s Maria disc
that was an homage to Maria Malibran, a singer Christopher introduced
to Bartoli.
Mirella Freni spoke yesterday for many musicians:
"I have been fortunate to know Christopher Raeburn as
one of the finest recording producers in classical music and,
more, to have counted him as a personal friend. I doubt there
has been anyone with a better set of ears, a more total dedication
to music and the gift to speak so constructively and honestly
with artists."
Christopher was deeply valued as a friend by many who treasured
his loyalty, generosity of spirit, vast knowledge and range
of enthusiasms that included fine art, the theatre and collecting
antiques. He wore his considerable knowledge of these areas
lightly and never made anyone feel inadequate in the face of
his always superior knowledge.
Among the many awards he received during his lifetime he particularly
treasured being the first non-conductor to receive the Vienna
Philharmonic’s Schalk Medallion.
James Lock, known to everyone as Jimmy, worked for Decca from
1963 – 1999, initially as a recording engineer and then
subsequently as Chief Engineer, Manager and Executive Sound
Consultant. In his long and extraordinary career James worked
with nearly every internationally famous singer, conductor and
musical organization from Thomas Beecham onwards.
Among the hundreds of great recordings James worked on are:
Solti’s Carmen, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Lohengrin, Otello,
Rosenkavalier; Karajan’s Boris Godunov, La Bohème
(with Pavarotti and Freni); Crespin’s Les Nuits d’Eté;
Sutherland’s Norma, Les Contes d’Hoffman (with Domingo)
Turandot (with Pavarotti) and Pavarotti’s very first recording.
Like Christopher, Lock was devoted to the artists he worked
with and such devotion was returned by those artists who valued
and trusted his judgment entirely. Not only was James armed
with his unique ability to combine the musical and the technical,
but his infectious warm friendly charm guided many a fearful
artist through the recording process.
Joan Sutherland spoke for many artists when she said:
"He was brilliant, able to capture our sound as if we
were on stage giving a live performance".
Decades of staff at Decca saw James as a mentor who was endlessly
generous with his time and through his example and infectious
enthusiasm for the recording world set standards that they could
only strive to match. Among the many who regarded James as a
close friend, Valerie Solti has written on Gramophone’s
website of how:
“He was loved and admired by all the artists who worked
with him, he was a magician, a genius who had the talent and
passion to reproduce musical performance with total integrity.”
As well as his work for Decca, James was in demand around the
world advising numerous venues on acoustics, such as the new
opera house in Valencia and the renovations of Orchestra Hall
in Chicago and Severance Hall in Cleveland . He was equally
successful as a consultant responsible for the sound systems
for live performances in the open-air, not least for those given
by the Three Tenors, Menotti’s Spoleto Festival and international
tours by La Scala. For many years James was Pavarotti’s
personal engineer and sound consultant for all of his stadium
concerts. The technical demands of ensuring great sound in a
huge range of stadiums and venues around the world didn’t
faze James’ peerless skills and expertise where he aimed
to transform a stadium PA rig into a gigantic Hi-Fi system,
thus providing the audience with the armchair listening experience
that the discerning Decca Records music lovers had come to expect.
For further information please contact Simon Millward at Albion
Media, simon@albion-media.co.uk, 020-7629-3252.
