Big respect to Rattle, a record company which has been releasing New Zealand recordings ...beyond the regimented lines of classical and contemporary boxes for some years now.
There is a warmth and attractiveness about the whole project, and this extends right throughout every detail..
News Archive 2004-05
John Psathas New Years Honours
John Psathas has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2005 New Zealand Royal New Year Honours list, in recognition of his services to music. The ONZM is the equivalent of the OBE in the UK honours system.
John Psathas in ‘New Zealanders of the Year’ list
Since 1991, the NZ Herald has annually awarded an individual considered to have made an outstanding to contribution to New Zealand society, ‘New Zealander of the Year’. While 2004's main award went to the scientist Dr Peter Gluckman for his contribution to the field of human growth and development, the Herald also profiled the top ten contenders for the title, including John Psathas, citing his composition of music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games as a major achievement.
Codaex appointed UK distributor for Atoll, Rattle, Trust NZ Labels
28 September 2004 Announcement
Atoll, Rattle and Trust (ART) announced today the appointment of Codaex UK to distribute their combined catalogue of some 100 classical music CDs. Codaex UK will also act as the distribution hub for its associated European companies in France, Germany, and Belgium.
ART have been working with Codaex for nearly a year to finalise the arrangement, and it is the first of a number of anticipated appointments to be made in the short- to medium-term.
Tjerk Sekeris, Managing Director, Codaex UK said
"It is a delight to represent Atoll, Rattle and Morrison Trust CDs in the UK. It is good to know that these recordings from New Zealand that have greatly enriched music and cultural life in that part of the world will now have the chance to do so in the UK. These recordings are a wonderful resource that will attract both collectors and new audiences alike".
The three labels have been working together since 2002. ART has received funding from Creative New Zealand for this initiative, and support was also received from the NZ Music Industry Commission and NZTE (formerly TradeNZ).
Initial releases in the UK through Codaex are:
- Fragments - Music by John Psathas performed by Stephen Gosling, Jeremy Fitzsimons and the NZ String Quartet (Trust )
- Islands - Music of Christopher Blake (Atoll)
- Te Hekenga-a-rangi - music performed on traditional Maori instruments by Richard Nunns and Hirini Melbourne (Rattle )
Athens ACHIEVEMENT for John Psathas
Rattle artist John Psathas has been composing for a slightly larger audience of late. On August 14 he has an audience of around 3 billion people for his opening music at the Olympic games
Rattle has a long standing relationship with the Wellington based composer which now extends over 11 years and three CD's.
John, who also teaches at the Victoria School of Music, was chosen from more than 600 international composers to write and arrange 13 pieces of music for the Athens Olympics, including the official fanfares and ceremonial music during the opening ceremony.
It took John seven months and four trips to Greece to complete the project, which involved creating music for up to 250 musicians to record for the Olympics opening ceremony. This included compositions and arrangements for the Olympic Flag, the arrival and setting of the flame, and music for the fireworks.
"I thought I was chosen because I was Greek but, it had nothing to do with this. The musical director had heard the Fanfare I wrote for the opening of Te Papa in 1997 and were taken by my composing style".
"They were originally interested only in as king me to compose the Olympic fanfares, but, after exploring my music, they approached me to compose and arrange a much greater part of the event, in fact, more than any other composer involved in the opening ceremony."
Rattle released Johns debut recording Maitre's Dance as part of the 1993 showcase compilation of new New Zealand artists Different Tracks, a seminal album which set out the future artistic direction of the label. Waiting for the Aeroplane was penned especially for Dan Poynton and graced his You Hit Him He Cry Out collection of New Zealand solo piano pieces in 1997.
However John Psathas' personal artistic vision was first realized comprehensively in his debut album Rhythm Spike, also picked as NZ Classical Album of the Year. The association continued with Rattle partner Steve Garden producing Fragments for associate label Trust Records, and future projects are planned.
John believes his achievement proves there are no limits in pursuing major global endeavours while being based in New Zealand, a sentiment which echoes the increasing growth of New Zealand cultural exports in recent years - particularly music.