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Gramophone Award:


STEREOPHILE CD of the month:

First opera from the New World:

"As good as the music and performances are, it is the sound of this disc that makes it so very special." Stereophile

"Let me say right away, that this is a quite stunning record...The instruments have a magnificent sound and are beautifully recorded...Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning something you can live without." Gramophone

John Hadden is a free-lance recording producer/engineer/editor who has specialized in recording Early Music. He has recorded many of the best-known artists in the field including Andrew Manze, The Harp Consort, Andrew Lawrence-King, Tragicomedia, Paul O'Dette, the Freiburger Barockorchester and the Taverner Consort and Players conducted by Andrew Parrott. His recordings appear on many labels, most notably Sony, Teldec, deutsche harmonia mundi, Virgin Classics and harmonia mundi usa. Recordings by John Hadden have won most international awards, amongst them the Gramophone Award, Edison Award, Cannes Classical Award, Echo Klassic prize of the German Phono Academy and Premio Internazionale del Disco Vivaldi Antica.

After earning degrees in physics and computer science John Hadden undertook graduate studies in historical performance practices, a hybrid degree combining musicology and performance, at Washington University in St.Louis. Research for his Ph.D. dissertation on the history and playing techniques of early horns brought him from his native U.S. to London where he began performing professionally on baroque and classical horns. Gradually his interests shifted from performing to recording and he has since become known for his recordings of early music for which his varied background conveniently prepared him.

About this site: Links on this site will allow you to explore the artists and groups recorded by John Hadden, read reviews, and see what awards these recordings have won. Links have been provided to the Amazon pages for these CDs, and where appropriate the availability of sample tracks has been noted. Please be aware, however, that the sample tracks have been highly compressed for the purposes of downloading over the internet and the sound quality will not represent the true quality of sound on the discs.