Concert Artists Recordings Owner Admits To Forging Recordings Of Joyce Hatto
Acoustic analysis commissioned by Gramophone Magazine has revealed that recordings of the renowned classical pianist Joyce Hatto on her husband’s Concert Artists Recordings label were actually the poorly constructed recordings of other performers. Concert Artists Recordings has issued over 100 Hatto CDs. Joyce, who died last year and hadn’t performed in public in over 30 years, has been “rediscovered” recently to great critical acclaim.
Now the husband, William Barrington-Coupe, has apparently admitted to manipulating the sound recordings publicly. He initially denied the claims, but in a letter to BIS Records CEO Robert von Bahr, the owner of the work he illegally used, he finally confessed. In his letter, Barrington-Coupe admits to doctoring other people’s recordings and passing them off as his wife’s. According to Barrington-Coupe, he had been unable to master her authentic cassette recordings to CD, and began to re-record her repertoire. He chose performers whose style and technique were simple, and gradually learnt new audio tricks such as stretching the sound. It’s a wayward tale, and Gramophone casts doubt on the plausibility of the Barrington-Coupe’s explanation.
