Jonny Greenwood has made a name for himself as a classical composer in recent years, alongside his role as lead guitarist in British rock band Radiohead. He has now launched Octatonic, a new classical music record label.
Two releases have been announced as part of the label’s launch: violinist Daniel Pioro performing JS Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor on one album, and Michael Gordon’s Industry and Jonny Greenwood’s Three Miniatures from Water on the other. The two releases will be sold on vinyl and in digital format.
In the BBC Proms this year, Greenwood’s Horror vacui received its premiere as part of a Late Night Prom, curated by Greenwood himself. He has also written for film, with his score for Phantom Thread receiving an Academy Award nomination in 2018.
Greenwood has also announced new recordings of music by Steve Reich in the works, as well as more of his own unrecorded material.
‘I’ve decided to start documenting the musicians I encounter in the contemporary classical music world,’ says Greenwood. ‘I’m only recording soloists, or small groups, and as it’s my party, I'm including in the release some of my own small ideas that have never been recorded.’
Octatonic will be an imprint of Council Music, which launched in November 2018 and records music across all genres.
