about carpe diem

Carpe Diem is a label for Early Music and Improvised Music.
It concentrates on hitherto unknown and rarely played works. The label's philosophy is to present exceptional artistic achievements in simple but exceptionally fine recording quality. In the short period of its existence, it has already earned a string of accolades for the label and its artists.

The recordings do without the customary "additives" and "flavour enhancers" beloved of sound engineers. They use the necessary minimum of technology, employing few microphones (preferably only two) to record an ensemble in the natural spatial ambience of excellent concert halls and churches directly onto stereo tape. Classical valve microphones are often used to give the digital recordings a special warmth. There is no multi-channel recording and no losses from sound mixing - which means no chance of sound manipulation after the event.

This recording philosophy is not new; it continues the tradition of legendary recordings from the 50s and 60s for labels like "Living Stereo" and "Blue Note". The reward for such self-restraint is a pure, undoctored sound. The usual designations such as "DDD" or even "4D" (referring to the numerous stages of processing to which the recording is subjected) do not apply to these Carpe Diem recordings. The CDs are accordingly designated by the exclusive publisher's mark DIRECT STEREO.

The Potsdam daily paper Märkische Allgemeine sums up the style of Carpe Diem in a simple formula: "Aura, not perfection."

In the beginning of 2008, the label was handed over from previous owner Thomas Görne to Jonas Niederstadt, who will now continue the label as a part of his Klangfarbe GbR together with his colleague and friend Tobia Menken.

distributions

In the press

"It is fortunate that this new label is producing such fine recordings ..... beautiful and clear recorded sound"
(HBS Newsletter, New York on "Dulcis Memoria")

"An excellent recording, with fine balance and outstanding stereo imaging" ... Rating: the full 5 stars
(Fono Forum on "Songs of the Half-Light")

"Excellent sound"
(Cahiers de la guitare on "Fandango!")

"Absolutely natural-sounding stereophony" ... Rating: the full 5 stars
(Fono Forum on "La Barca d'Amore")

"Opulent, yet crystal-clear sound"
(Alte Musik Aktuell on "La Barca d'Amore")

"... a formidable achievement of recording and production... the approach to sound [calculated] to give the instruments a much clearer and more immediate presence..."
(pauta, Mexico on "Amoroso")

Highest rating from Klassik heute for "Songs of the Half-Light"

Carpe Diem Team

Jonas Niederstadt

photo: Markus Wessollekproducer, A&R

Born in 1981 in Germany, Jonas Niederstadt begins to play various instruments at an early age, composes music for different acoustic instruments as well as for electronic devices and plays in several bands, constantly developing his skills on guitar, recorders, piano and base.

His strong interest in music and sound leads him to studying musicology in Oldenburg. From 2003-04 he works in a recording studio in Bremen, northern Germany and then starts studying "Tonmeister", which is german for balance engineering, at the University of Music, Detmold, where he specializes in playing and producing Early Music. Besides his studies, Jonas is doing recordings and production dates of a broad stylistical range.

Outside his musical life, he is reading and thinking a lot, dreams of a better world and occasionally goes on hitchhiking tours through europe and scandinavia.

Tobia Menken

Finances & Legal Issues

Born in Hanover 1983, Tobia Menken gets his first music lessons aged four. At the age of 14 he alters to N. Fischer to the Civic Conservatoire Osnabrück, where he is taught in music theory besides majoring in classical guitar. 2000 Tobia Menken wins the 2nd prize in the national German competition "Youth Making Music". Two years later he is awarded national winner of "Youth Composing". In the same year the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research invites him for a three-week master class in composition.

After being awarded 2nd price winner in the "European Youth Competition for Guitar "Andrés Segovia"" he is invited by "Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland e.V." for another three week composition master class with prof Redel, prof Krätzschmer and prof Brandmüller. 2003 Tobia Menken wins the 1st price in the national German competition "Youth Making Music" and is awarded with a special price for his outstanding soloistic performance.

Tobia Menken performs as a laureate as well with soloistic concerts as with several orchestras, amongst others by invitation of the German Music Council in the State Opera House Hanover.
2004 he gets a master class by prof R. Dyens (Paris), aligned to an invitation to the National Conservatoire Paris, followed by concerts with the chamber orchestra Pro Musica and an invitation to the Brunswick Classix Festival.

Alongside radio productions with NDR Tobia Menken debuts in TV with the Federal Minister for Family Affairs.
From 2004 to 2006 he majors in classical guitar in the master class of prof Frank Bungarten at the Conservatoire Lucerne (Switzerland) and is taking private tuition at the Conservatoire Hanover ever since. Besides Tobia Menken studies Industrial Engineering and Management at the Institute of Technology Brunswick since 2004, where the Association of German Engineers awarded him as top student in his class. Since September 2007 Tobia Menken is the managerial partner of Menken Consulting GbR, a consultancy for automotive projects as well as for optimizing production and processes of automotive firms.