John Hadden has had more than 25 years’ experience as a freelance classical recording producer and engineer for labels including Sony Classics, Teldec - Das Alte Werk, Naxos, deutsche harmonia mundi, harmonia mundi usa, Destino Classics, Virgin/EMI France, Avie, Hyperion, ASV, Carus Verlag, Vanguard Classics, Challenge Classics and CRD. His recordings have won many international awards, amongst them the Gramophone Award (UK), Edison Award (Netherlands), Cannes Classical Award (France), Echo Klassic prize of the German Phono Academy and Premio Internazionale del Disco Vivaldi Antica (Italy). After earning degrees in physics and computer science John Hadden undertook graduate studies in French horn and historical performance practices, a hybrid degree combining musicology and performance, at Washington University in St. Louis. While a graduate student he was occasionally hired by the St Louis Symphony as Assistant Principal and when there was need to augment the horn section from its normal four players. Dissertation research on the early history and playing techniques of the horn 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 making distinguished recordings.
Recording producer, engineer, editor "Let me say right away, that this is a quite stunning recording.The instruments have a magnificent sound and are beautifuly recorded...Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning something you can live without." Gramophone Critics' Choice "One of the most electrifying Baroque recordings of recent years." New York Times
"Perfectly balanced, warm, luminous sonics make this one of the finest recordings of all time." Classics Today
A fine recording combines music-making of the highest order with engaging recorded sound. To allow this to happen I like to choose an appropriate venue which compliments the sound of the music and then allow the artists the freedom, confidence and encouragement to produce their very best performances. These performances must, of course, be captured with state of the art equipment and microphone techniques which are capable of capturing the very subtle details of the performances as well as the reverberations, reflections and diffractions of the music within the acoustic.
“There is a definite kind of magic in working with John Hadden, his way of listening and his method of working in a recording situation have a lot to do with the way I personally approach making a CD. To be in a beautiful place, play the music you made your own and have John capture the whole atmosphere, he has a rare gift of doing just that.” Hille Perl, internationally acclaimed viola da gambist
John Hadden has mastered/remastered more than 500 CDs for EMI Classics and HMV as well as engineering, mixing and mastering African music and jazz for World Circuit, most notably Ali Farka Toure's seminal recording Source, Oumou Sangare's Ko Sira and the CDs of the late jazz legend Andy Hamilton MBE, whose debut album Silvershine at the age of 72 was the biggest selling jazz CD of the year in the UK, the Times (London) Jazz Album of the Year and one of 50 Sony Recordings of the Year. His audio restoration of recordings from the 1920s and 1930s can be heard on ASV’s Living Era label.
John Hadden
John Hadden has had more than 25 years’ experience as a freelance classical recording producer and engineer for labels including Sony Classics, Teldec - Das Alte Werk, Naxos, deutsche harmonia mundi, harmonia mundi usa, Destino Classics, Virgin/EMI France, Avie, Hyperion, ASV, Carus Verlag, Vanguard Classics, Challenge Classics and CRD. His recordings have won many international awards, amongst them the Gramophone Award (UK), Edison Award (Netherlands), Cannes Classical Award (France), Echo Klassic prize of the German Phono Academy and Premio Internazionale del Disco Vivaldi Antica (Italy). After earning degrees in physics and computer science John Hadden undertook graduate studies in French horn and historical performance practices, a hybrid degree combining musicology and performance, at Washington University in St. Louis. While a graduate student he was occasionally hired by the St Louis Symphony as Assistant Principal and when there was need to augment the horn section from its normal four players. Dissertation research on the early history and playing techniques of the horn 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 making distinguished recordings.
Recording producer, engineer, editor "Let me say right away, that this is a quite stunning recording.The instruments have a magnificent sound and are beautifuly recorded...Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning something you can live without." Gramophone Critics' Choice "One of the most electrifying Baroque recordings of recent years." New York Times
"Perfectly balanced, warm, luminous sonics make this one of the finest recordings of all time." Classics Today
A fine recording combines music-making of the highest order with engaging recorded sound. To allow this to happen I like to choose an appropriate venue which compliments the sound of the music and then allow the artists the freedom, confidence and encouragement to produce their very best performances. These performances must, of course, be captured with state of the art equipment and microphone techniques which are capable of capturing the very subtle details of the performances as well as the reverberations, reflections and diffractions of the music within the acoustic.
“There is a definite kind of magic in working with John Hadden, his way of listening and his method of working in a recording situation have a lot to do with the way I personally approach making a CD. To be in a beautiful place, play the music you made your own and have John capture the whole atmosphere, he has a rare gift of doing just that.” Hille Perl, internationally acclaimed viola da gambist
John Hadden has mastered/remastered more than 500 CDs for EMI Classics and HMV as well as engineering, mixing and mastering African music and jazz for World Circuit, most notably Ali Farka Toure's seminal recording Source, Oumou Sangare's Ko Sira and the CDs of the late jazz legend Andy Hamilton MBE, whose debut album Silvershine at the age of 72 was the biggest selling jazz CD of the year in the UK, the Times (London) Jazz Album of the Year and one of 50 Sony Recordings of the Year. His audio restoration of recordings from the 1920s and 1930s can be heard on ASV’s Living Era label.
John Hadden
recording producer & engineer
JOHN HADDEN
JOHN HADDEN
recording producer & engineer
JOHN HADDEN
JOHN HADDEN