The label with an appetite for discovery
Since its founding in 1994, Cybele has seen itself as an independent classical label that unites artistic excellence with the highest demands on sound quality. With a spirit of discovery, care and state-of-the-art recording technology, it creates productions in which musical quality matters as much as authentic, natural sound.
This is not only about releasing music, but about preserving artistic substance for the long term. Every production sets out to bring together musical quality, interpretative depth and natural, authentic sound.
The name Cybele
The name Cybele goes back to the ancient goddess Cybele.
Originally worshipped in Phrygia, her cult later reached Greece and the Roman world, where she was revered as the “Great Mother of the Gods” and as goddess of nature, fertility and life.
Ancient depictions often show Cybele with a mural crown, a tympanon – a hand drum – and ears of corn or a sceptre. Her festivals were marked by music, rhythm and movement.
That link between sound, nature and human experience remains a guiding thought behind the name Cybele:
music is more than the reproduction of a work.
It is a living experience that opens up spaces, stirs emotions and can touch people directly.
What we set out to do
Since its founding, Cybele has pursued one aim: to make exceptional musical projects permanently accessible.
The focus lies on:
Discovering and championing unusual repertoire
We open up works and compositions that have so far received little attention in concert life or on record.
New perspectives on familiar works
Historical and established compositions are made newly tangible through exceptional interpretations and contemporary production techniques.
Documenting contemporary music
Cybele devotes itself intensively to the music of our time, producing first recordings of significant composers to a high standard.
Working with outstanding artistic personalities
At the centre are musicians, ensembles and composers whose artistic personality opens up new ways of hearing.
Bringing art and technology together
Innovative recording methods such as native DSD, surround, 3D binaural stereo and Dolby Atmos are never an end in themselves, but a means of preserving musical substance as authentically as possible.
A label with a profile of its own
For more than three decades Cybele Records has stood for releases with an unmistakable signature.
The emphasis lies on:
- contemporary music
- classical music
- organ music
- audiophile high-resolution productions
- exceptional artist editions
- literary-musical projects
Cybele does not release according to short-term market trends, but according to artistic relevance.
Our aim is to preserve works that will last – in musical substance as much as in their sonic realisation.
Our fields
Contemporary music
The music of our time has been one of Cybele’s focal points from the very beginning. In close collaboration with composers and performers, recordings are made that document today’s musical languages and bring them to an international audience.
organ music
The organ holds a special place in the Cybele catalogue. Extensive complete recordings, first recordings and major reference projects document the extraordinary breadth of the organ literature and have shaped the label for many years.
Classical music
Cybele regards classical music as living cultural heritage. Familiar works are made newly experienceable from a contemporary perspective through fresh interpretations and carefully produced recordings – with the highest demands on musical expression and sound.
Audiobooks
For about ten years audiobook productions complemented the Cybele programme. At their heart were elaborately produced combinations of literature and music that brought speech and sound together into a listening experience of their own. With that strand now concluded, Cybele concentrates entirely on its musical releases.
Edition Künstler im Gespräch
The documentary series “Edition Künstler im Gespräch” accompanied Cybele for about a decade. It opened with Karl Amadeus Hartmann und das Streichquartettand closed with the anniversary edition Wolfgang Rihm und die Orgel. Honoured many times internationally, the series combined portraits of works with conversations, historical documents and selected recordings, offering a singular insight into the lives, thinking and work of significant composers.
