A classical music producer in Britain has admitted to deception by passing off recordings by famous pianists as the work of his late wife who, he said, wanted to end her cancer-ridden life "on a high note."
The confession by William Barrington-Coupe that he released other musicians' recordings under the name of his pianist wife, Joyce Hatto, has shocked the classical music world.
"What I've done is completely wrong, but I didn't go in for wholehearted piracy. It wasn't a question of putting other people's performances out but covering little, involuntarily noises. She had so much pain," Barrington-Coupe said in a letter to recording company BIS records published Tuesday.
Barrington-Coupe, who was sentenced for tax evasion in 1966, has said he was not motivated by money and had made a "thumping great loss" after selling just 8,500 Hatto CD's.
Michael Spring, sales manager of Hyperion Records, some of whose recordings were published as Hatto's, said: "I feel we should do something, although it will cost a lot of money to bring him to court. We need to get a list of all the recordings he's pirated."
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You can call me an old softy, but I find his actions incredibly sad, romantic and sweet. I think the copyright holders of the original recordings should get a fair share of any future monies they bring in, but beyond that no action should be taken.
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