Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long association with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Although it started as a classical music label, Telarc has released jazz, blues and country music recordings.
In 1996, Telarc merged with another independent label, Heads Up, which is now a subsidiary of Telarc. In late 2005, both Telarc and Heads Up were bought by Concord Records. Today, both labels operate as semi-autonomous units in the Concord Music Group.[1]
The Telarc Sound
Telarc is noted for the high quality of its recordings, encapsulated in the slogan "The Telarc Sound".[2] Its 1979 high-definition digital recording of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (the first ever) became a popular way for people to test the quality of their record-playing equipment and audio setups, as only high-quality and properly-tuned systems could play the hi-fi digital cannon shots properly.