(AUDIO INTERVIEW + MUSIC MIX)
One of my favorite recordings is Solace by Michael Hoppé. In 2003, this album was nominated for the GRAMMY Awards in The Best New Age Album category and was voted in the 30 Greatest New Age Albums of All Time list by New Age Review. Hoppé is one of contemporary music’s most respected artists whose discography numbers more than 30 titles, including fifteen gold and four platinum records. In addition to the beautiful solo work, he has collaborated throughout his career with many other composers, instrumentalists, and singers, including Vangelis, Tim Wheater, Martin Tillman, Heidi Fielding, Alyssa Park, and Eugene Fodor.
He is well-known throughout the music industry due to his contributions as a senior executive at Polygram Records.
In the 70s and 80s, Hoppé was responsible for signing some very influential figures to the label, like Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Kitaro, The Who, and ABBA. Michael Hoppé is the grandson of E.O. Hoppé (1878-1972), a renowned photographer who captured portraits of such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Marlene Dietrich, Aldous Huxley, Rudyard Kipling, Isadora Duncan, Vaslav Nijinsky, Richard Strauss, George Bernard Shaw. Photos shot by his grandfather have been featured in some of Michael's albums.
After admiring his work for years, I finally got in touch with the celebrated British composer to record the following interview. Here Michael Hoppé discusses the accomplishments and challenges of being a recording artist, the major life events influencing his music, his collaboration and friendship with the great Greek composer Vangelis and many other inspiring stories.
audio interview (34 min.) + music mix (55 min.)
LINKS:
MICHAEL HOPPÉ Official Site: https://michaelhoppe.com/
E.O.HOPPÉ Photography: https://www.eohoppe.com/
REBECCA HOPPÉ Photography: https://www.rebeccahoppe.com/