         
Black Box CDs Chris Craker's CD label, Black Box, has been sold to the UK's largest independent music company, the Sanctuary Group plc. CMC has been assured that the label will continue following the takeover and that, after a period of fewer releases throughout 2001 whilst the negotiations were taking place, it has 'resumed its innovative approach to putting music into the market place -- now deriving benefit from an even wider distribution base than before'. The first releases of 2002 are recordings by Gavin Bryars and Kevin Volans, both featuring new string quartets performed by the Lyric and Duke Quartets respectively. Black Box, under the auspices of Sanctuary Classics (which also includes the ASV and Gaudeamus labels) has, we are told, a full release schedule throughout 2002 and beyond, which will include releases planned to feature the music of Donnacha Dennehy, Deirdre Gribbin and a mixed disc of Irish works for solo violin performed by Darragh Morgan. 'The classical record industry has been in some disarray throughout the last twelve months, with a number of labels and distributors finding life very difficult indeed', said Craker, whose responsibilities now encompass a much wider creative and commercial brief across the Sanctuary labels. 'In addition to the remaining contemporary discs due for release, we have recorded the solo piano music of Moeran, which will be released shortly on the ASV label, demonstrating my personal commitment to Irish composers and artists, who have played an important part in the early development of Black Box. I also have a number of other concepts in mind for future projects with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, groups and various soloists, which I very much hope will come to fruition in the coming months'.
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