Deutsche Grammophon All Stars

Who would think to issue a series of trading cards featuring prominent classical performers of the day? Deutsche Grammophon, for one. I do not know if any other record company followed suit, though, so the chance of making any trades with this set of cards appears unlikely.

This series of cards came into my possession in (I believe) the mid 1990s, and it appears these cards were issued in 1993. It is basically a publicity gimmick featuring musicians, conductors, and ensembles from Deutsche Grammophon's catalogue. Performers in this series of cards are "Deutsche Grammophon All Stars. Each card includes a standard publicity photo on the front and biographical information on the back.

Also included is a bit of trivia for each performer. For instance, did you know that Krystian Zimerman can dismantle, repair, and reassemble a concert grand in a single evening? I did not know that but, if you ask me, that's not a particularly impressive trick.

Most of these performers are from the classical music establishment, but a few names seem to have faded from the "All Star" pantheon.

Unfortunately the classical musician trading card thing does not seem to have caught on. I remember wishing I could trade my Deutsche Grammophon Kathleen Battle, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras for a Sony Vladimir Horowitz, but as far as I can tell it was not to be.