In 1962 Philips Phonographische Industrie in Baarn, The Netherlands, bought the Chicago based record company Mercury. In Europe EMI had a contract with Mercury for distribution and also for the cooperation regarding new recordings. Philips had to respect the EMI contract and were naturally obstructed by it until it expired at the end of 1963. There were at the time some problems concerning the sales of Mercury Living Presence releases in other European countries because Philips wanted to start distributing their newly acquired label. Therefore Philips could only fully benefit from its purchase from 1963 on. What happened to the catalogue of the well known company for which Bob Fine, Wilma Cozart Fine and Robert Eberenz made the Living Presence recordings which were mastered by George Piros? 

Fontana initially contained recordings like Brahms' 1st Piano concerto with Leon Fleisher and George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra or Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody coupled with Franck's Variations Synfoniques played by the same musicians (originally Epic in the USA). There was also Adam Harasiewiecz playing Chopin's op. 11 and for instance Ingrid Haebler with Szymon Goldberg conducting the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra in Mozart's concerto K 414 and Rondo K 386, with Haydn's Concerto in D, and there were a few more of Ingrid Haebler's Mozart concertos.
Fontana was also the label for jazz and reissues of the popular repertory earlier released on the Philips label : Malando (and his Tango Rumba Orchestra), Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Trio Los Paragayos and The Dutch Swing College Band, etc.
In the last years of its existence Fontana became the label for reissues of recordings that had been acquired or previously had been released on the Philips label. To mention a few classical releases:

Clara Haskil playing Chopin's Concerto No. 2 and De Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain with conductor Igor Markevitch (was Philips 835 072);

Dvorak's 9th Symphony with Dorati conducting the (Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra (was Philips 835 032);

Handel's Water music conducted by Eduard van Beinum (was Philips 835 004); Debussy's La Mer and Nocturnes, again Eduard van Beinum conducting the (Royal) Concertgebouworchestra (was Philips 835 001);

Bruckner's 9th in electronic stereo by van Beinum (was L09011L);

The Wiener Sängerknaben singing Brahms, Schubert, a.o. (was 835 398);

Fourteen Waltzes of Chopin by Geörgy Cziffra in a beautiful recording (was 835 039);

Dutch alto Aafje Heynis (known from her singing in Schubert's Rosamunde with Haitink, and in Mahler's 2nd and Beethoven's 9th symphonies) is soloist in Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting The Singverein and The Wiener Symphoniker (the second recording by Aafje Heynis; the first was with Eduard van Beinum conducting).

The famous mono recording of Mahler's Lied von der Erde with Nan Merriman and Ernst Haefliger with Eduard van Beinum on AL 00410/11, subsequently appeared on GL 03161 and later on Fontana in (regrettably) electronic stereo: 894 120 but with good dynamics that show Van Beinum's expressive powers which are also evident in Bruckner's Symphony No.9.

In the nineteen seventies there were many different series of both Philips and Fontana in existence a fact which led to much confusion. Restructuring the catalogue seemed necessary and as the Fontana labeleventually ceased to exist much of its contents was released in the Philips Grandioso series while most of the time use was made of the Fontana and original early Philips matrixes.

In 1963 Philips made pressings of Mercury tapes for the European market on the orange colored label in Philips style with the Mercury logo in the series MGL 120 (mono) and MGY 130 (stereo). Original matrixes as well as fronts of the American covers were supplied by Mercury of recordings of popular works that could be marketed in Europe. Those were recordings from Mercury's 90000 series, the second series of stereo recordings. When advertising the releases emphasis was always put on the technical quality of the 'Living presence' recording using quotes of reviewers and copywriters like 'outstanding engineering', 'exciting', 'brilliance in sound', 'astonishing clarity', 'electrifying spectacular'. I mention reference numbers of some of these 'European' releases.

There were also transfers to a 134 series with Mercury logo, 134 303 MVY being one of these with Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony conducting Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (with pianist Eugene List), Cuban Overture and An American in Paris (Am. Mercury 90290); or a recording of Gina Bachauer playing the Chopin Op. 11 Concerto and some piano pieces (Am. Mercury 90368).
Not much later several tapes were released in the 838 series and a few recordings like Byron Janis with the Liszt Concertos, and with Schumann's Concerto, Scheherazade with Antal Dorati and Gina Bachauer with Beethoven's 5th Concerto were released in the 839 series (531, 532, 599 and 535 respectively).