# Naxos label



## DrMuller

What are your thoughts on the Naxos label. Most of my CDs are from Naxos actually and I am not ashamed to say I totally love Naxos. Some of their earlier stuff was pretty bad but they have replaced the bad stuff through the years, like most of the standard Baroque recordings. Most of the classical-era stuff was very good when they originally recorded it and needs not to be replaced; works like Haydn't String Quartets, Haydn't Symphonies, Mozart's Symphonies and Piano Concertos. The romantic works have almost all been replaced at least once with superior recordings (Brahms' symphonies, Dvorák's symphonies, etc) through the years. I am very interested in your thoughts on the whole Naxos history.


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## DiesIraeCX

Most of my collection is made up DG, I still consider myself new to classical and I consider DG an excellent novice-friendly label that's pretty trustworthy. I only have a handful of Naxos label recordings but they're pretty good. Therefore, I can only give you an answer similar to what Kramer told Elaine in that Seinfeld episode, "The Frogger" - "_Sotheby's. Yeah. They make good cake._" Just substitute Sotheby's with Naxos and Cake with CDs.


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## Bulldog

I find that Naxos does best with chamber music. Overall, it's a great and pioneering company that's always looking forward. Just the opposite with the traditional "best" labels that have their heads in the sand.


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## TurnaboutVox

I have a lot of very serviceable Naxos recordings - a lot of chamber music and solo piano. I have come to trust that a modern Naxos recording will feature at least a very good performance and the recording and production will be excellent. I remember thinking when the label first started to appear in the UK - this can't be any good at £5 a disc. I was completely wrong.

They are particularly good for more out-of-the-way repertoire - obscure British chamber music, for example.

Naxos have signed up some excellent performers along the way - special mentions for the Maggini and Escher Quartets and the ubiquitous Prof. Jenő Jandó. 

So yes, I agree with you, DrMuller - three cheers for Naxos.


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## SixFootScowl

I have a lot of NAXOs CDs. No complaints. Among my NAXOs collection is a nice Beethoven Fidelio, a fine Handel Nabal, and I just ordered a Bellini La Sonnambula with NAXOs being a great balance of great voices and great price.


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## ribonucleic

DrMuller said:


> I am very interested in your thoughts on the whole Naxos history.


There's a whole book on the subject.


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## Cosmos

I have some of Naxos albums. No complaints from me, they're a great price and have great performances. There are some that aren't really that high up there, i.e. Jeno Jando's Hammerklavier. Very clear, but I've heard interpretations that I prefer over it.

I'm very happy with their CD's of Medtner's chamber music. The concertos, not as much.


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## thetrout

No complaints. I picked up a Naxos cd the other day:

[video]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GyQFLyCZL._SY300_.jpg[/video]

A very good version, almost on par with my 'go to' version of the Quintet (which is Cohen and the Amadeus Quartet by the way).

The thing is, some of these Naxos cds retail second hand for £0.24 and prices like that on Amazon Marketplace. It is a great way to build a collection. You have to wonder though how these sellers make a profit?


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## ribonucleic

I found this Gramophone interview with founder Klaus Heymann quite interesting.


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## Guest

I think it is a very good label. There are several areas where it excels. Their collection of Haydn's religious choral works is excellent - the masses are excellent. The Naxos release of Haydn's Creation, conducted by Spering, is my favorite. The Kodaly Quartet's Haydn quartets are also very good - not the best available, but I have no complaints.

As some have already said, they are excellent for less well known works. I have Marin Alsop's complete collection of Barber's orchestral works on Naxos, and love them. And while I don't have them, mainly because they are not my favorite symphonies, Alsop's Brahms symphony cycle on Naxos received high praise. 

Another standout recording of Mozart's Divertimento.

I have also really enjoyed the Higginbotham recording of Handel's Messiah, and lately it is the one I preferentially reach for.

I might look a little bit harder at the reviews than I would for other labels, like BIS, and Harmonia Mundi, and Alia Vox, and Supraphon, but I have had very good experiences with Naxos recordings.


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## Vaneyes

I feel another thread merge coming on.


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## hpowders

Naxos is wonderful, allowing folks of modest means to build a nice collection. I have many Naxos recordings.


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## Manxfeeder

I have a ton of Naxos recordings. Their Bruckner white box is what hooked me into the composer, and I still think it's a very good set. And their American composers series is a gift to America.

I just wish they'd make up their mind on Sibelius. I already have two of their complete box sets by two different conductors, and I think there's yet_ another_ one out now.


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## Bulldog

Cosmos said:


> I have some of Naxos albums. No complaints from me, they're a great price and have great performances. There are some that aren't really that high up there, i.e. Jeno Jando's Hammerklavier. Very clear, but I've heard interpretations that I prefer over it.


Right. One needs to be a little picky when it comes to Naxos and solo piano works. Jando isn't much in Beethoven, but he's at or close to top-rate in Liszt's music.


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## Weston

I rather like Jando's Beethoven. I feel I am hearing the music rather than an interpretation by a great artist. Sometimes it's more important to me that the performer remains as transparent as possible, and Jando is very good at this. 

As for Naxos (or Marco Polo) overall, I love the label. Some of their large orchestral performances are a little lack luster, but the exact same can be said of some DG or any of the other bigger labels.

I'm starting to appreciate the other bargain label, CPO, a bit more if only because their album cover designs are nicer. That may not seem important but it does effect how I respond to the music within.


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## brotagonist

Most of my collection is DG and EMI (now called Warner?), with a rapidly increasing component of Decca (absorbed Philips some time ago) and Sony. These labels offer a vast selection of affordable "novice-friendly" recordings of the highest calibre.

I used to be prejudiced against Naxos--out of ignorance. The majority of the performers were unknown to me. As my collection has grown and I have needed to dig deeper to acquire coveted pieces of music, I have increasingly had to consider Naxos. While I mostly resort to them only when another recording is not available or not available at a reasonable price, I have gotten quite a number of fine recordings on the label and I would not hesitate to consider getting more.


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## KenOC

Weston said:


> I rather like Jando's Beethoven. I feel I am hearing the music rather than an interpretation by a great artist. Sometimes it's more important to me that the performer remains as transparent as possible, and Jando is very good at this.


Jando's Naxos cycle was the first one I could afford, disc by $5.99 disc. I'm not big on his performances because they're a bit too "objective" for me. But he certainly plays them beautifully on his own terms.

The entire Jando cycle is available from Naxos as a download for six bucks. Things was different when I were a kid, I tell ye!

http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Box-S...id=1409106144&sr=1-1&keywords=beethoven+jando


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## opus55

Naxos is a respectible label. The recordings of uncommon works are their greatest achievement in my opinion. Of course, the best is complete Haydn string quartet recordings performed by Kodaly Quartet


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## Mahlerian

Naxos has built itself into a fine label that specializes in respectable performances of uncommon repertoire. I don't consider them at all inferior to the more expensive labels, especially in the last 15 years or so.


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## Bruce

Naxos is certainly well represented on my shelves. Years ago, I thought some of their recordings were not as good as the major labels at the time. But they've improved tremendously, and I'm grateful to them for providing me with many recordings of works that I otherwise would not have been able to hear. Today, I find many of their recordings on a par with some of the best labels.


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## opus55

They're also selling Naxos Music Library service to educational and local institutions in the form of streaming music, which includes great many well known and lesser known labels of classical music. Perhaps Naxos has become the biggest distributor of classical music.


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## opus55

NML is currently:

Figures At A Glance
Disc Count: 100,594
Track Count: 1,459,210
as of August 27, 2014

Other (than Naxos' own catalogue) labels that appear on Naxos Music Library

Other Labels



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## Pugg

Mahlerian said:


> Naxos has built itself into a fine label that specializes in respectable performances of uncommon repertoire. I don't consider them at all inferior to the more expensive labels, especially in the last 15 years or so.


This is what my CD store owner / supplier always says. 
The people were fed up by paying high prices and the shop ignore that.
The few who didn't survive , not alone true Naxos but it helps.


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## jim prideaux

my attitude has changed over the years-like many others I questioned the idea that any CD that was relatively cheap could really be any good but with experience I have learned that it is rather self defeating to dismiss the label, particularly when it comes to exploring music-without Naxos I may never have heard Kalinnikov for example-there are other instances of good or even significant recordings being found on cheaper labels-Alto/Regis spring to mind-I have wondered whether DG (for example) may have encouraged the growth of a kind of snobbery or elitism in the marketing of their releases?

by the way-opus55,probably a reflection of my ignorance but what is your previous post all about?


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## elgar's ghost

Naxos has come a long way - in its early days it gained a bit of a rep for producing adequate or indifferent performances of warhorse chestnuts by unglamorous ensembles/artists but even then there were some goodies to be had such as the Haydn quartets (Kodaly Quartet) and Smetana's Ma Vlast (Polish NRSO/Wit). However, they were dirt-cheap and I'm sure more than a few seasoned listeners ended up with more stellar performances of what are now their favourite works after initially cutting their teeth on the less-renowned Naxos discs. 

Another criticism was the formulaic livery and plain sleevenotes, but this side of things has improved as the graphics got crisper and the notes more detailed - for what it's worth, I have become quite fond of their trademark picture panel on a white background look. Things really started to bear fruit once the label became more adventurous and started tackling some of the lesser-known 20th c. repertoire and it's thanks to them that I now have a fair amount of material by the likes of Alan Rawsthorne and Ned Rorem. The only thing that has eluded me was why recordings from the offshoot Marco Polo label was more expensive, but I notice quite a few Marco Polo recordings have subsequently been re-released under the parent company's name anyway.

In all, I'd say a robust oak has grown from what was initially in some ways a rather unpromising acorn, and all credit is due to the label's founder for having both the long-sightedness and confidence in knowing what he wanted to achieve.

EDIT: another thing going for them is assuming the rights to recordings that originated on other labels - I notice a lot of Maxwell Davies ex-Collins material has been re-released (Eight Songs for a Mad King next, please...)


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## Guest

I almost forgot Tintner's Bruckner symphony cycle. Also very good.

And I just bought the entire Beethoven sonata cycle by Jando - couldn't pass up that deal. Not my favorite pianist, but still very good, and for only $6.

I think Naxos has been very smart. They have carved out numerous niches. For one, offering classical music at lower prices - making it more accessible. Are some recordings sub-par? Sure - but what label doesn't have that. I have had numerous recordings from the big labels - EMI, DG, Sony, Decca - that were sub-par. They didn't use the world-renowned artists and orchestras - that doesn't meant they were bad. And it was probably cheaper to get such artists, so they could pass the savings down. And then they carved out a niche of recording the lesser known works. 

I actually like the clean appearance of their albums. The tasteful picture on the white background. I listen to the music - the cover doesn't interest me quite as much. And besides - I have seen some pretty tacky "candid" photos of major artists on the big labels that make me smirk quite a bit.

One final recommendation - Slatkin's recording of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony on Naxos is excellent. It is with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (probably the more surprising thing).


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## brotagonist

My comment above was specific to CD purchases.



opus55 said:


> ...Naxos Music Library... Perhaps Naxos has become the biggest distributor of classical music.


Since you brought it up (I had completely forgotten, being as CD-fixated as I am), I am a committed user and fan of Naxos Music Library. The local public library offers access to NML and I regularly rely on the service to a significant degree to explore works I can't afford to buy, am unable to obtain, or am considering for purchase. If only one could set up playlists on NML  and mark favourites, and perhaps even rate music, so as to have a record of what one has done on the site.


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## hpowders

For me Naxos is a great source of American music from the last century. Love their Ives and Schuman recordings. Paul Creston, too!


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## starthrower

I also dig their William Schuman series, along with their Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Bax, and Takemitsu recordings.


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## BRHiler

I love Naxos. Mostly quality discs cheap. I find a lot of new composers by going to Naxos first. They are a great label for new and/or little known composers. Even if you don't like it, it's still only $8-10. When Arkivmusic has a sale on Naxos, I usually order 15-20 discs because they are usually only $6 each. Their American Classics series is fantastic. Found several composers there I really like, including Roberto Sierra and Michael Hersch. Found some I didn't care for, but for $9 who cares.

And they are now starting to get some really good quality conductors/orchestras. Vasily Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle has mostly been excellent. His #5,7,10, and 11 are fantastic recordings that I'll put up against almost any other conductor. Naxos is also really committed to Wind Band music (which I am a band geek).

Really, you can't do much better for your money.


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## hpowders

No you can't, especially if you are into non-mainstream music.


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## hpowders

I also must mention that Naxos has the COMPLETE Haydn String Quartets performed by the Kodaly Quartet. 

You want Haydn, they've got Haydn!!


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## Orfeo

Kind of mixed, but mostly positive. Earlier on, their recordings featured orchestras and ensembles that were (far) less than top-flight (the Gliere's "Red Poppy" ballet is not very well played, let alone recorded, and the Glazunov & Balakirev series are not home-runs, quite far from them in fact). But as years progressed, their presentation and recording quality have gotten better, featuring better orchestras and more interesting (and more diverse) music (Serebrier's Rorem series is excellent). The American Classics series, some albums re-issues from earlier recordings of, for instance, Delos, is very good, if short of being spectacular (Still's music needs a better orchestra I feel, but Hanson's music like the whole opera "Merry Mount" is very well done). I think it has ways to go if it's going to catch up to stiller labels like Chandos, Hyperion, DG, or London Decca, or even CPO. But it has come a long way and I'm proud to have some of its albums. For instances, the Martinu's piano music set played by Koukl is exemplary and I like the Historical releases immensely (like Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with Melchior, Flagstad, Reiner & Hanson's aforementioned "Merry Mount").


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## Alypius

BRHiler said:


> I love Naxos. Mostly quality discs cheap. I find a lot of new composers by going to Naxos first. They are a great label for new and/or little known composers. Even if you don't like it, it's still only $8-10. When Arkivmusic has a sale on Naxos, I usually order 15-20 discs because they are usually only $6 each. Their American Classics series is fantastic. Found several composers there I really like, including Roberto Sierra and Michael Hersch. Found some I didn't care for, but for $9 who cares.
> 
> And they are now starting to get some really good quality conductors/orchestras. Vasily Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle has mostly been excellent. His #5,7,10, and 11 are fantastic recordings that I'll put up against almost any other conductor. Naxos is also really committed to Wind Band music (which I am a band geek).
> 
> Really, you can't do much better for your money.


My experience matches BRH's. Many of mine are the excellent "American Classics" series, especially of more recent composers such as Charles Wuorinen, Elliott Carter (esp. the Pacifica Quartet's superb version of his quartets), Joseph Schwantner (his superb _Percussion Concerto_), Philip Glass, John Adams, Richard Danielpour, Michael Daugherty (esp. _Fire and Blood_), Paul Moravec (_Cool Fire_ and especially _Tempest Fantasy_), Thomas Leshnoff, Jennifer Higdon, Bruce Wolosoff; also much of the Samuel Barber series. Many of these are not cutting-edge, but they are well-crafted, thoughtful, even exurberant works by contemporary composers.

I also have a batch of Petrenko's Shostakovich symphony cycle, which includes a number of very fine performances (esp. #4, #7, #8, and #10). The Naxos series of Martinu's string quartets and the piano quintets is excellent (by, aptly enough, the Martinu Quartet). And I recently picked up a pair of performances of Takemitsu's works, a superb version of the Chamber Music (_And then I knew 'twas wind_, _Toward the Sea_, _Rain Tree_) and the Piano Music.

What I most admire in Naxos is their "record everything" philosophy. The sound quality has improved immensely in the last decade or so. I still go elsewhere most of the time, but I always keep an eye out for their releases of new composers and new compositions. I admire their risk-taking and will continue to purchase some of their risky ventures. Because of the price, I am more willing to take risks.


----------



## Woodduck

Anyone with a small income and a large musical appetite owes a great deal to this enterprising label. In the last decade or so my major collecting interest has been in obscure music by forgotten or neglected masters, and more often than not I find something interesting that Naxos has rescued from oblivion and that I can get for a song.

I also much prefer a neatly framed work of art on a booklet cover to yet another pouting petunia cuddling her $3 million Guarneri against cleavage deep enough to conceal the full orchestral score of _Gurrelieder_.


----------



## ptr

Have got several hundred of Naxos CD's, mostly "rarer" composers, me thinks they are a very good way to acquaint oneself with the odd.

/ptr


----------



## Blancrocher

Woodduck said:


> Anyone with a small income and a large musical appetite owes a great deal to this enterprising label.


I don't find their prices all that low, especially if one compares them with used cds from any label (which is unfair, I know); Amazon and Spotify have done much more for the price-conscious music-lover than Naxos has, at least lately. I've noticed that their digital downloads are often more expensive than their new cds as well, btw.

I just appreciate that they record, stream, and sell out-of-the-way repertoire--I agree with everyone on that score, of course.

*p.s.* In addition to those mentioned by Alypius and others, I'd recommend Naxos for cds with Peter Maxwell Davies conducting his own works (most of which originally appeared on Collins Classics, btw).


----------



## Woodduck

Blancrocher said:


> I don't find their prices all that low, especially if one compares them with used cds from any label (which is unfair, I know); Amazon and Spotify have done much more for the price-conscious music-lover than Naxos has, at least lately. I've noticed that their digital downloads are often more expensive than their new cds as well, btw.
> 
> I just appreciate that they record, stream, and sell out-of-the-way repertoire--I agree with everyone on that score, of course.


I look for used Naxos on Amazon.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

elgars ghost said:


> EDIT: another thing going for them is assuming the rights to recordings that originated on other labels - I notice a lot of Maxwell Davies ex-Collins material has been re-released (Eight Songs for a Mad King next, please...)


I think Eight songs was on Concord, not Collins, so I don't think they'll release it. But they'll release all the Collins material, at a fast pace (5-6 discs a year). They just released the masterpiece _Ressurection_, which was quite hard to find for years.


----------



## hpowders

Woodduck said:


> I look for used Naxos on Amazon.


The problem with that is the shipping charges are double the cost of the CD!


----------



## hpowders

I buy all my CD's used whenever possible because I have no patience trying to remove the shrink wrap and obnoxious tape across the top. I can see them doing this especially with the Creston Symphonies because otherwise, everyone at the post office will be playing the CD before I get it. Okay. I can understand that. Deterrence is a necessary evil.


----------



## Tristan

Naxos is great for obscure music. Labels like DG tend to ignore the really modern and obscure composers, so even though DG will probably always be my favorite label (I have more DG CDs than any other label), when I'm looking for the likes of Glazunov, Rubinstein, Bax, and Schmidt, I'm probably going to be looking at Naxos. Yes, their orchestras are often a little less well-known, but I'm glad that these orchestras are willing to play the lesser-known music. I've discovered some great music through Naxos.


----------



## hpowders

Their prices may be creeping up a bit but not ob-Naxos-ly so.


----------



## Blancrocher

hpowders said:


> Their prices may be creeping up a bit but not ob-Naxos-ly so.


Oh my goodness.


----------



## joen_cph

Naxos is great for lesser known late 19th- 20th Century repertoire, including a good deal of their Marco Polo re-issues, sometimes only issued on a local, national level in various countries. Also, it´s a good label for some lesser known earlier composers.

A few highlights: 

the Lutoslawski, Rochberg, Malipiero, Braga Santos, Karlowicz, Tournemire, Villa-Lobos and Schoenberg/Craft orchestral works;

the Rawsthorne, Bliss, Maxwell-Davies, Bax, Respighi, Medtner, Szymanowski, Wuorinen and H. Brian series;

series of British chamber music - V-Williams, Moeran, Bridge and Walton, for example, including the Maggini String Quartet recordings;

Bartok, Ligeti and Zemlinsky string quartet series;

J.M.Kraus symphony series.


I still have to dig more into some of their American composers series. Have also experienced disappointments with releases & don´t buy core repertoire on that label.


----------



## opus55

jim prideaux said:


> ...
> by the way-opus55,probably a reflection of my ignorance but what is your previous post all about?





brotagonist said:


> My comment above was specific to CD purchases.
> 
> Since you brought it up (I had completely forgotten, being as CD-fixated as I am), I am a committed user and fan of Naxos Music Library. The local public library offers access to NML and I regularly rely on the service to a significant degree to explore works I can't afford to buy, am unable to obtain, or am considering for purchase. If only one could set up playlists on NML  and mark favourites, and perhaps even rate music, so as to have a record of what one has done on the site.


Yeah I got too excited Naxos and went off topic. I just wanted to point out that Naxos also runs music stream service, often free through libraries and schools, and their selection is mind boggling (as you see in my long list of labels).


----------



## KenOC

opus55 said:


> I just wanted to point out that Naxos also runs music stream service, often free through libraries and schools, and their selection is mind boggling (as you see in my long list of labels).


The Naxos Music Library (NML) is available to anyone through their own computers.

http://www.tso.ca/en-ca/Plan-Your-Experience/Beethoven-On-Demand.aspx


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Tristan said:


> Naxos is great for obscure music. Labels like DG tend to ignore the really modern and obscure composers, so even though DG will probably always be my favorite label (I have more DG CDs than any other label), when I'm looking for the likes of Glazunov, Rubinstein, Bax, and Schmidt, I'm probably going to be looking at Naxos. Yes, their orchestras are often a little less well-known, but I'm glad that these orchestras are willing to play the lesser-known music. I've discovered some great music through Naxos.


It's not because an orchestra is less well-known that it is less good.


----------



## maestro267

Most of my CDs are Naxos discs. They have done wonders in allowing us to hear the music of neglected composers.


----------



## BRHiler

Alypius said:


> My experience matches BRH's. Many of mine are the excellent "American Classics" series, especially of more recent composers such as Charles Wuorinen, Elliott Carter (esp. the Pacifica Quartet's superb version of his quartets), Joseph Schwantner (his superb _Percussion Concerto_), Philip Glass, John Adams, Richard Danielpour, Michael Daugherty (esp. _Fire and Blood_), Paul Moravec (_Cool Fire_ and especially _Tempest Fantasy_), Thomas Leshnoff, Jennifer Higdon, Bruce Wolosoff; also much of the Samuel Barber series. Many of these are not cutting-edge, but they are well-crafted, thoughtful, even exurberant works by contemporary composers.
> 
> I also have a batch of Petrenko's Shostakovich symphony cycle, which includes a number of very fine performances (esp. #4, #7, #8, and #10). The Naxos series of Martinu's string quartets and the piano quintets is excellent (by, aptly enough, the Martinu Quartet). And I recently picked up a pair of performances of Takemitsu's works, a superb version of the Chamber Music (_And then I knew 'twas wind_, _Toward the Sea_, _Rain Tree_) and the Piano Music.
> 
> What I most admire in Naxos is their "record everything" philosophy. The sound quality has improved immensely in the last decade or so. I still go elsewhere most of the time, but I always keep an eye out for their releases of new composers and new compositions. I admire their risk-taking and will continue to purchase some of their risky ventures. Because of the price, I am more willing to take risks.


Alypius,

We got some seriously similar loves of music! Fire and Blood is one of my favorite Daugherty pieces. Raise the Roof is one of my other faves. I have not listened to Paul Moravec, but am now putting it on my wish list. Thanks!


----------



## hpowders

Blancrocher said:


> Oh my goodness.


Tremendous pressure on me to produce.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

I have over 600 Naxos CDs on my shelves (well, I bought 300 at one go on Ebay a few years ago for a pittance) and they do a great job. There are some discs that cannot compete with the 'best' versions available elsewhere, but then again, a number of Naxos versions ARE the 'best'. In particular, I like the way they have broadened the repertoire (they did this right from the early days), I like the releases of historical recordings (often in excellent transfers) and I love the fact that all of the CD covers, notes and track listings are available on their website (the set of 300 were cheap because they came without cases). A great job - well done!


----------



## hpowders

Yes. Some Naxos performances are among the best performances, regardless of label. I'm thinking of a wonderful Ives Third Symphony with, I believe, James Sinclair.


----------



## millionrainbows

I want better cover graphics and typography. The current white-background/standard typography is off-putting. Also I notice that many of the Naxos issues are "live" recordings (from a performance in a hall, etc.) which is a way of making them cheaper, with no studio time to pay for. This takes much of the "production" out of a recording, which I do not like, and it limits the amount and variety of microphones to be used, since it's a live situation. No "take two," either, whether that's good or bad.

I notice all the Robert Craft "KOCH" Schoenberg series is on Naxos now, but the Koch covers are much better (Klimt paintings, etc.).
There are also some other labels licensed to Naxos, like the Roger Sessions stuff, originally on KOCH.

It's OK, but it could be better, and is not my first choice if the original issue is available.

Look at the Sony box reissues, and what a wonderful job they have done with the presentation and remastering, plus the combinations of previously single-issues in box sets, and low price.

  
[URL="http://www.amazon.com/Quintet-Quartet-Roger-Sessions/dp/B000001SKQ/ref=sr_1_13?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-13&keywords=Roger+Sessions%2FString+Quartet"] Naxos cover




Koch cover

  
Sony box




[/URL]


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> I look for used Naxos on Amazon.


Yes, me too, and I've got some amazing bargains.


----------



## OperaGeek

I think Naxos has developed tremendously since its beginnings. While it started out with cheap-and-not-necessarily-cheerful recordings, there have been many gems along the way, and I think it is currently one of the most interesting labels out there. While the majors seem to produce mainly yet another reissue of a reissue of a reissue of a previously released reissue, Naxos continues to explore more obscure repertory and release new material. Hurrah! 

As a previous poster mentioned, Naxos has also reissued (I know, I know) several Delos/Seattle Symphony/Schwarz recordings, including some lovely Howard Hanson discs, and also made new Seattle/Schwarz recordings. 

It's also worth asking if the majors would have been as quick as they have been to reissue valuable recordings at mid or budget price if it hadn't been for Naxos...

A couple of Naxos favourites that I believe haven't been mentioned yet:

- Brahms: Hungarian Dances - Budapest Symphony/Bogár
- Elgar: Symphony No. 1 - BBC Philharmonic/Hurst
- Elgar: Symphony No. 2 - BBC Philharmonic/Downes
- Stamitz: Cello concertos 1-3 - Prague Chamber Orchestra/Benda
- Jussi Björling collection (excellent transfers)
- Miriam Gauci: Soprano Arias from Italian Operas
- Luba Orgonasova: Favourite Soprano Arias


----------



## Woodduck

hpowders said:


> Tremendous pressure on me to produce.


Have you considered Overachievers Anonymous?


----------



## ribonucleic

millionrainbows said:


> I want better cover graphics and typography. The current white-background/standard typography is off-putting.


I like to think of it as "We skipped the fancy designers and image licensing fees and passed the savings on to you!"


----------



## elgar's ghost

Kilgore Trout said:


> I think Eight songs was on Concord, not Collins, so I don't think they'll release it. But they'll release all the Collins material, at a fast pace (5-6 discs a year). They just released the masterpiece _Ressurection_, which was quite hard to find for years.


Yep - 'twas not Collins. The CD was issued on the Unicorn-Kanchana label (along with Mrs. Donnithorne's Maggot). Thanks for pointing this out.


----------



## satoru

Established in 1987, certainly Naxos is a new comer in the classical music business. I remember releases from those years: using less-known performers and priced dirt cheap. The quality of the performances and recordings varied a lot from disc to disc. But those days are now a history. The performances found on Naxos discs are now very good and many of them are actually considered the best. I'm wondering who was/is in charge of finding those young/less-known musicians (I now remember that one of the trainer for our student orchestra said she was contacted by Naxos for recording). As living in USA, where Naxos Historical is not available, I have a tendency to pick them up when I see them in shops. The restorations are well done. I also appreciate Naxos for their American Classics series. Without the series, I'd missed so many contemporary composers from the country I now live. Oh, Naxos do have excellent series for Japanese composers, many of them you wouldn't find elsewhere. To me, Naxos is now a respectful label with high quality recordings covering wide variety of classical music, filling gaps and promoting less-know (but talented) musicians.


----------



## hpowders

Woodduck said:


> Have you considered Overachievers Anonymous?


I'm on the waiting list. My brother got right in though.


----------



## ribonucleic

hpowders said:


> I'm on the waiting list. My brother got right in though.


Perhaps my all-time favorite literary quote came from Saul Bellow, upon accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature.

"All I started out to do was show up my brothers. I didn't have to go this far."


----------



## Bulldog

millionrainbows said:


> I want better cover graphics and typography. The current white-background/standard typography is off-putting. Also I notice that many of the Naxos issues are "live" recordings (from a performance in a hall, etc.) which is a way of making them cheaper, with no studio time to pay for. This takes much of the "production" out of a recording, which I do not like, and it limits the amount and variety of microphones to be used, since it's a live situation. No "take two," either, whether that's good or bad.
> 
> I notice all the Robert Craft "KOCH" Schoenberg series is on Naxos now, but the Koch covers are much better (Klimt paintings, etc.).
> There are also some other labels licensed to Naxos, like the Roger Sessions stuff, originally on KOCH.
> 
> It's OK, but it could be better, and is not my first choice if the original issue is available.
> 
> Look at the Sony box reissues, and what a wonderful job they have done with the presentation and remastering, plus the combinations of previously single-issues in box sets, and low price.


Overall, I find that Sony covers are not attractive. Throw in their usual recycled repertoire, and my conclusion is ho-hum and more of the same.


----------



## Janspe

I don't always enjoy the sound quality of some Naxos CD's, but...

...one just has to listen to the incredible ongoing Shostakovich symphony project (the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra & Vasily Petrenko) to see that this is a label to be taken as seriously as any other.


----------



## hpowders

ribonucleic said:


> Perhaps my all-time favorite literary quote came from Saul Bellow, upon accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature.
> 
> "All I started out to do was show up my brothers. I didn't have to go this far."


Sibling rivalry's a bitch. My brother and I live in different states in the US but I still feel it.

He's a Naxos kind of guy and I'm more Harmonia Mundi.


----------



## Headphone Hermit

hpowders said:


> Sibling rivalry's a bitch. My brother and I live in different states in the US but I still feel it.
> 
> He's a Naxos kind of guy and I'm more Harmonia Mundi.


Hey!!! You pretty much said on another thread that it wasn't the label, it was the performance that counted! (see, someone MIGHT be reading your posts!)


----------



## Headphone Hermit

satoru said:


> *Established in 1987*, certainly Naxos is a new comer in the classical music business.


You do realise that 1987 was before a large proportion of the posters on TC were even born? Heck, even I have difficulty remembering that far back


----------



## hpowders

Woodduck said:


> Anyone with a small income and a large musical appetite owes a great deal to this enterprising label. In the last decade or so my major collecting interest has been in obscure music by forgotten or neglected masters, and more often than not I find something interesting that Naxos has rescued from oblivion and that I can get for a song.
> 
> I also much prefer a neatly framed work of art on a booklet cover to yet another pouting petunia cuddling her $3 million Guarneri against cleavage deep enough to conceal the full orchestral score of _Gurrelieder_.


And even the very cheap among us!!!


----------



## mirepoix

^^^^ I'll drink to that.

Naxos is good for someone such as myself who is exploring music that's new to them, but doesn't want to fork out a lot of cash. Usually when it's music I haven't heard before I need to live with it for a while. So often Naxos is a safe/cheap bet. But I've also picked up a couple of ballets that I couldn't easily find anywhere else.


----------



## Guest

Headphone Hermit said:


> You do realise that 1987 was before a large proportion of the posters on TC were even born? Heck, even I have difficulty remembering that far back


While I was not into classical music at that time, I did buy a Naxos CD fairly early. I was participating in a program called Academic Decathlon, representing my school, and we were tested on a variety of areas. In the arts, we were going to be asked questions about Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. Given the limited financial resources I had (this was 1992), I went down to my local record/tape/CD/VHS store, and selected the cheapest recording I could find - a Naxos recording, with Zdenek Kosler and the Slovak Philharmonic.








That was only 5 years after the label's founding. Incidentally, I still have that CD. It is the oldest classical CD I own (in terms of how long I have owned it).


----------



## satoru

Headphone Hermit said:


> You do realise that 1987 was before a large proportion of the posters on TC were even born? Heck, even I have difficulty remembering that far back


I thought I was kind a positioned near the mean of the age distribution here... Am I wrong?? That's shocking!!


----------



## hpowders

satoru said:


> I thought I was kind a positioned near the mean of the age distribution here... Am I wrong?? That's shocking!!


I'm probably at one end of the seesaw but I won't admit to which end! :lol:


----------



## hpowders

Headphone Hermit said:


> Hey!!! You pretty much said on another thread that it wasn't the label, it was the performance that counted! (see, someone MIGHT be reading your posts!)


It simply means one can try, but will be unsuccessful at attempting to label me. :tiphat:


----------



## hpowders

The power of suggestion?

I just purchased the Mozart Horn Concertos on Naxos with Michael Thompson.


----------



## Guest

hpowders said:


> View attachment 49899
> 
> 
> The power of suggestion?
> 
> I just purchased the Mozart Horn Concertos on Naxos with Michael Thompson.


I still have only one recording of those works - Dennis Brain on EMI.


----------



## science

Headphone Hermit said:


> You do realise that 1987 was before a large proportion of the posters on TC were even born? Heck, even I have difficulty remembering that far back


I hope you're right, but I'd be surprised. I'll guess the median age here is closer to 45.


----------



## satoru

science said:


> I hope you're right, but I'd be surprised. I'll guess the median age here is closer to 45.


 I thought it's 50s (I'm 53, by the way).


----------



## hpowders

DrMike said:


> I still have only one recording of those works - Dennis Brain on EMI.


I have that too! Along with Barry Tuckwell. I am a compulsive buyer. I also just ordered Anthony Halstead too!


----------



## hpowders

satoru said:


> I thought it's 50s (I'm 53, by the way).


You're still just a kid. I've eaten sushi older than that.


----------



## Guest

hpowders said:


> You're still just a kid. I've eaten sushi older than that.


Ummmm . . . you know it is best fresh, right? Raw fish should not be treated like cheese or wine.

And if you think he is young, you'll likely think me a babe - I haven't hit 40 yet (though I am close).


----------



## hpowders

Headphone Hermit said:


> You do realise that 1987 was before a large proportion of the posters on TC were even born? Heck, even I have difficulty remembering that far back


Speak for yourself! Ha! Ha!

By 1987, I was already married twice!!!


----------



## Headphone Hermit

satoru said:


> I thought it's 50s (I'm 53, by the way).


Evidence suggests that this is the optimum age for posters on TC - hahaha! (yes, me too!)


----------



## hpowders

^^^Hardly old enough to vote.


----------



## SixFootScowl

hpowders said:


> View attachment 49899
> 
> 
> The power of suggestion?
> 
> I just purchased the Mozart Horn Concertos on Naxos with Michael Thompson.


I'll never get album cover art like this. Is it supposed to represent the music?


----------



## ribonucleic

I'm 47. I assumed I'd be seated at the children's table.


----------



## hpowders

Florestan said:


> I'll never get album cover art like this. Is it supposed to represent the music?


I care about the music. I don't even look at most album covers. Usually tasteless.


----------



## hpowders

ribonucleic said:


> I'm 47. I assumed I'd be seated at the children's table.


Ahhhh!!! A junior member!


----------



## SixFootScowl

hpowders said:


> I care about the music. I don't even look at most album covers. Usually tasteless.


Yep. Sometimes am stuck with poor album art to get good music at a better price. I have done it.


----------



## DrMuller

hpowders said:


> Ahhhh!!! A junior member!


Then what am I, I am 32.


----------



## thetrout

I am 32 also. I suspect I am a sperm?


----------



## Morimur

thetrout said:


> I suspect I am a sperm?


So that's why you smell like mushrooms!


----------



## hpowders

DrMike said:


> Ummmm . . . you know it is best fresh, right? Raw fish should not be treated like cheese or wine.
> 
> And if you think he is young, you'll likely think me a babe - I haven't hit 40 yet (though I am close).


I have a very cold refrigerator.


----------



## elgar's ghost

hpowders said:


> I have a very cold refrigerator.


So have I - I sleep in a cryogenic cabinet. :lol:


----------



## hpowders

Seriously, we have a lot of members in their 20's and 30's for those of you concerned about this sort of thing.


----------



## hpowders

32 is a great age. Enjoy it, guys!!


----------



## DrMuller

hpowders said:


> I also must mention that Naxos has the COMPLETE Haydn String Quartets performed by the Kodaly Quartet.
> 
> You want Haydn, they've got Haydn!!


They also did complete Haydn Symphonies and complete Concertos. Naxos loves Haydn.


----------



## hpowders

DrMuller said:


> They also did complete Haydn Symphonies and complete Concertos. Naxos loves Haydn.


What's nice is they did a whole lot of Haydn without being ob-Naxos about it. :tiphat:


----------



## DrMuller

About Naxos being much better at chamber music than orchestral music; I believe that has changed a lot through the years. Naxos has replaced many of their older orchestral recordings with new superior recordings, Brahms' and Dvorák's symphonies being a good example. Since we are at the subject of Brahms and Dvorák, I really enjoyed Marin Alsop's take on their symphonies. Any one else agree? Naxos did an excellent job on Shostakovich as well. Another example is Mozart's Horn Concertos which they have released 3 times now, first in the late 80's, than late 90's and in 2007 they released the best recording of these great Concertos yet. They have also re-recorded many of the baroque "standards" and are using period instruments in some of those. They released a complete orchestral works of Bach some time ago which I am totally in love with. They also replaced Holst's "The Planets years ago with a fantastic recording, so much better than their first, rather poor attempt. Their re-release of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade (I only discovered this work recently) is also much better than their older one. There are many more examples of course.


----------



## hpowders

Well if anyone is interested in building a respectable library of twentieth century American music, Naxos is the way to go.
Nothing to do with price. They are simply the best at resurrecting a lot of worthy American music. Their Schuman symphonies, Creston Symphonies, etc; Terrific commitment by Naxos!


----------



## CDs

Just curious did any of the big name conductors of the 20th century record with Naxos?


----------



## Ras

CDs said:


> Just curious did any of the big name conductors of the 20th century record with Naxos?


No, but they have Naxos Historical with re-releases of big legends for instance this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-...d=1507565963&sr=8-8&keywords=naxos+historical


----------



## elgar's ghost

Good question, and without delving too deep I would say probably no as 20th century A-list conductors tended to be associated with equally A-list orchestras and together they usually recorded with the major labels or equally famous 'national' labels such as Supraphon and Melodiya. As ever, I'd be pleased to be advised otherwise.


----------



## Pesaro

"Since we are at the subject of Brahms and Dvorák, I really enjoyed Marin Alsop's take on their symphonies. Any one else agree?"

I find Alsop's tempos in the Brahms' symphonies to be way too slow for my taste. I grew up with the Steinberg and Szell Brahms symphonies and both of them, especially Steinberg, made the music move. Playing Brahms too slow is like adding sugar to orange juice. It is already sweet enough. Just my opinion.


----------



## Pugg

CDs said:


> Just curious did any of the big name conductors of the 20th century record with Naxos?


As far as i know : no, they only steal/ borough records from other companies.


----------



## Triplets

Pugg said:


> As far as i know : no, they only steal/ borough records from other companies.


That's not true. They fund most of the recordings on their label.


----------



## Triplets

Orama, Deneve, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Jo Ann Falleta, Theodor Kuchar...some fairly important Conductors that have recorded for Naxos


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> As far as i know : no, they only steal/ borough records from other companies.


This is not correct. Naxos discs are (or were) recorded often in Eastern Europe where recording could be done cheaply with artists paid a flat rate. There are also recordings by good but lesser known artists - Benjamin Frith comes to mind. There are great recordings from other labels but they are more than 50 years old and copyrite has expired.


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## Art Rock

DavidA said:


> There are great recordings from other labels but they are more than 50 years old and copyrite has expired.


I doubt that recordings of say the period 1950-1966 are no longer copyrighted. There are plenty of legendary recordings from that time which I do not see appear on any label but the original one (e.g. Solti's Ring).


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## Triplets

Art Rock said:


> I doubt that recordings of say the period 1950-1966 are no longer copyrighted. There are plenty of legendary recordings from that time which I do not see appear on any label but the original one (e.g. Solti's Ring).


Copyright laws vary by country. The U.S. copyright protection laws are longer than the E.U. Most of the Naxos historical material can't be purchased or downloaded here


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## Tero

I like some of the "complete" sets sold as single discs, as it is easy to collect that way. In addition, thumbs up to Naxos for distributing Scandinavian small labels and recording Naxos Sibelius sets in Finland and one in New Zealand.


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## superhorn

Actually, some of the earlier Naxos orchestral recordings of Dvorak and other 19th century composers are pretty good . I like the authentic eastern European sound of of their Slovak Philharmonic recordings with conductors such as Zdenek Kosler, Stephen Gunzenhasen, Michael Halasz and others ; conductors who aren't superstars but are still excellent and have a lot to offer musically .
If you can still find the Naxos CD of the sadly neglected "Slavonic Rhapsodies " with Kosler and Libor Pesek conducting , grab it ! It's sleeper !


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## senza sordino

I've been listening to a lot of Naxos lately during my American music listening project. I've relied on the American Classics series. There are many good recordings in that series.

American Classics Series from Naxos

Here are four I recently listened to, all from Spotify


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## BlackAdderLXX

So with Naxos being on sale at Presto I was going to start a thread asking for some good recordings on that label, but found this thread instead. Besides Maggini, Alsop's Brahms, Petrenko's Manfred and Slatki's Rach 2 does anyone have any suggestions here in 2020?

I look at the catalog and see a lot of composers, performers and conductors that I am not familiar with.


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## vtpoet

BlackAdderLXX said:


> So with Naxos being on sale at Presto I was going to start a thread asking for some good recordings on that label, but found this thread instead. Besides Maggini, Alsop's Brahms, Petrenko's Manfred and Slatki's Rach 2 does anyone have any suggestions here in 2020?
> 
> I look at the catalog and see a lot of composers, performers and conductors that I am not familiar with.


They have a great performance of Beethoven's FIdelio and I have their complete set of Beethoven/Schnabel sonatas. They did a fairly good job remastering these old performances and get good reviews elsewhere. I also bought their complete set of Sibelius incidental music. I'm less familiar with Sibelius's discography and so can't really compare, but I've enjoyed the sound and performances so far.


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## NoCoPilot

Triplets said:


> some fairly important Conductors that have recorded for Naxos


"Recorded for Naxos"? I always assumed Naxos was a re-issue label, taking up out-of-print recordings from smaller, often extinct labels and giving them new life. Not true?


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## vtpoet

NoCoPilot said:


> "Recorded for Naxos"? I always assumed Naxos was a re-issue label, taking up out-of-print recordings from smaller, often extinct labels and giving them new life. Not true?


They may do that, but they most often work with artists and orchestras that aren't big enough names for the major labels.


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## NoCoPilot

Huh okay. In my limited experience (20-30 Naxos discs) their productions are uniformly top notch.


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## SanAntone

BlackAdderLXX said:


> So with Naxos being on sale at Presto I was going to start a thread asking for some good recordings on that label, but found this thread instead. Besides Maggini, Alsop's Brahms, Petrenko's Manfred and Slatki's Rach 2 does anyone have any suggestions here in 2020?
> 
> I look at the catalog and see a lot of composers, performers and conductors that I am not familiar with.


I like the *Robert Craft* series on *Stravinsky* (the single CD The Greek Ballets is excellent) and *Schoenberg*. Also the *Peter Hill *recording of the solo piano music of *Schoenberg*, *Berg* and *Webern* is also very good.

View attachment 146260


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## Manxfeeder

I like the Kodaly quartet's recordings of the Haydn string quartets. $60 for the set isn't that bad, though it's apparently out of stock, so it would require a couple months' wait.


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## Acadarchist

DrMuller said:


> They also did complete Haydn Symphonies and complete Concertos. Naxos loves Haydn.


I have lots of Naxos Haydn CDs and they`re all very good recordings.


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## Rangstrom

I'm sure some of these have been mentioned before:

1) Bruckner/Tinter
2) Shostakovich/Petrenko
3) Lutoslavski/Wit
4) Penderecki/Wit
5) Bax/LLoyd-Jones
6) Schimdt/Sinaisky
7) Schuman/Schwarz(some licensed from Delos)
8) Villa-Lobos/Karabtchevsky
9) Arnold/Penny
10) any Maggini Quartet

and that is just off the top of my head.


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## gvn

The *complete Gesualdo madrigals* with Delitiae Musicae dir. Marco Longhini (7 CD box). Very likely the best complete set at any price, AND the booklet includes full texts with facing English translations (not to be taken for granted in this repertoire, especially from a budget label).

The same team's *complete Monteverdi madrigals* box is similar and is similarly equipped with texts & translations, but Monteverdi is a much more crowded field and it would be a brave soul who would nominate a front runner!

*Brahms Four Hand Piano Music* (18 separate CDs) with Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn; excellent reviews. I wouldn't place them above all others in the Hungarian Dances or Haydn Variations, but if you want to hear Brahms's own 4-hand versions of his symphonies, concertos, & chamber music, I doubt whether you'll ever hear them done better.

The two *Saint-Saens String Quartets* played by the Fine Arts Quartet. Consistently strong playing and remarkably vivid recorded sound. I see the same quartet also did a S-S Piano Quartet/Quintet disc with Ortiz, which might well have similar merits.

*Joseph Marx, Orchestral Works* cond. Sloane (formerly on ASV; much admired). Hopelessly out-of-date in style (but so, in his day, was JSBach); composed 1920 going on 1850. Sample vol. 1 (the Nature Trilogy).



Rangstrom said:


> 4) Penderecki/Wit


Superb recordings. One word of caution: the Naxos recording of Symphony No. 8 preserves a preliminary version of the symphony, three movements shorter than the final version (which can be found on Dux cond. composer).



Rangstrom said:


> 6) Schimdt/Sinaisky


I've noticed that several reviews of the new Paavo Järvi set of Schmidt's symphonies explicitly judge Sinaisky still the best of all.

For something further off the beaten track, *Maurice Greene*'s 1739 song-cycle of *Spenser's Amoretti* for tenor, harpsichord, and theorbo. Settings of 25 of the best English love sonnets ever written, constantly attentive to the words and musically felicitous, sung by a secure, light tenor with excellent diction (Benjamin Hulett). Can't imagine it done better.


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## Comity

I've got a bunch of CDs from Naxos. All purchased very cheap ($.50-1.95) from a local record store.


I noticed the employees taking calls and fetching things from the stacks when I'm shopping. It's a good idea to email and/or call around. Unless you love spending more at a huge conglom.


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