Naxos
I have actually got a Naxos recording - Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jésus, which I copied from the library's CDs and have been listening to while writing my dissertation. It's perfectly decent and in fact, a lot of those Radio 3 folks I mentioned in the last post specifically recommended Naxos stuff. They gave cheapness as the main reason, but if it's good enough for them I'm sure it's good enough for me.
I just want to know how they produce the stuff so cheaply. And I bet they would sell more if they put the price up a few quid. Despite my own arguments in their favour, I still don't feel like buying any.
4 Comment(s):
I think you have a good point here. I've always had some of the same thoughts, and while I do own one or two Naxos recordings, they aren't generally something I seek out. To be honest, I think they are marketing to an audience that doesn't know all that much about classical music. You know, people who want to listen to Pachelbel's canon, or enjoy the measure of pretention that comes with being able to say "I own recordings of all Beethoven's major works."
The recording I have by Naxos is the A-Z of Opera. While it's certainly not something I would recommend to a true opera-goer or fan, it is certainly a great introduction for someone who is unfamiliar with the genre. For the most part the recording is of good quality, though some of the singers don't have the best diction I've ever heard.
Point being, Naxos tends to put out good starter sets, or recordings for the amateur listener that isn't too concerned with the interpretation of the work. I don't think very many listeners realize the vast difference that is present betwen different interpretations and performances of the same piece of music. Most people view classical music as a static thing - it doesn't enter their minds that there can be a huge difference between two recordings. It's comparable to a different band doing a cover of a famous song, if perhaps slightly more subtle - and that comparison is not one that the amateur listener is concerned with or considers.
I also think you've got a point, at least about the packaging and pricing. There's a tendency in human nature to think that you get nothing for nothing and very little for sixpence (which is generally true!), so the more you pay, the better you expect the product to be (even if it isn't...). But actually Naxos has done some very good stuff. It keeps its costs down by not using the biggest star names, but some of the pianists are terrific: Benjamin Frith, Jeno Jando, Idil Biret, to name just three.
Anyway, welcome to the Blogosphere, keep listening and keep writing! It's good for us old-timers to see your perspective.
I have to disagree. Some Naxos recordings are excellent and definitely not just for beginners. In fact, I used to spend a lot of time at a music message board populated mostly by a bunch of very uppity and wealthy classical music lovers, some of whom had CD collections numbering in 4 digits and they all had great respect for Naxos.
Most Naxos recordings that I've heard are at least acceptable and a few are unsurpassed. They keep their prices down by recording little known orchestras and ensembles, many from eastern Europe, who are very good but otherwise not likely to be able to get a recording contract. And, I'm not sure about this but I think Naxos only pays a flat fee, no royalties.
Another think about Naxos is that they have great liner notes. I'll try to write more about this on my blog in a day or two. (I don't have much uniterrupted time to write on weekends) I must defend the honor of Naxos!
ooh ooh Naxos - I love Naxos and a big shame on all of you who find something, anything at all lacking! Naxos is not at all marketing to those who don't know that much about classical music.
To the contrary, I agree with Jessica and Lynn, it is a fine label and the quality is there, musically speaking. Indeed, some of these performances could legitimately be called rare and are not available elsewhere, for any price.
I don't know if any singer or group of singers has 100% perfect diction on any recording and perfect diction is not the sine qua non of a great performance. I could provide numerous examples of imperfect diction (or sound quality or any number of other technicalities) but where the quality of the Performance was unmatched.
And when it comes to packaging, are you really saying, Neil, that you'd buy more if it had a prettier, slicker more Madison Avenue label?
If you truly want to pay more, you might consider sending the artist the difference between the fiver you paid for their Naxos recording and what you paid for one of those warhorse recordings on a famous label (with a pretty, slick, expensive label)...
Meanwhile, the rest of us will just go on enjoying the superb quality and discovery of the Naxos label. Generic this is not!
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