Recommended Naxos recordings
David Pickering
from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
was last updated 4/27/95.
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier Book 2/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550970-1
Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, & 3/Jeno Jando; Budapest Symphony,
Ligeti/8.550771
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Selection); 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs; 6 Dances
in Bulgarian Rhythm; Others/Balazs Szokolay, piano/8.550451
Bartok: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Contrasts/Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Jeno
Jando, piano; Kalman Barkes, clarinet/8.550749
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 "Tempest", 21 "Waldstein" & 26 "Les
Adieux"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550054
Beethoven: Piano Variations Op. 34 & 35 "Eroica"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550676
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp. 24 "Spring" & 47 "Kreutzer"/Takako
Nishizaki, violin; Jeno Jando, piano/8.550283
Byrd: Masses for Four and Five Voices/Oxford Camerata, Jeremy
Summerly/8.550574
Byrd: Music for Viols, Voices, and Keyboard/Rose Consort, Red Byrd/8.550604
Chopin: Mazurkas (Complete) Vol. 1/Idil Biret, piano/8.550358
Chopin: Polonaises (Complete) Vol. 1/Idil Biret, piano/8.550360
Chopin: Polonaises (Complete) Vol. 2/Idil Biret, piano/8.550361
Elgar: Symphony No. 1 & Imperial March/BBC Philharmonic-George Hurst/8.550634
Elgar: Violin Concerto Op. 61 & Cockaigne Overture/Dong-Suk Kang;
Polish NRSO, Adrian Leaper/8.550489
Faure: Requiem, Messe basse, Cantique de Jean Racine/Beckley, Gedge,
Carey; Schola Cantorum of Oxford; Oxford Camerata, Jeremy
Summerly/8.550765
Gorecki: Symphony No. 3; 3 Olden Style Pieces/Zofia Kilanowicz; Polish
NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550822
Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 4, 7, 9, & 11/Hae-won Chang, piano;
Camerata Cassovia, Robert Stankowsky/8.550713
Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 42-47/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550844
Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 53-56 & 58; Un Piccolo Divertimento/Jeno
Jando, piano/8.550845
Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 59-62/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550657
Haydn: String Quartets "Emperor", "Fifths" & "Sunrise"/Kodaly Quartet/8.550129
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 1, Nos. 1-6; Op. 2, Nos. 1 & 2, Op. 55, Nos.
1-3; Op. 64, Nos. 1 & 2 [5 CD's]/Kodaly Quartet/8.505018
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 1, Nos. 1-4/Kodaly Quartet/8.880398
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 1, Nos. 5 & 6; Op. 2, Nos. 1 & 2/Kodaly
Quartet/8.550399
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 2, Nos. 4 & 6; Op. 42/Kodaly Quartet/8.550732
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 9, Nos. 1, 3 & 4/Kodaly Quartet/8.550786
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 9, Nos. 2, 5 & 6/Kodaly Quartet/8.550787
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20, Nos. 1-3 "Sun"/Kodaly Quartet/8.550701
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20, Nos. 4-6 "Sun"/Kodaly Quartet/8.550702
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33, Nos. 1, 2 & 5/Kodaly Quartet/8.550788
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 33, Nos. 3, 4 & 6/Kodaly Quartet/8.550789
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 51 "Seven Last Words" & Op. 103/Kodaly
Quartet/8.550346
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 54, Nos. 1-3; Op. 71, Nos. 1-3; Op. 74, Nos.
1-3; Op. 76, Nos. 1-6 [5 CD's]/Kodaly Quartet/8.505007
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 54, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartert/8.550395
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 55, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartet/8.550397
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 64, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartet/8.550673
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 64, Nos. 4-6/Kodaly Quartet/8.550674
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 71, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartet/8.550394
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 74, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartet/8.550396
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76, Nos. 1-3/Kodaly Quartet/8.550314
Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76, Nos. 4-6/Kodaly Quartet/8-550315
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 6 "Le Matin", 7 "Le Midi" & 8 "Le Soir"/Northern
Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward/8.550722
Hadyn: Symphonies Nos. 22 "The Philosopher", 29, & 60 "Il
Distratto"/Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward/8.550724
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 23, 24, & 61/Northern Chamber Orchestra,
Nicholas Ward/8.550723
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 26 "Lamentation", 35, & 49 "La
Passione"/Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward/8.550721
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 30, 55 "The Schoolmaster", & 63 "La
Roxelane"/Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas Ward/8.550757
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 44,45, 48, 82, 83, 85, 88, 92, 94, 96, 100-104
[5 CD's]/Capella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth/8.505006
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 44 "Trauer", 88 & 104 "London"/Capella
Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth/8.550287
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 45 "Farewell", 48 "Maria Theresa" & 102/Capella
Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth/8.550382
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 53 "L'Imperiale", 86, & 87/Nicolaus Esterhazy
Sinfonia, Bela Drahos/8.550768
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 69 "Laudon", 89, & 91/Nicolaus Esterhazy
Sinfonia, Bela Drahos/8.550769
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 82 "Bear", 96 "Miracle" & 100 "Military"/Capella
Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth/8.550139
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 83 "Hen", 94 "Surprise" & 101 "Clock"/Capella
Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth/8.550114
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 85, 92 & 103/Capella Istropolitana, Barry
Wordsworth/8.550387
Janacek: Sinfonietta; Taras Bulba; Lachian Dances/Czecho-Slovak RSO,
Ondrej Lenard/8.550411
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" [2 CD's]/Rappe/Lisowska/Cracow
Radio & Television Choir; Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550523-4
Mahler: Symphony No. 5/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550528
Messiaen: Vignt regards sur l'enfant Jesus [2 CD's]/Hakon Austbo, piano
Mozart: The Magic Flute [2 CD's]/Lippert, Norberg-Schulz, Tichy, Rydl,
Kwon, Gahmlich; Hungarian Festival Chorus; Failoni Orchestra, Michael
Halasz/8.660030-1
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5, Rondo, Adagio/Takako Nishizaki;
Capella Istropolitana, Stephen Gunzenhauser/8.550418
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances; The Isle of the Dead/Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, Enrique Batiz/8.550583
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2/St. Petersburg State SO, Andre
Anichanov/8.550811
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia [3 CD's]/Servile, Ganassi, Vargas,
Romero, de Grandis; Hungarian Radio Chorus; Failoni Chamber Orchestra,
Will Humburg/8.660027-29
Schchedrin: Carmen Suite/[Information on orchestra and conductor
unavailable]/8.553038
Schubert: Impromptus D. 899 & D. 935/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550260
Schubert: Moments Musicaux; Allegretto; Three Piano Pieces/Jeno Jando,
piano/8.550259
Schubert: Piano Quintet "Trout"; Adagio and Rondo Concertante/Jeno
Jando, piano; Kodaly Quartet; Istvan Toth/8.550658
Schubert: String Quartets (Complete) Vol. 1, "Death and the Maiden";
Quartettsatz/Kodaly Quartet/8.550590
Schumann: Piano Quintet Op. 44 (Also Brahms, Piano Quintet, Op.
34)/Jeno Jando; Kodaly Quartet/8.550406
Smetana: Ma Vlast (Complete)/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550931
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Souvenir de Florence/Vienna Chamber
Orchestra, Phillipe Entremont/8.550404
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1; Hamlet Overture/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550517
Verdi: La Traviata [2 CD's]/Krause, Ramiro, Tichy; Slovak Philharmonic
Chorus; Czecho-Slovak RSO, Alexander Rahbari/8.660011-12
Verdi: Rigoletto [2 CD's]/Tumagian, Ferrarini, Ramiro; Slovak
Philharmonic Chorus; Czecho-Slovak RSO, Alexander Rahbari/8.660013-14
Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra (Also Castelnuovo-Tedesco,
Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra, No. 1, Op. 99 & Rodrigo, Concierto de
Aranjuez)/Norbert Kraft; Northern Chamber Orchestra, Nicholas
Ward/8.550729
Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [2 CD's]/Muff, Haubold, Seiffert,
Knody, Hering, Schimi; ORF Symphony Orchestra, Pinchas
Steinberg/8.660025-26
Wieniawski: Violin Showpieces/Marat Bisengaliev, violin/8.550744
RF Symphony Orchestra, Pinchas Steinberg/8.660025-26
Wieniawski: Violin Showpieces/Marat Bisengaliev, violin/8.550744
/8.660025-26
Wieniawski: Violin Showpieces/Marat Bisengaliev, violin/8.550744
BaltoAIDS
music in the least way. This group really makes this music come alive in
my opinion.
Chominciamento di gioia (Virtuoso dance music from the time of Boccaccio's
Decamerone 1353): Ensemble Unicorn Naxos 8.553131
Jeffrey
Balt...@aol.com
AIDS Action Baltimore
Paul McEvoy
pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
the Tallis disk.
Also, I went to Tower and saw that they had to Vox box's of IVEs
music, one for Piano and one for Orchestra. Which one is the terrible
one, or are they both bad. Maybe the orchestra one alos has Copland and
another American composer on it.
Paul McEvoy
pmc...@lynx.neu.edu
P.S. I really liked the Naxos list, don't mean to complain too much.
David Pickering
from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier Book 2/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550970-1
Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, & 3/Jeno Jando; Budapest Symphony,
Ligeti/8.550771
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Selection); 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs; 6 Dances
in Bulgarian Rhythm; Others/Balazs Szokolay, piano/8.550451
Bartok: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Contrasts/Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Jeno
Jando, piano; Kalman Barkes, clarinet/8.550749
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 "Tempest", 21 "Waldstein" & 26 "Les
Adieux"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550054
Beethoven: Piano Variations Op. 34 & 35 "Eroica"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550676
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp. 24 "Spring" & 47 "Kreutzer"/Takako
Nishizaki, violin; Jeno Jando, piano/8.550283
Brahms: Cello Sonatas Opp. 38, 78, & 99/Maria Kliegel, cello; Kristin
Merscher, piano/8.550656
Brahms: Symphony No. 1/Variations on a Theme by Haydn/BRT Philharmonic,
Brussels; Alexander Rahbari/8.550278
Brahms: Symphony No. 3/Serenade No. 1/BRT Philharmonic, Brussels;
Alexander Rahbari/8.550280
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3, & 4/Kun Woo Paik, piano; Polish
NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550566
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5/Kun Woo Paik, piano; Polish NRSO,
Antoni Wit/8.550565
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances; The Isle of the Dead/Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, Enrique Batiz/8.550583
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2/St. Petersburg State SO, Andre
Anichanov/8.550811
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia [3 CD's]/Servile, Ganassi, Vargas,
Romero, de Grandis; Hungarian Radio Chorus; Failoni Chamber Orchestra,
Will Humburg/8.660027-29
Schchedrin: Carmen Suite/[Information on orchestra and conductor
unavailable]/8.553038
Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata/Schumann: Fantasy Pieces Op. 73/Folk Song
Piecse, Op. 102/Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70/Maria Kliegel, cello; Kristin
Merscher, piano/8.550654
Schubert: Impromptus D. 899 & D. 935/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550260
Schubert: Moments Musicaux; Allegretto; Three Piano Pieces/Jeno Jando,
piano/8.550259
Schubert: Piano Quintet "Trout"; Adagio and Rondo Concertante/Jeno
Jando, piano; Kodaly Quartet; Istvan Toth/8.550658
Schubert: String Quartets (Complete) Vol. 1, "Death and the Maiden";
Quartettsatz/Kodaly Quartet/8.550590
Schumann: Piano Quintet Op. 44 (Also Brahms, Piano Quintet, Op.
34)/Jeno Jando; Kodaly Quartet/8.550406
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Op. 47/Halvorsen: Danses Norvegiennes/Air
Norvegien, Op. 7/Sinding: Legende/Svendsen: Romance, Op. 26/Dong-Suk
Kang, violin; Czecho-Slovak RSO, Adrian Leaper/8.550329
Smetana: Ma Vlast (Complete)/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550931
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Souvenir de Florence/Vienna Chamber
Orchestra, Phillipe Entremont/8.550404
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1; Hamlet Overture/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550517
Various: Chominciamento di gioia (Virtuoso dance music from the time of
Boccaccio's
Decamerone 1353)/Ensemble Unicorn/8.553131
David Pickering
Recommended Naxos recor.. by Paul McE...@lynx.dac.neu
> pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
> recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
> complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
> the Tallis disk.
Well since you asked, here are the Naxos recordings that various posters
have given a general "thumbs down" to:
Bach: Organ Chorales from the Leipzig Manuscript Vol. 1 (BWV
651-658/Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV 564)/Wolfgang Rubsam,
organ/8.550901
Bach: Organ Chorales from the Leipzig Manuscript Vol. 2 BWV
659-667/Canonic Variations, BWV 769/Choral Vor deinen Thron tret ich,
BWV 668)/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550927
Bach: Organ Favorites/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550184
Bach: Organ Transcriptions/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550936
Bizet: Carmen [3 CD's]/Alperyn, Lamberti, Titus, Palade/Slovak
Philharmonic Chorus; Czecho-Slovak RSO; Alexander Rahbari/8.660005-7
Couperin: Harpsichord Suites (D Major/A Minor/C Major/F Major)/Tombeau
de M. de Blancrocher/Laurence Cummings, harpsichord/8.550922
Dvorak: Symphony Cycle by Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by
Stephen Gunzenhauser/8.5060001, 8.550266, 8.550267, 8.550268, 8.550269,
8.550270, 8.550271
NOTE: These recordings were not rated as being "bad" per se, which is
why I have lumped them all together, they were reviewed by a poster as
being "merely adequate" so they are posted here with a caveat but not
overall condemnation.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade/Tsar Saltan/Philharmonia Orchestra,
London/Enrique Batiz/8.550726
Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
Dave
dp...@andrew.cmu.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The future will be better tomorrow.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle
mei...@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
> Paul McEvoy (pmc...@lynx.dac.neu.edu) wrote:
>> Since everybody seems to agree that almost all NAXOS recordings are
>> pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
>> recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
>> complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
>> the Tallis disk.
>
> need a list of Naxos dogs as well.
>
> For example: the recent release of Khatchaturian's _Gayane_ Suites by the
> St. Petersburg State Orchestra is pretty stinky. And it sounds like
> Wolfgang Ruebsam's Bach organ series is a disaster>
good:
Messiaen
Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus
Hakon Austbo 8.550829-30 2cd's
Bob Morrow
In article <UjdDjtq00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering <dp...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|> Here is a list of Naxos recordings which have received positive reviews
|> from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
|> their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
|> was last updated 5/1/95.
|
I'd like to add the following to your list of Good Naxos offerings:
Gibbons: Music for Viols, Voices & Keybord/Rose Consort of Viols,
Red Byrd/8.550603
Chansons Francaises/The Scholars of London/8.550880
Psaumes de la Reforme/Ensemble Claude Goudimel/8.553025
(This is a matter of taste.. Though the voices leave a lot to be
desired, I really appreciate the idiomatic performance style).
Bach : Johannes Passion-St. John Passion/The Scholars Baroque
Ensemble/directed by David Van Asch/8.550664-5 (2 discs)
Handel : Messiah/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble/directed by
David Van Asch/8.550667-8 (2 discs)
Purcell : The Fairy Queen/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble by
David Van Asch/8.550660-1 (2 discs)
(These three are truly amazing! The Bach & Handel because they
employ such small forces and achieve excellent performances; the
latter because of the idiomatic treatment of the music & sings)
Purcell : Full Anthems & Organ works/Oxford Camerata/8.553129
BOB
Farhan Malik
>Here is a list of Naxos recordings which have received positive reviews
>from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
>their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
>was last updated 5/1/95.
One to add:
Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Bunte Blatter (excerpt), Arabesque
Vladar/8.550144
Farhan
LUKAS WAGNER
>
I looked up the Naxos recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for
solo violin in the Penguin guide, who panned it. Can't say what it's like
firsthand.
-Luke
wag...@mps.ohio-state.edu
Mario Taboada
(my minimum for a prima facie judgement) and returned to the store:
* Weber Clarinet Concertos - Ottensamer/Wildner. The sound is horrid,
full of reverberation, and the orchestra is underprepared. The clarinetist
sounded fine, insofar as I could focus on him.
* Faure, Nocturnes (2 volumes) - Jean Martin. Very, very dull.
* Schubert, Violin sonatas, Kang/Devoyon. Some of the most unstylish
violin playing I had heard in a long time. Repellent recording, too.
* Mozart string quartets - Vols 1 and 2, Eder Quartet. Again, the
poor recording (it sounds as if the quartet was in the middle of a
big stadium) annoyed me so much that any virtues of the Eders were
impossible for me to hear. I would not dismiss this ensemble, but I
hope they get to do some recordings in decent acoustics.
I also remember returning a CD of Dvorak symphonies, but this
was so bad that I only gave it *one* listen before taking it back. I
son't even remember the numbers of the symphonies.
However, Naxos' overall track record is excellent. *All* recording
companies put out turkeys, and many sell these birds at full price.
Talking about turkeys: last week I got to watch again (this time in its
entirety) the Bravo broadcast of Perlman-Zukerman-Harrell doing the
Beethoven string trios. Now, how could these famous performers allow
this to be put on video? It is a disgrace. First, you can see that they
are watching the score like hawks; second, the string tone, especially
that of Perlman and Harrell, is horrendous; third, there is no ensemble
but just three guys struggling to stay together. To make things worse,
these trios are quite demanding and simply cannot be sight-read in this
fashion. Terrible!
Regards, and Happy Thanksgiving in May!
--
Mario Taboada
* Department of Mathematics * University of Southern California * Los Angeles
e-mail: tab...@mtha.usc.edu
I. Neill Reid
In article <YjdCuzu00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering <dp...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes...
>Excerpts from netnews.rec.music.classical.recordings: 30-Apr-95 Re:
>Recommended Naxos recor.. by Paul McE...@lynx.dac.neu
>> pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
>> recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
>> complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
>> the Tallis disk.
>
>have given a general "thumbs down" to:
[... snip ...]
>
>Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
>NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
Don't really agree - I don't like the performances as much as their Lassus
disk, but I'd still say that they are more than adequate.
Now the Leaper/whatever-orchestra-it-is Sibelius cycle is a definite
turkey.
Neill Reid - i...@dowland.caltech.edu
Adam Wright Grasso
> Excerpts from netnews.rec.music.classical.recordings: 30-Apr-95 Re:
> Recommended Naxos recor.. by Paul McE...@lynx.dac.neu
> > Since everybody seems to agree that almost all NAXOS recordings are
> > pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
> > recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
> > complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
> > the Tallis disk.
>
> Well since you asked, here are the Naxos recordings that various posters
> have given a general "thumbs down" to:
>
>
> Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
> NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
>
I think this disc is wonderful, despite the fact that there are a
couple seemingly sour notes in it. However, I don't know if that's just
the way Tallis wrote it. To me, the Oxford Camerata has a tighter,
small-ensemble sound than the Argo disc with the Chorus of King's College,
Cambridge.
I also like the Bartok Piano Concertos with Jeno Jando.
--
Adam W. Grasso
Bob Morrow
Let me add to this list..... and challenge one entry
In article <YjdCuzu00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering <dp...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|
|>
|> Well since you asked, here are the Naxos recordings that various posters
|> have given a general "thumbs down" to:
|>
|> Bach: Organ Chorales from the Leipzig Manuscript Vol. 1 (BWV
|> 651-658/Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV 564)/Wolfgang Rubsam,
|> organ/8.550901
|>
|> Bach: Organ Chorales from the Leipzig Manuscript Vol. 2 BWV
|> 659-667/Canonic Variations, BWV 769/Choral Vor deinen Thron tret ich,
|> BWV 668)/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550927
|>
|> Bach: Organ Favorites/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550184
|>
|> Bach: Organ Transcriptions/Wolfgang Rubsam, organ/8.550936
|>
|> Bizet: Carmen [3 CD's]/Alperyn, Lamberti, Titus, Palade/Slovak
|> Philharmonic Chorus; Czecho-Slovak RSO; Alexander Rahbari/8.660005-7
|>
|> Couperin: Harpsichord Suites (D Major/A Minor/C Major/F Major)/Tombeau
|> de M. de Blancrocher/Laurence Cummings, harpsichord/8.550922
|>
|> Dvorak: Symphony Cycle by Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by
|> Stephen Gunzenhauser/8.5060001, 8.550266, 8.550267, 8.550268, 8.550269,
|> 8.550270, 8.550271
|> NOTE: These recordings were not rated as being "bad" per se, which is
|> why I have lumped them all together, they were reviewed by a poster as
|> being "merely adequate" so they are posted here with a caveat but not
|> overall condemnation.
|>
|> Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade/Tsar Saltan/Philharmonia Orchestra,
|> London/Enrique Batiz/8.550726
|>
|> Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
|> NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
I must confess that I too am mixed about this one. Not up to the
same perfect standards as the other Oxford Camerata offerings. Definitely
nowhere near the 1970's recordings of Tallis by the Clerkes of Oxenford.
However, each of us has our own standards by which we measure quality.
Now.. to add to the list of Naxos Turkeys (it's easier to list their
not-up-to-par offerings than it is to list their Good->Excellent ones)
Mozart : Coronation Mass/Exultate Jubilate/Ave Verum Corpus/Laudate
Dominum : Kosice Teacher's Choir, Camerata Cassovia conducted
by Johannes Wildner.
Awful chorus, less than acceptable soloists. The orchestra soldiers on.
Merely my personal opinion. If you disagree, I wouldn't be insulted.
Cheers,
Bob
I. Neill Reid
>
>In article <UjdDjtq00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering <dp...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>|> Here is a list of Naxos recordings which have received positive reviews
>|> from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
>|> their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
>|> was last updated 5/1/95.
>|
>
>I'd like to add the following to your list of Good Naxos offerings:
>
>Gibbons: Music for Viols, Voices & Keybord/Rose Consort of Viols,
>Red Byrd/8.550603
definitely agree
>
>Chansons Francaises/The Scholars of London/8.550880
Don't think so - it might be a good introduction to the genre, but
the interpretations are flat and the pronounciation execrable (especially
when compared with the amazing recordings by the Ensemble Clement Jannequin
- try their Fricasse Pariesienne for a much, much more idiomatic set
of performances). On the other hand, this disk does have the only
available recordings of some chansons (when will somebody else start
recording these songs - must be the most neglected niche in the
Renaissance).
Neill Reid - i...@dowland.caltech.edu
Dave Dalle
The only two really bad Naxos I've heard were Mozart's Requiem and Brahms
German Requiem.
Dave
--
The wonderful thing about Tiggers, Is Tiggers are wonderful things
There Tops are made of rubber, and their bottoms are made out of springs
They're bouncy, trouncy, bouncy, flouncy, fun fun fun fun!
The most wonderful thing about Tiggers is, I'm the only one!
Scott Butler
: Here is a list of Naxos recordings which have received positive reviews
: from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
: their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
: was last updated 4/27/95.
A couple of naxos discs I would recommend are the Beethoven piano trios (4
discs) by the Stuttgart trio, a cd entitled 'le grand tango and other dances
for cello' by cellist Maria Kliegel (along with her Schumann/Schubert recording)
and the disc of Gibbons consorts and anthems... these are not perhaps the best
informed of opinions but for those of us who are 'financially challenged' the
choice of three discs to one starts to become a real consideration.
Scott Butler
Michelle Dulak
the German Wind Soloists--as good a recording of the piece as I
have yet heard. My apologies for not having the catalogue number
to hand...
Michelle Dulak
David Pickering
from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
Bach: Johannes Passion-St. John Passion/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble,
David Van Asch/8.550664-5 (2 discs)
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier Book 2/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550970-1
Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, & 3/Jeno Jando; Budapest Symphony,
Ligeti/8.550771
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Selection); 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs; 6 Dances
in Bulgarian Rhythm; Others/Balazs Szokolay, piano/8.550451
Bartok: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Contrasts/Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Jeno
Jando, piano; Kalman Barkes, clarinet/8.550749
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 "Tempest", 21 "Waldstein" & 26 "Les
Adieux"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550054
Beethoven: Piano Trios Vol. 1/Stuttgart Piano Tria/8
Beethoven: Piano Variations Op. 34 & 35 "Eroica"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550676
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp. 24 "Spring" & 47 "Kreutzer"/Takako
Nishizaki, violin; Jeno Jando, piano/8.550283
Brahms: Cello Sonatas Opp. 38, 78, & 99/Maria Kliegel, cello; Kristin
Merscher, piano/8.550656
Brahms: Symphony No. 1/Variations on a Theme by Haydn/BRT Philharmonic,
Brussels; Alexander Rahbari/8.550278
Brahms: Symphony No. 3/Serenade No. 1/BRT Philharmonic, Brussels;
Alexander Rahbari/8.550280
Byrd: Masses for Four and Five Voices/Oxford Camerata, Jeremy
Summerly/8.550574
Byrd: Music for Viols, Voices, and Keyboard/Rose Consort, Red Byrd/8.550604
Chopin: Mazurkas (Complete) Vol. 1/Idil Biret, piano/8.550358
Chopin: Polonaises (Complete) Vol. 1/Idil Biret, piano/8.550360
Chopin: Polonaises (Complete) Vol. 2/Idil Biret, piano/8.550361
Elgar: Symphony No. 1 & Imperial March/BBC Philharmonic-George Hurst/8.550634
Elgar: Violin Concerto Op. 61 & Cockaigne Overture/Dong-Suk Kang;
Polish NRSO, Adrian Leaper/8.550489
Faure: Requiem, Messe basse, Cantique de Jean Racine/Beckley, Gedge,
Carey; Schola Cantorum of Oxford; Oxford Camerata, Jeremy
Summerly/8.550765
Gibbons: Music for Viols, Voices & Keybord/Rose Consort of Viols, Red
Byrd/8.550603
Gorecki: Symphony No. 3; 3 Olden Style Pieces/Zofia Kilanowicz; Polish
NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550822
Handel : Messiah/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van
Asch/8.550667-8 (2 discs)
Haydn: Piano Concertos Nos. 4, 7, 9, & 11/Hae-won Chang, piano;
Camerata Cassovia, Robert Stankowsky/8.550713
Purcell: The Fairy Queen/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van
Asch/8.550660-1 (2 discs)
Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ works/Oxford Camerata/8.553129
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances; The Isle of the Dead/Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, Enrique Batiz/8.550583
Rimsky-Korsakov: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2/St. Petersburg State SO, Andre
Anichanov/8.550811
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia [3 CD's]/Servile, Ganassi, Vargas,
Romero, de Grandis; Hungarian Radio Chorus; Failoni Chamber Orchestra,
Will Humburg/8.660027-29
Schchedrin: Carmen Suite/[Information on orchestra and conductor
unavailable]/8.553038
Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata/Schumann: Fantasy Pieces Op. 73/Folk Song
Piecse, Op. 102/Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70/Maria Kliegel, cello; Kristin
Merscher, piano/8.550654
Schubert: Impromptus D. 899 & D. 935/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550260
Schubert: Moments Musicaux; Allegretto; Three Piano Pieces/Jeno Jando,
piano/8.550259
Schubert: Piano Quintet "Trout"; Adagio and Rondo Concertante/Jeno
Jando, piano; Kodaly Quartet; Istvan Toth/8.550658
Schubert: String Quartets (Complete) Vol. 1, "Death and the Maiden";
Quartettsatz/Kodaly Quartet/8.550590
Schumann: Piano Quintet Op. 44 (Also Brahms, Piano Quintet, Op.
34)/Jeno Jando; Kodaly Quartet/8.550406
Schumann: Symphonic Etudes/Five Albumblatter/Arabesque/Stefan Vladar,
piano/83550144
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Op. 47/Halvorsen: Danses Norvegiennes/Air
Norvegien, Op. 7/Sinding: Legende/Svendsen: Romance, Op. 26/Dong-Suk
Kang, violin; Czecho-Slovak RSO, Adrian Leaper/8.550329
Smetana: Ma Vlast (Complete)/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550931
Suk: Serenade for Strings Op. 6/Dvorak: Serenade for Strings Op.
22/Capella Istropolitana; Jaroslav Kr(e)chek/8.550419
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Souvenir de Florence/Vienna Chamber
Orchestra, Phillipe Entremont/8.550404
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1; Hamlet Overture/Polish NRSO, Antoni Wit/8.550517
Various: Chansons Francaises/The Scholars of London/8.550880
David Pickering
from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
was last updated 5/1/95.
Bach: Johannes Passion-St. John Passion/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble,
David Van Asch/8.550664-5 (2 discs)
Bach: Well Tempered Clavier Book 2/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550970-1
Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, & 3/Jeno Jando; Budapest Symphony,
Ligeti/8.550771
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Selection); 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs; 6 Dances
in Bulgarian Rhythm; Others/Balazs Szokolay, piano/8.550451
Bartok: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Contrasts/Gyorgy Pauk, violin; Jeno
Jando, piano; Kalman Barkes, clarinet/8.550749
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 17 "Tempest", 21 "Waldstein" & 26 "Les
Adieux"/Jeno Jando, piano/8.550054
Beethoven: Piano Trios Vol. 1/Stuttgart Piano Tria/8.550946
Beethoven: Piano Trios Vol. 2/Stuttgart Piano Tria/8.550947
Bob Morrow
In article <2MAY1995...@deimos.caltech.edu>, i...@deimos.caltech.edu (I. Neill Reid) writes:
|> In article <3o5gfb$c...@bcarh8ab.bnr.ca>, bmo...@bnr.ca (Bob Morrow)
|> >
|>
|> the interpretations are flat and the pronounciation execrable (especially
|> when compared with the amazing recordings by the Ensemble Clement Jannequin
|> - try their Fricasse Pariesienne for a much, much more idiomatic set
|> of performances). On the other hand, this disk does have the only
|> available recordings of some chansons (when will somebody else start
|> recording these songs - must be the most neglected niche in the
|> Renaissance).
Compared to the Ensemble Clement Jannequin offering I would agree that
the Scholars of London come second. However, one man's silver is another
man's tin. I still would not dismiss this disc. Having studied performance
practice I am always amazed at how little we actually know about pronunciation
of early music. Indeed, the Oxford Camerata recording of Faure's Requiem
has given us lots to think about with respect to the pronunciation of
ecclesiastical French as it was (and is) done only recently.
I find these Naxos discs to absolutely refreshing in the way they can
generate healthy intellectual debate (and they're cheap too!).
BOB
Christopher Hodge
: > Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
: > NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
: >
: couple seemingly sour notes in it. However, I don't know if that's just
: the way Tallis wrote it. To me, the Oxford Camerata has a tighter,
: small-ensemble sound than the Argo disc with the Chorus of King's College,
: Cambridge.
--
The 'sour' notes are maybe the wonderfully crunchy cross-relatiions
that Tallis wrote into the music, most noticeably in the Salvator Mundi
(track 2)?
I, too, think this is a pretty good disc, especially for the price.
........................................................
| Christopher Hodge (ho...@acs.bu.edu) |
| |
| "Is it not strange, that sheep's guts should hale |
| souls out of men's bodies?" |
| --Much Ado About Nothing-- |
|......................................................|
Thomas Martin
>
>
>In article <UjdDjtq00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering <dp...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>|> from people here on the net. I encourage other r.m.c.r. readers to add
>|> their comments and any other Naxos disks they may recommend. This list
>|> was last updated 5/1/95.
>|
>
>I'd like to add the following to your list of Good Naxos offerings:
>
>Red Byrd/8.550603
>
>
>(This is a matter of taste.. Though the voices leave a lot to be
>desired, I really appreciate the idiomatic performance style).
>
>
I think you're being a little harsh on little Naxos - check out the Penguin - they
were very enthusiastic about Guzenhauser's Dvorak; or Kees Bakel's readings of the
Vaughan Williams symphonies; or Dong-Suk Kang reading of the Elgar Violin Concerto- how
about Jeno Jando playing Beethoven. Hey - by and large - these are some of the
best bargains on the market today offering very competitive recordings. They
have as many turkeys as the big labels - but it doesn't cost you nearly as much.
Tom
>Handel : Messiah/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble/directed by
>David Van Asch/8.550667-8 (2 discs)
>
>Purcell : The Fairy Queen/The Scholars Baroque Ensemble by
>David Van Asch/8.550660-1 (2 discs)
>
>(These three are truly amazing! The Bach & Handel because they
>employ such small forces and achieve excellent performances; the
>latter because of the idiomatic treatment of the music & sings)
>
>Purcell : Full Anthems & Organ works/Oxford Camerata/8.553129
>
>BOB
Thomas Martin
>
>In article <YjdCuzu00...@andrew.cmu.edu>, David Pickering
>
>> Excerpts from netnews.rec.music.classical.recordings: 30-Apr-95 Re:
>> Recommended Naxos recor.. by Paul McE...@lynx.dac.neu
>> > Since everybody seems to agree that almost all NAXOS recordings are
>> > pretty high quality, maybe it would be valkuable to keep a list of the
>> > recordings that nobody liked. (If there are any) I remember somebody
>> > complaing about a SAint-Saens Organ Symphony, and mixed reviews about
>> > the Tallis disk.
>>
>> have given a general "thumbs down" to:
>>
>>
>> NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
>>
> I think this disc is wonderful, despite the fact that there are a
>couple seemingly sour notes in it. However, I don't know if that's just
>the way Tallis wrote it. To me, the Oxford Camerata has a tighter,
>small-ensemble sound than the Argo disc with the Chorus of King's College,
>Cambridge.
>
>--
>Adam W. Grasso
I agree: the Bartok is especially nice.
FerrumJeff
recording of the Bach St. John Passion is also one to avoid.
Happy listening,
Jeff Horn
Alan Rubin
Mozart symphonies conducted by Wordsworth.
Janacek Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba.
Alan Rubin "To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower" Blake
N.W.H. Mailer
>From: ho...@bu.edu (Christopher Hodge)
>Subject: Re: Naxos Turkeys (Re: Recommended Naxos recordings)
>Date: 3 May 1995 18:21:17 GMT
>Adam Wright Grasso (aw...@po.cwru.edu) wrote:
>: > Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
>: > NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
>: >
>: I think this disc is wonderful, despite the fact that there are a
>: couple seemingly sour notes in it. However, I don't know if that's just
>: the way Tallis wrote it. To me, the Oxford Camerata has a tighter,
>: small-ensemble sound than the Argo disc with the Chorus of King's College,
>: Cambridge.
>--
> The 'sour' notes are maybe the wonderfully crunchy cross-relatiions
>that Tallis wrote into the music, most noticeably in the Salvator Mundi
>(track 2)?
> I, too, think this is a pretty good disc, especially for the price.
If you want a real turkey, but the Naxos Mozart's Requiem. Slavishly following
the Susmay'r edition, it is slow, ponderous and badly sung. The tenor sounds
like Mel Brooks in "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers"! Also, the
recording quality is terrible - if you listen in the "Tuba", you can hear a
loud, electric mains hum!
---
* | Nicholas Mailer, Leeds University
* | Koeksuster Publications
* | eng3...@arts-01.novell.leeds.ac.uk
* | http://www.demon.co.uk/koekie/
The Net needs Libel Laws
like a salamander needs a hair-drier.
David Pickering
Turkeys (Re: Reco.. by Ferru...@aol.com
Is this the recording by the Scholars Baroque Ensemble? Why do you
think it's one to avoid?
Dave
dp...@andrew.cmu.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The future will be better tomorrow.
-- Former Vice President Dan Quayle
Bob Morrow
|> As long as we're making a pre-Thanksgiving turkey list, IMHO the Naxos
|> recording of the Bach St. John Passion is also one to avoid.
|>
|> Happy listening,
|>
|> Jeff Horn
While I don't usually comment on different tastes, I am curious as
to why you find this recording avoidable?
Bob
John E. Harrington
From: eng3...@leeds.ac.uk (N.W.H. Mailer)
>>Adam Wright Grasso (aw...@po.cwru.edu) wrote:
>>: > Tallis: Mass for Four Voices/Motets/Oxford Camerata/Jeremy Summerly/8.550576
>>: > NOTE: As Paul stated above, this recording has received mixed reviews.
>>: >
Agreed on both counts. Naxos' recording of CPE Bach's flute sonatas and
their Scarlatti sampler come to mind as outstanding turkeys as well.
Fortunately, I have access to a nearby record shop that allows me to audition
discs before committing, so I can sort through the Naxos for good buys.
Recent pleasures have been the Byrd disc of instrumental, voice and keyboard
selections, some Weiss Lute suites and the Sainte-Colombe and Marais disc by
Spectre de la Rose. The last particularly is a special pleasure since
the performances are desert island quality and the price is spectacularly
low compared with the pricey import labels that normally carry those composers'
works. The Byrd disc offers nearly parallel quality performances, though
the Weiss suites are mostly valuable as an introduction to the composer than
as a premium example of interpretation (the disc is a joy to listen to nonetheless).
Standard Naxos no-brainers include the Barber of Seville, the Elgar symphonies,
Puccini's Boheme and the Mozart violin concertos. Everybody knows about their
Haydn quartets and Flying Dutchman (Dutchman is overrated, IMO).
I don't tend to dumb-down my expectations when listening to bargain brands,
BTW. All of these recordings, even the Weiss, would be excellent buys even
at $15. At $6, they're steals.
-John
--
****************************************************************************
* DISCLAIMER: Unless indicated otherwise, everything in this note is *
* personal opinion, not an official statement of Biosym Technologies, Inc. *
****************************************************************************
L. Boris Repschinski
: There are several Naxos turkeys that I bought, listened to three times
: (my minimum for a prima facie judgement) and returned to the store:
After *three* listening sessions, it would be more like *tertia facie*
Boris
FerrumJeff
See my note to Dave Pickering on this performance. Didn't like--really
didn't like--the soloists.
Happy listening,
Jeff Horn
__________________________________________________________
"I don't want to tell you any half-truths unless they're completely
accurate." --Dennis Rappaport, boxing manager
Martin J. Hutchinson
>Michelle Dulak
I second this opinion, though I have not heard any other recordings
of this work.
John Hutchinson
Harry Hurwitz
>: If you want a real turkey, buy the Naxos Mozart's Requiem. Slavishly
following
>: the Susmay'r edition, it is slow, ponderous and badly sung. The tenor sounds
> Also, the
>: recording quality is terrible - if you listen in the "Tuba", you can hear a
>: loud, electric mains hum!
>:
>:
>: ---
>
> Naxos CD's have been available in the UK for at least 5 years. At first
> they were extraordinarily cheap but their price has risen. The recording
> quality is very hard although the performances are variable.
> Recommendations include the Beethoven piano sonatas by Janos Jando, the
> Haydn string quartets and operas. (The Flying Dutchman has received high
> praise.) Curiously the Beethoven symphonies were not well recived in
> music magazines.
> Eoin Smart
>
In talking with people from all parts of the world I have been surprised
how poorly represented the Naxos label is. Some places have never heard of
them ( despite the good reports published in "The Gramaphone"). On a
recent holiday in the States I could not find the label in the shops. In
Toronto, on the other hand, both HMV and SAM's dedicated sections of the
store to NAXOS.And they sell like hot cakes. So it is a matter of
distribution and the marekting network. Nevertheless, Naxos sold something
like 7,000,000 discs last year and now have 900 titles.
The price has not risen by very much. In Canada we can sometimes buy them
for as little as $6 i.e. US$4. The Marco Polo label,also marketed by Naxos
is more expensive.
Im not surprised that some of the material, e.g. the Beethoven Symphonies,
were not well received. It often is a matter of the quality of the
orchestras and the stature of the conductor. Some of their conductors are
outstanding: Antonin Wit, being a case in point. The Haydn Symphonies
under Wordsworth are also excellent.The Dvorak Symphonies I find rather
poor given the competition from Belohlavek, and the Czech conductors,
often using the same orchestras.
There is another reason why some of the recordings may not please: Naxos
looks for "inexpensive" orchestras which often means that the players and
their instruments are below acceptable (West European or American)
standards. Not much can be done about that, especially at a time when East
European musicians have no funds to maintain their aged instruments or
receive funds from their governments to purchase good new instruments (
local brands, even when new, have their ups and downs!)
I hope the new Bruckner Complete Edition - reputedly 27 CDs - will have
quality of recording on its side. The conductor of the series is Georg
Tintner who - , slightly younger than Guenther Wand, is a superb Bruckner
player - remains to be discovered by the general public. Listen to his
recent Delius recording ( On CBC) to get a taste for this remarkable man.
Harry Hurwitz
Symphonic Workshops
David Pickering
Naxos Turkeys (Re: Reco.. by t...@deakin.edu.au
> Hey, can anyone explain why Naxos is coming in for all of this negative
> attention? I own a very large number of CDs, with most labels represented
> in decent numbers, and IMHO all labels show the gamut from excellent to
> mediocre both in terms of performances and recording.
I don't see most of the attention to Naxos as being negative. If you've
been lurking on this bboard long enough you'll see that the response to
Naxos has been overwhelmingly positive. There is even some debate about
those Naxos discs which have received negative reviews from some posters
(The Oxford Camerata recording of Tallis' Mass for Four Voices is a good
example). Only a handful of Naxos recordings have been considered by
most posters to be poor selections (Rubsam's recordings of Bach organ
works and the complete recording of Bizet's Carmen are two notable
examples).
On the other hand, I post my list of recommended Naxos recordings weekly
and almost every time I post it, I will get responses from other
r.m.c.r. readers with additional recommendations. In fact, the
recommendations for good recordings exceed the warnings of bad
recordings by a considerable margin.
>
> It was good to see someone provide recently an objective appraisal of
> recent Mercury Living Presence releases, because it seems to me that this
> label is now running perilously short of good material, and that they are
> scraping the bottom of the barrel. But for that matter, why pick on
> Mercury? The REALLY BIG THREE companies have their share of dogs as well!
As numerous posters have made clear, just because a recording is on a
budget label doesn't make it bad. Likewise, just because a recording is
full-priced doesn't make it good.
Andrew Clarke
>
> Hey, can anyone explain why Naxos is coming in for all of this negative
> attention? I own a very large number of CDs, with most labels represented
> in decent numbers, and IMHO all labels show the gamut from excellent to
> mediocre both in terms of performances and recording.
>
> recent Mercury Living Presence releases, because it seems to me that this
> label is now running perilously short of good material, and that they are
> scraping the bottom of the barrel. But for that matter, why pick on
> Mercury? The REALLY BIG THREE companies have their share of dogs as well!
>
> Cheers!
>
> Terry S.
One of the classic marketing case histories concerns the man who took
over the management of a fim which produced women's hosiery. In a very
short time he trebled his sales, by the simple expediency of doubling
the price.
People are suspicious of Naxos because they are cheap -- in Australia
they sell for AUD$10-00 while a full-price disc costs $28-00 to $30.00.
Also the names are unfamiliar in the main -- none of the "big names" of
the Black Vinyl age, although Georgy Pauk is a possible exception. And
there have been some real discoveries: Maria Kliegel and Dong-Suk Kang,
for instance.
With respect to the Eastern European orchestras, Zdenek Kosler, who
conducted the Mozart Requiem and the Dvorak Slavonic Dances, was
interviewed for the BBC World Service a couple of months ago. It
appears that there is a musical Volkswanderung taking place in Central
Europe, with the Czech musicianss moving into Germany. and the Russians
and Ukranians moving into Prague, in both cases because there's more work
and the money's better. One sad result is that you now here very little
Czech opera in Prague -- the tourists want Mozart, so that's what they
get, sung by recent immigrants from further East.
In their latest catalogue, Naxos announce that in 1994 more than 70%
of their recordings were made in Western Europe and North America.
Andrew Clarke
John E. Harrington
>Hey, can anyone explain why Naxos is coming in for all of this negative
>attention? I own a very large number of CDs, with most labels represented
>in decent numbers, and IMHO all labels show the gamut from excellent to
>mediocre both in terms of performances and recording.
Hear hear!
One of the astonishing lessons that anyone who has collected a large amt of
CDs inevitably learns is that there is little relation between price and
quality. Some big companies simply give away classic performances on their
reissue lines while others charge premium prices for a piano recital from
the latest well-hyped conservatory drone.
Some of the greatest recordings I posess were purchased at budget prices,
a fact which makes the posession of them all the sweeter. (Which is not
to say that there aren't any premium priced and import priced discs
worth every last penny).
-J