David Stewart wrote:

>Nonsense.  This is label fascism and unfair pigeon-holing.  There is
>no earthly reason in the randomness of recording and performing that
>Naxos will not end up with a better job than DG or Decca.  They have
>well rehearsed performers with excellent sound.  They have won a
>number of penguin rosettes.  Probably in the standard repertoire
>(Beethoven/Brahms/Mozart etc.) DG and Decca are the best but Naxos has
>a far wider ranging catalogue than DG AND Decca put together.

I love sparring with Mr. Stewart but I am with him one hundred per
cent here.  I remember the good ole days when I was about 10 and just
discovering classical music.  I didn't give a rip about who was playing or
what label it was on.  I just wanted to hear more Beethoven (or Handel or
Mahler or whomever was my composer du jour.) I had about five bucks a week
that I earned helping my mom around the house.That was money that I could
spend on anything I wanted.  I spent it on records.  At $2-4 each, I got
a hell of a lot more music on Nonsuch and Vox than I did on Columbia, RCA,
Decca or DG.  OK, so it wasn't Herbert von Karajan or any of those big
boys, but I was able to experience a lot of wonderful music on those cheap
labels.

Klaus Heymann set out to prove that he could make fine recordings of a wide
range of repertoire for an affordable price.  Guess what? He succeeded.
And I for one am grateful to him for it.

These label elitists remind me of some of my old record store customers
who wouldn't buy anthing that wasn't recommended by the Penguin Guide,
Grammophone or some other printed source.  I will jump off a bridge when
I can't pick up a cd and check it out based on my own knowledge, sense of
adventure or just plain curiosity.  Sometimes I goof.  Oh well.  Sheesh,
I get all wound up when I get on this subject!

Kevin Sutton