Gustav Schmale wrote:

>I am not very familiar with VOX.  But I know that few record companies
>actually care about what they produce.  The very act of flooding the
>market with CDs seems to be a self-argument for their activity.  I believe
>there is not one single CD in BIS catalogue I would know of anything at
>all to write.

Then why, pray tell, do you blast them?  BIS has one of the most inovative
and interesting catalogues in the world, with a complete survey of the
music of Sibelius and Grieg, scads of interesting choral music, and some
fantastic recordings of the music of Eduard Tubin that are not available
anywhere else.

>Chandos another label, which actually don't seem to care much.

Care about what?  They have issued some fantastic recordings of Handel
and Dittersdorf, a superb Vaughan Williams cycle, a string of excellent
discs by Vernon Handley and Richard Hickox.  They care very much about
what they produce and the don't dump sewage on the market the way the
majors do.

>Naxos - a frequent discussion topic label I believe - has a mixed
>bag: some very good CDs and some garbage - and a lot in various steps
>therebetween.

Could you please specify the garbage?  To make a blanket statement like
this without backing it up with evidence is completely devoid of
credibility.

>Speaking of Naxos.  Of course it is a label, on which it is pointless
>to buy - say the Beethoven symphony cycle - if you are a listener advanced
>n level enough to know those works.

NONSENSE!.  What a snobish comment.  Bela Drahos' renditions of the
Beethoven symphonies are fresh, informed, elegant and wonderful just to
name a few. How can you dismiss them out of hand without giving them a
listen.

>It is natural, then DGG, EMI and DECCA already have produced a zillion
>of recordings of them with top performers, all with whom Capella
>Istropolitana cannot compete better even then Philharmonia Slavonica on
>Pilzi.  For those who wants to get to know the music, it is a first
>choice label though.

That shows you how little you know about Naxos' catalogue.  The Cappella
(sic) Istropolitana recordings of Beethoven on Naxos have long ago been
deleted from the main catalogue and are now available only to the majorly
budget challenged folk on Naxos' spin off label, Amadis.  The Drahos set
with his fine Nicolas Esterhazy Symphonia replaced the old set four or
five years ago.

>I think Naxos - despite being a comet label - in many cases could have
>spent more love on their recordings they have chosen to present, although
>it is always velcomed, when a label dares to produce other then the 150
>best known composers in series.  Imaging when a composer like William
>Schuman enters onto disc.  I just got warm in whole my heart when I after
>a while found out how genial music that was.  Boo!

Having now reviewed about twenty Naxos discs from musicweb.uk.net, and
now that I own some four hundred Naxos cds myself, I must completely
disagree with you.  (again) They consistently produce fine performances,
outstanding program annotations and first rate sound quality.  The recent
disc by Janice Weber of the music of Leo Ornstein is a tour de force,
and I could list pages more.

>The series of English composers perhaps Naxos best, overall summarized.

Your overall summaries are uninformed, and are at best, gross
generalizations.  What English composers series?  A set of Vaughan
Williams and several discs of Walton.  A handful of British choral discs?
How about the American series, some thirty or forty discs strong now?
How about the first rate series of symphonies by eighteenth century
composers?  It really is annoying to hear people take pot shots at labels
when they obviously haven't listened to the music, or done enough research
to make an informed statement.

Your descriptions of the labels that you dismiss are much better suited
for the lame-ass majors who churn out the same crap ad nauseum and flood
the market with the likes of Charlotte Church and Andrea Bocelli and the
Three-Who-Need-To-Have-Retired-Years-Ago.

Kevin Sutton