Roberto Strappafelci wrote:

>The Naxos one is also very good in my opinion (Julia Faulkner, Anna
>Gonda, Camerata Budapest).  This label never cesases to amaze me.

I'm not amazed by Naxos, but my admiration is very high.  I remember back
in the days when Nonesuch was the new kid on the block, and many folks
were very taken with their baroque and classical era recordings at low
cost.  With Naxos, the restricted repertoire of early Nonesuch is replaced
with an "across the entire range" philosophy - that's something to admire.
Also, Naxos has proven more than any other company, past or present, that
you can get some great performances from young artists, never mind the the
established ones.  As far as I'm concerned, Naxos has put the nail in the
coffin for the bankrupt notion that the artists of today can not compete
favorably with those of the past - That's something to admire even more.
Labels like Harmonia Mundi and EMI have been helpful here as well.

Having said the above, Naxos, just like any other company, issues its
share of "clunkers" and merely competent recordings.  Of course, when
that happens, you lose little money compared to coming out the loser
with the high priced competition.  Between you and me, there are a lot
of high-priced "duds" which receive much acclaim because of reputation
and great marketing.

Don Satz
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