Naxos recordings..........good?

[Spatula]

I bought the vivaldi 4 seasons and it seems decent, how about the rest of naxos stuff... I mostly borrow them for the library, but I kinda like Deutsche Grammaphone a bit better. 

[donjuan]

Naxos releases cheap CDs, and the pianists are usually very proficient-technically and musically. (well, from the CDs that Ive heard..)  For example, Jeno Jando recorded a great amount of Liszt on his naxos recordings.  True Deusche Grammaphone is much better- you will never see such artists as Claudio Arrau or Maurizio Pollini on Naxos.  Naxos seems a little too generic sometimes-like, it looks like the best way to go if you simply want to "hear what it sounds like".  Personally, I prefer EMI recordings more.  In the end, its really just personal decision.
donjuan

[Spatula]

Well I mean for a $5.99 what can you really expect? I think Naxos reaches out to the "uninitiated" in classical music, so they couldn't give a rats @$$ if it was mr. average playing or Horowitz. 

[brewtality]

Naxos historical recordings are great especially for the low price. The sound quality is usually even superior to other labels (eg compare Rach on RCA vs Rach on Naxos), Ward Marston is the engineer on some of the cds. My only complaint is that they don't have any Hofmann.
As far as their new releases are concerned, i wouldn't buy em. I'd rather listen to the great pianists (since i usually buy a cd for the pianist rather than the piece) than the typical naxos pianist

[faulty_damper]

Naxos started out selling low quality recordings with not so well-known artists a while ago.  I remember someone ay that it was because it was trying to reach out to those who were tentative in buying such music and the price of a CD was too much to try so they had to bring down the price.  And they did by attempting to cut their overhead costs way down by hiring lesser-known artists, recording on less expensive equipment, on pianos that weren't even tuned because $50-75 was way above their budget.

They have improved over the years but it doesn't compare to other well-known labels.

Naxos is good for those who don't want to spend much or just wants to hear something they haven't heard before.  And at under $7, you can buy two CDs for the price of 1 with a more well-known label.  But personally, if I had a choice, I wouldn't buy Naxos.

[ted]

I am very satisfied with the Naxos CDs I have bought. I also like being able to listen to samples of almost anything in the catalogue on their website. These days I rarely bother with recordings of established repertoire and Naxos have a large number of unique and interesting recordings.

Some examples:

Billy Mayerl's original recordings.
Piano music of Milhaud with his wife as narrator - that one is a gem.
John Ireland's piano music.
Frank Bridge's tone poems for orchestra.
Stephen Mayer playing the Concord Sonata.
The six Rubinstein Studies

I would have bought these things anyway whether or not they were cheap. The point is that I have often found interesting things on Naxos I have seen nowhere else.

[DarkWind]

... Claudio Arrau ...

He was my teacher's teacher's teacher.

Also, I ordered all (basically) of Ravel's Songs through Naxos a few days ago. Naxos recordings are good, nothing marvelous, but decent enough. I don't think there is another cd where I could buy all of Ravel's songs. After this, I will only need around 5 pieces to complete my Ravel collection.

[Spatula]

The only recording I REALLY want from Naxos is British Light Music IV, where they have a recording of the Cornish Rhapsody.  I've been having a hell of a time finding recordings for that piece even on the internet. 

[dinosaurtales]

I don't know recordings but I do know that Alexander Paley records with Naxos, and he is amazing! 

[jcromp78]

There are definately alot of worthy recordings and pianist on the Naxos series. For example:   
 
                     Martin Roscoe-Szymanowski Vol 1-3
                     Jeno Jando- Schubert recordings
                     Scherbakov-Medtner Concertos
                     Gekic-Liszt
                     
 That is just a few, yes there are some really not so good ones I have encountered but I am very satisfied with them and I have heard alot of recordings from quite a few different labels. Or maybe I just like cheap Cd's, who knows

[donjuan]

                     Gekic-Liszt
         

he does an impressive William Tell overture on his Naxos recording

[kissinfan]

agreed, they´re really good i got a renassaince collection in this seal and i got so impressed of the quality of recording and performing, i have to say are much better than the Archiv ones (DG Renassaince seal)
high fquality and fine versions 

[legend]

try the 1st volume of the complete liszt series

world class playing from arnaldo cohen