Naxos Records
Encyclopedia
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music
. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz
, world music
, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German
-born resident of Hong Kong
.
Naxos is the largest independent classical label in the world and one of the two largest-selling classical labels. Since 2009 the company has also been distributing blu-ray disc
s, streaming web radio and podcast
s.
pricing of discs, with simpler artwork and design than most other labels. In the 1980s, Naxos primarily recorded central and eastern European symphony orchestras, often with lesser-known conductors to minimize recording costs and maintain its budget prices.
In more recent years, Naxos has taken advantage of the expiring copyright
s of other companies' studio recordings by selling disks remastered from gramophone record
s. Examples of this include the recordings of Maria Callas
and of the 1934 world première performance of Howard Hanson
's opera The Merry Mount
. Legal restrictions prevent many of these recordings being sold in the United States. Naxos has also recorded the music of contemporary composers, including Leonardo Balada
, Bechara El-Khoury
, Laurent Petitgirard
and Alla Pavlova
. The label has also branched out into jazz
, world music
, and books on musical subjects. Naxos Spoken Word Library contains non-music products, such as audiobooks and radio drama
s.
Since the 1990s, Naxos has recorded with British and American orchestras, such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
, the Seattle Symphony
, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
).
The company produces both Super Audio CD
s and DVD-Audio
. In 2003 it began a paid subscription service for listening on the Internet
that offers its complete catalogue and the Naxos Music Library.
, contemporary classical music
, and the works of lesser-known composers, such as Alexander Glazunov
and Louis Spohr
. It has produced a series of little-recorded works, such as the American Classics series, Japan
ese classical music, Jewish-American music, wind band music
, film music and early music
, many of which are première recordings.
awards.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born resident of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Naxos is the largest independent classical label in the world and one of the two largest-selling classical labels. Since 2009 the company has also been distributing blu-ray disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
s, streaming web radio and podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s.
History
The company originally was known for its budgetBudget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
pricing of discs, with simpler artwork and design than most other labels. In the 1980s, Naxos primarily recorded central and eastern European symphony orchestras, often with lesser-known conductors to minimize recording costs and maintain its budget prices.
In more recent years, Naxos has taken advantage of the expiring copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
s of other companies' studio recordings by selling disks remastered from gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s. Examples of this include the recordings of Maria Callas
Maria Callas
Maria Callas was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique, a wide-ranging voice and great dramatic gifts...
and of the 1934 world première performance of Howard Hanson
Howard Hanson
Howard Harold Hanson was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American classical music. As director for 40 years of the Eastman School of Music, he built a high-quality school and provided opportunities for commissioning and performing American music...
's opera The Merry Mount
Merry Mount
Merry Mount is an opera in three acts by American composer Howard Hanson; its libretto, by Richard Stokes, is loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "The Maypole of Merry Mount", taken from his Twice Told Tales...
. Legal restrictions prevent many of these recordings being sold in the United States. Naxos has also recorded the music of contemporary composers, including Leonardo Balada
Leonardo Balada
Leonardo Balada , is a Catalan American composer, now teaching and composing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Life:...
, Bechara El-Khoury
Bechara El Khoury (composer)
Bechara El Khoury is a Christian Franco-Lebanese composer. Born in Beirut in 1957, he moved to Paris in 1979. Having written a hundred works between 1969 and 1978, he became extremely active as a pianist, conductor and Kappelmeister...
, Laurent Petitgirard
Laurent Petitgirard
Laurent Petitgirard is a French classical composer and conductor.- Biography and career :Laurent Petitgirard studied piano with Serge Petitgirard and composition with Alain Kremski...
and Alla Pavlova
Alla Pavlova
Alla Pavlova is a Russian composer of Ukrainian origin, best known for her symphonic work. Pavlova currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.-Soviet life:...
. The label has also branched out into jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, and books on musical subjects. Naxos Spoken Word Library contains non-music products, such as audiobooks and radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
s.
Since the 1990s, Naxos has recorded with British and American orchestras, such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
, the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...
).
The company produces both Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
s and DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
. In 2003 it began a paid subscription service for listening on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
that offers its complete catalogue and the Naxos Music Library.
Business model
Naxos generally avoids repertoire duplication. Because of that, its classical repertoire has broadened to include fringe works, such as the symphonies of Nikolai MyaskovskyNikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of the Soviet symphony".-Early years and first important works:...
, contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, and the works of lesser-known composers, such as Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
and Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludewig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name. Described by Dorothy Mayer as "The Forgotten Master", Spohr was once as famous as Beethoven. As a violinist, his virtuoso playing was admired by Queen Victoria...
. It has produced a series of little-recorded works, such as the American Classics series, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese classical music, Jewish-American music, wind band music
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
, film music and early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
, many of which are première recordings.
Recognition
In 2005 Naxos won the “Label of the Year Award” at Classic FM/GramophoneThe Gramophone
Gramophone is a magazine published monthly in London by Haymarket devoted to classical music and jazz, particularly recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie...
awards.