Naxos, the way to go for classical?


Hello,
I need help with getting into classical. I've listened to classical with a passive interest in the past, and was somewhat intimidated by the sheer volume of materials out there. I realize this question has been raised, but I'm looking for a more specific answer; is Naxos the label to get into and stay with to become more familiar with classical music?
I have visited their website and their catalog seems very comprehensive and easy to understand. I have read on another thread that their recording quality and performances are also top notch. I am planning to build up classial library and sticking with Naxos as a way of keeping things simple. Are there other labels that I should look into? My current preferences are sound quality, performance, cost, and catalogue comprehensiveness, in those order. Please share your experiences and recommendations whether this is the right approach. My thanks in advance.
mhu
Naxos is an excellent and cost effective method of exploring classical music. However, the quality of the performances and the recording vary from poor/poor to excellent/excellent and everything in between. There is no substitute for taking you time and reading the reviews on any piece of music you want to purchase - careful initial selection will eliminate the need to replace a previous purchase (eventually, you may want alternate performances, but equally good ones.) Other excellent labels include Telarc, Hyperion, BIS, Dorian, Delos, Chandos, EMI, Virgin, Philips, some RCA and Sony. Supraphone for Czech music is fine. None of these are budget labels, except for the major's when they reissue older popular performances which can be quite good. But, ultimately, there is no substitute for a bit of research 1st.
And not just reviews....it might help if you read a general book on classical music to get your bearings. It's a vast field (as you recognize) and slicing it by record label is too arbitrary a way to do it IMO. Naxos has lots of great stuff for sure, bunches of it are historical performances which, if sound quality is a criteria, would not suite your needs. Good Luck
Another option for advise is the magazine, Fanfare, which reviews lots of classical recordings. It is a source of lots of great information.
I have a couple of suggestions for you. For more information about classical music and classical composers, there are two good books that you should buy and use as references:
1. "The Essential Canon of Classical Music", by David Dubal, North Point Press, 2001. A very good introduction to most of the major composers, by stylistic period, with suggestions for their best works.
2. "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection", by Ted Libbey, Workman Publishing, 2nd Edition, 1999.

Both of these books are relatively inexpensive, and can be purchased from Amazon.com.

My second suggestion regards the Naxos label. About 18 months or so ago, I made a lengthy post here on A-gon that listed the Naxos releases that have received the most critical acclaim. Here is the link to that thread:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?rmusi&1012420599&openusid&zzSdcampbell&4&5#Sdcampbell

Good listening to you!