Naxos album covers

[Fafner]

I must admit I am a big fan of Naxos. I even bought the book they published last year (The Story of Naxos), which — although it sometimes reads like an adoration of Herr Heymann — is definitely an interesting look at the history and inner workings of the company.

Klaus Heymann is a peculiar man. He insisted on keeping on with the original simplistic design of the Naxos covers (clean serif typeface on a white background) and it has certainly served them well.

What I find interesting is that they are now using a different type of cover design for some of the recordings: a cardboard sleeve on top of the typical white insert.
I know they are doing it with Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle, Gerard Schwarz/Seattle SO, and Marin Alsop to name just a few. Is it random or is there any system to it?
Perhaps they want to say: yes, we are the "budget label", but this is the premium stuff?

Does any other label use similar cardboard sleeves?

[Brian]

I think Naxos introduced cardboard sleeves in 2006 or so, as a way of highlighting their "featured" recording each month. Since Alsop, Petrenko, etc. are "stars" on the label, they got the sleeve treatment. The first cardboard sleeve from Naxos that I encountered was this from 2004.

However, more recently - starting about a year ago - they have started to do away with the sleeves again, and they are eliminating the white space on those "featured" recordings. Here's the booklet cover of one of this month's top features:



By the way, I've seen paper sleeves a handful of times on other labels, including this Supraphon CD:

[asin]B007AX2UBC[/asin]

and this Harmonia Mundi CD:

[asin]B0049BX0FS[/asin]

[kishnevi]

I've gotten CDs in those cardboard sleeves from several companies besides Naxos, including Harmonia Mundi, although the usage does seem to have slacked off over the years.  But I have these type of sleeves on most of the individual issues of Gergiev's LSO Mahler (not the ones I ordered from Amazon, but those I bought instore at Borders), and Naive's Vivaldi series (and, come to think of it, a number of their non Vivaldi issues), MTT's Mahler series on SFO, and a couple of Abbado's second Malher cycle (meaning those recorded with the BPO)--there may well be others that I don't remember at the moment.  Or perhaps it became a favorite trope among Mahler conductors....

Also, a number of Gramophone award winners came with a cardboard sleeve announcing themselves as such--I have Gilel's recording of the Hammerklavier Sonata and the Takacs Quartet recording of Beethoven's Middle Quartets with such sleeves.

[Brahmsian]

I love Naxos!  Their covers are a bit drab, but I can easily spot them in my collection.

I love Naxos!!!  They rock!!  I meant....they Classical! 

[Mirror Image]

Naxos have certainly come a long way. My only wish is they continue to record unknown repertoire and forget about things such as Alsop's Mahler, Bartok, Brahms, and Dvorak. There are better performances of all of these composers by more esteemed conductors and more prominent orchestras. I consider these things Naxos' trying to fit into the classical mainstream market where it has always, in my opinion, been third-rate. Again, my only wish is for them to continue to thrive in unknown music. This is where they excel.

[Brahmsian]

I do agree, John.  Yet, I do hope they finish the Petrenko/RLPO Shostakovich cycle. 

Three of my favourite string quartet ensembles are on the Naxos label:

Maggini Quartet (they excel at English/UK chamber music repertoire)

Fine Arts Quartet

Carpe Diem SQ

[Brian]

I do agree, John.  Yet, I do hope they finish the Petrenko/RLPO Shostakovich cycle. 

Exactly right - they do have less of a track record in mainstream repertoire, but some of their work there has been outstanding. Petrenko's Shostakovich, Jando's Bartok or Liszt, a lot of the orchestral Elgar and Vaughan Williams, some pretty awesome Handel, Haydn, Smetana and random odds and ends like the Mendelssohn string quartets (NZSQ).

The key, as always, is good talent scouting and good taste. I do like their policy of having artists "work their way up." Thus Tianwa Yang proved her incredible violin skills with the complete Sarasate and Wolfgang Rihm, and now (Feb '13) she gets to do the Mendelssohn violin concertos.

[Mirror Image]

I do agree, John.  Yet, I do hope they finish the Petrenko/RLPO Shostakovich cycle. 

Yeah, Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle proved to be very good, but I still don't rate as highly as Haitink's or even Barshai's. Another selling point for Naxos has been their reissuing of OOP recordings. Like many of the Schwarz recordings that have flooded the market over the past year or so. I wish Naxos would record the Chavez symphonies. This is one symphonic cycle that's in desperate need of a modern update.

[Fafner]

Yeah, Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle proved to be very good, but I still don't rate as highly as Haitink's or even Barshai's. Another selling point for Naxos has been their reissuing of OOP recordings. Like many of the Schwarz recordings that have flooded the market over the past year or so. I wish Naxos would record the Chavez symphonies. This is one symphonic cycle that's in desperate need of a modern update.

For me personally, Petrenko's 8th, 10th and 12th by far exceed Haitink. I have only listened to Barshai's 9th as yet.

I am eager to hear how Petrenko fares with No. 7 and especially No. 4 (fingers crossed).

[Mirror Image]

For me personally, Petrenko's 8th, 10th and 12th by far exceed Haitink. I have only listened to Barshai's 9th as yet.

I am eager to hear how Petrenko fares with No. 7 and especially No. 4 (fingers crossed).

I'm still in awe of Haitink's 8th. For me, the best 8th on record. Petrenko's is certainly good, but it doesn't dig the depths that Haitink's does.

[71 dB]

I don't like how Naxos changed their CD covers so that the Naxos logo is on blue square.
Those discs look stupid on bookshelf next to the "old ones" with all white sides.
They even removed the cataloque number on the cover so simple people don't find them so complex... 

[Sammy]

I don't like how Naxos changed their CD covers so that the Naxos logo is on blue square.

I don't have any problem with the change.  Naxos has never had attractive covers, and the cosmetic aspects have nothing to do with why I've acquired so many Naxos discs over the years.  Quality and price are the calling cards of this company.

[bigshot]

I got a great book recently on the designer Steinweiss. Someone should give a copy of that book to Naxos. It's possible to maintain a distinctive look, have variety, simplicity and good design. Naxos covers are artless.

http://www.dummymag.com/inc/img/upimages/5428.jpg
http://www.albumartexchange.us/images/600-grand_canyon.jpg
http://www.burningsettlerscabin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ce_steinweiss_06.jpg
http://www.printmag.com/CMSAssets/Blog/AssociatedImages/Steinweiss%206.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_j8LW8RreQHs/S7wT0hi32GI/AAAAAAAAAIg/WXavCVyJ8fo/s400/SteinweissBeethoven1945lores.jpg

[Gurn Blanston]

"Artless" is actually a good thing. I wonder if you actually mean that. I've always thought that Naxos' covers were representative of exactly what they were trying to convey about their entire company image, so I have no problem with them at all.

[mc ukrneal]

"Artless" is actually a good thing. I wonder if you actually mean that. I've always thought that Naxos' covers were representative of exactly what they were trying to convey about their entire company image, so I have no problem with them at all.

I always felt they had a cheap look, but that they were perhaps consistent in their presentation. Lately, they seem less consistent, though the covers have improved. This all said, ugly covers are rarely a criteria in the buyng process (I suppose it could be if there were two similar options). In any case, the image I got was no-frills and cheap. Although, their more recent prices on Amazon are not particularly cheap anymore, so if they are changing their price point, an image change would not be unwarrented.

[Mirror Image]

I always felt they had a cheap look, but that they were perhaps consistent in their presentation. Lately, they seem less consistent, though the covers have improved. This all said, ugly covers are rarely a criteria in the buyng process (I suppose it could be if there were two similar options). In any case, the image I got was no-frills and cheap. Although, their more recent prices on Amazon are not particularly cheap anymore, so if they are changing their price point, an image change would not be unwarrented.

Regardless of whether a cover is ugly or attractive, as a collector I always associate a recording not only for the music itself, but for the cover. If someone asks me have I heard Adrian Boult's recording of Holst's The Planets on EMI, I'll ask them what does the cover look like? The front cover helps me remember if I've heard the performance or not. I'm a visual person by nature and this traces back to my teenage years when I was very interested in art and art history.

[Octo_Russ]

Naxos cover art is certainly poor, they have improved over the years, but i feel they need a new image, Deutsche Grammophon got rid of their huge yellow banner logo, and replaced it with a discreet small logo in the corner, and what an improvement that was, Naxos need to do something similar, everything from the banal paintings to the lettering font / colours scream cheap, a case in point is the Kodaly's Haydn String Quartet series, featuring horrendous portraits of once famous people.

[Brahmsian]

Naxos cover art is certainly poor, they have improved over the years, but i feel they need a new image, Deutsche Grammophon got rid of their huge yellow banner logo, and replaced it with a discreet small logo in the corner, and what an improvement that was, Naxos need to do something similar, everything from the banal paintings to the lettering font / colours scream cheap, a case in point is the Kodaly's Haydn String Quartet series, featuring horrendous portraits of once famous people.

That is a horrendous one! 

[Opus106]

...featuring horrendous portraits of once famous people.

Or, simply portraits of people who looked horrendous.

[71 dB]

To me Naxos covers are far from poor. They are stylish, clear and purposeful. Texts on white background are easy to read. They put the painting and they select 2 colors from that painting which they use for the texts. Composer name uses the other (usually darker) color while the other texts use the other color. Sometimes the names of the performers are in the same color as composer name. Very good simple rule in my opinion.

The blue boxed logo is not the problem but the fact how the sides look like (the blue areas). All-white sides look much better.