A Century of Recorded Music: Listening to Musical History

Rating:
Summary: Curiously Eurocentric View of Classical Recording History
Review: I purchased this volume based on a generally favorable review in Gramophone, and because I have a great interest in the history of classical recording. For the most part, I found it entertaining and informative. However, I think the book suffers significantly from a rather narrow focus by the author, and a curiously incomplete view of the more recent history. After all, a century includes the final decades as well as the early ones. Incredible as it seems, the Naxos label is never mentioned in this book. Naxos emerged in the mid-1980s and became the best-selling classical label in the world. As the current issue of BBC Music Magazine points out, for example, the best-selling cellist in the world today on CD's is Maria Kliegel, one of the house artists at Naxos - not Yo Yo Ma or Mstislav Rostropovich. She's not mentioned in this book, nor are any other Naxos artists, apart from a listing of Jeno Jando (the world's best selling pianist on CD) in a list of pianists. Naxos has had an incredible impact, especially in the past few years as it has revived forgotten repertory. Another weakness of the book is its skimpy treatment of the American classical scene, and its general failure to explore in greater depth the emergence of independent labels in many countries and the consolidation of the traditional "major" labels and their subsequent retreat from classical recording. I do urge enthusiasts for classical music to buy this book for its many useful insights and wealth of interesting "inside" information about classical recording, but I wish the author had done another 100 pages and achieved a more complete coverage.

Rating:
Summary: Curiously Eurocentric View of Classical Recording History
Review: I purchased this volume based on a generally favorable review in Gramophone, and because I have a great interest in the history of classical recording. For the most part, I found it entertaining and informative. However, I think the book suffers significantly from a rather narrow focus by the author, and a curiously incomplete view of the more recent history. After all, a century includes the final decades as well as the early ones. Incredible as it seems, the Naxos label is never mentioned in this book. Naxos emerged in the mid-1980s and became the best-selling classical label in the world. As the current issue of BBC Music Magazine points out, for example, the best-selling cellist in the world today on CD's is Maria Kliegel, one of the house artists at Naxos - not Yo Yo Ma or Mstislav Rostropovich. She's not mentioned in this book, nor are any other Naxos artists, apart from a listing of Jeno Jando (the world's best selling pianist on CD) in a list of pianists. Naxos has had an incredible impact, especially in the past few years as it has revived forgotten repertory. Another weakness of the book is its skimpy treatment of the American classical scene, and its general failure to explore in greater depth the emergence of independent labels in many countries and the consolidation of the traditional "major" labels and their subsequent retreat from classical recording. I do urge enthusiasts for classical music to buy this book for its many useful insights and wealth of interesting "inside" information about classical recording, but I wish the author had done another 100 pages and achieved a more complete coverage.

Rating:
Summary: Not the book it might have been
Review: This book deals with a fascinating topic (at least to me), and seems to fill a gap in the literature, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment - I was amazed that the subject could be make so dull and dry! The author needs to learn the virtues of plain English rather than esoteric jargonese if he wants to enthuse anyone with his subject.