Naxos Music Catalogue

The world-famous Music Catalogue Naxos.com: Naxos is the world's leading classical label and an acknowledged market leader in classical music. It is probably the most successful business of its kind in the world, selling and recording high-quality works not only of classical composers but also of jazz, opera, and chamber music, at budget prices.

Established in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover, Naxos is based in Hong Kong. Everything started in 1986 when the price of compact disks began to fall. Heymann then saw the opportunity to set up a budget-priced CD label that would sell music at the same price as LPs.

The first successful recording was the violinist Takako Nishizaki, Heymann's wife, in the Butterfly Lover Concert. This success paved the way for the following recordings of unknown artists in great music compositions. After all, Naxos.com focuses on music and not the artist, so it frequently allows unknown musicians to record.

However, without a doubt, the first thing to notice is not that a German-born music lover based in Hong Kong records and sells classical music all over the world, but that the company is named after a Greek island!
The answer is simple. As Heymann stresses, the Greek island of Naxos is linked with art and culture, which is what the music company aims to promote. Moreover, the island and its myths have inspired many composers over centuries, including the famous Richard Strauss, who composed the opera Ariadne Auf Naxos in 1912!

More: www.naxos.com