Holidays Bright for Classical Recordings

Just in time for Christmas in the record stores: the Hampton String Quartet’s “What If Mozart Wrote ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ ” (RCA), a follow-up to its best-selling “What If Mozart Wrote ‘Have a Merry Little Christmas’ ” of three years ago. But classical music lovers looking for more substantial recordings as holiday gifts can choose from a long list of superstars, newcomers and an increasing number of crossover projects.

The lineup of superstar releases this season ranges from Herbert von Karajan’s last opera recording, Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” with Placido Domingo (Deutsche Grammophon), to Beethoven’s complete symphonies played by Roger Norrington and the original-instrument London Classical Players (Angel). London is re-releasing five mid-priced opera sets starring Joan Sutherland, Philips is releasing a 10-disc limited edition celebrating the 30th anniversary of Neville Marriner’s Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields, and CBS has a two-disc re-release of cello concertos from Yo-Yo Ma. PolyGram has a flock of “Christmas” Oratorios and “Messiahs,” and London has Kiri Te Kanawa and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in “Songs of Inspiration.”

Eric Warwick, buyer for Tower Record’s classical department in Westwood, explained: “People like to give classics for Christmas. Our classical business, which normally accounts for around 25% of overall store sales, can go as high as 30% during Christmas.” Warwick said that boxed sets do well, listing the Norrington Beethoven set and seven specially priced sets from pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy (London) as potential big sellers.

“Angel has a powerful historical line-up,” Warwick added, “four Karajan sets alone. There’s also Otto Klemperer’s Mahler Second, which could blow out of here.”

Meade Crane, one of Tower Sunset’s classical buyers, said that “Normally, on new releases, we’ll take 3 to 5 copies; 5 to 10 if it’s something special. For Christmas, we’ll probably start with 15 to 20 copies each of the Norrington Beethoven set and the new Hampton String Quartet, 10 to 15 of the Klemperer Mahler Second, and 5 to 10 of the limited edition Marriner set.”

The crossover market, however, may be where competition is fiercest, industry sources said. Inspired by last year’s 1.1 million sales of Mannheim Steamroller’s “A Fresh Aire Christmas” (American Gramaphone), London has released “A Nu-View Christmas” with New York Philharmonic English horn virtuoso Tom Stacy. Explained marketing consultant David Henderson, who worked with London on this project: “Trade and consumer research showed that many people in the large group now known as ‘maturing baby boomers’ say they are burnt out on rock ‘n’ roll and are ready to listen to fresh, new music sounds, perhaps with classical influence.”

Lisa Altman, London’s product manager in New York, concurred: “Marketing for this release will transcend normal classical boundaries. Hundreds of promotional copies will be supplied to radio stations: New Age, regular classical, some pop stations, and definitely jazz.”

Los Angeles-based Delos has also joined the hunt for an expanded sales base. Although actively promoting Gerard Schwarz/Seattle Symphony recordings of Schumann and Bartok, Delos sales and marketing director Rudi Simpson is banking this season on “Perchance to Dream,” a piano recital of simple, classical pieces played by Carol Rosenberger.

Meanwhile, other long-standing rules are being rewritten. November traditionally has been the last month of the year in which significant new releases are shipped to retailers. This year, however, both Koch International, one of the country’s leading independent classical distributors, and audiophile label Telarc are readying late November-early December releases.

Koch’s late releases will be highlighted by Neeme Jarvi’s first recording with the Chicago Symphony (Chandos) while Telarc has announced new Empire Brass and Atlanta Symphony CDs.

What makes the pace so frenetic? Money, mostly. Figures from the Recording Industry Assn. of America (RIAA) indicate $350 million in total U.S. classical sales for 1989. Most insiders say that the Christmas season is the key to their year and Warwick indicated that December sales “might be anywhere from one-and-a-half to two times the business of an average good month.”

Los Angeles means a lot to the classical record industry. Variously rated as second or third nationally, the vast Southern California megalopolis sells with a style unlike any other. Michael Fine, Koch’s artists-and-repertoire director, says, “What always amazes me about Los Angeles are the different kinds of people buying classical music. A biker in the Tower Westwood store, for example, asking questions about which opera he should buy next.”

And anyone thinking that the classical record industry is a purely benevolent one should note that by the evening of Nov. 5, Tower’s Sunset Strip classical store had already put out a display of CDs under a card reading, “Vladimir Horowitz, 1904-1989.”

EVENTS: The CalArts Dance Ensemble will offer special performances to celebrate its 10th anniversary during a series of events recognizing CalArts’ 20th year. The faculty-and-alumni troupe will perform old and new pieces Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 8 p.m in the Modular Theatre.

The New York City Ballet opens its 91st season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday. The season will include traditional performances of Balanchine’s “Nutcracker,” Nov. 30 through the month of December, plus the world premiere of a new ballet by Richard Tanner on Feb. 8.

The AMAN Folk Ensemble has a new managing director and a new home. Lee Werbel has been appointed to head the multicultural performing arts organization from its new location in the Embassy Theatre downtown.

The musical legacy of conductor Herbert von Karajan will soon be available on video. Sony Corp. and Sony Classical GmbH are releasing over the next few years an audiovisual library of 45 of the maestro’s own video productions on home video and laser videodiscs.

The National Institute for Music Theater, the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization that distributed development grants for young artists and new works in opera and musical theater for 20 years, has closed its doors because of”long-term, insoluble financial difficulties.”

THE SOVIET CONNECTION: New music from the Soviet Union will be represented exclusively in North America by music publisher G. Schirmer Inc., following a long-term agreement signed earlier this year with VAAP, the copyright agency of the USSR . . . Some of the same composers, including Sofia Gubaidulina, will be represented as MCA releases the first digital recordings by Soviet artists on the Art & Electronics label, a partnership formed with Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab and three Soviet music agencies.