An open letter from Peter
Christ, Founder and President of Crystal Records
58-year anniversary. The years roll on and we are still thrilled
that Crystal Records is still here and active, and healthy, even with the
pandemic that has scourged the entire world. In 1966, when I was in my 20s putting the finishing touches
on an LP album which was to become Crystal Records S101, I could not imagine
that 58 years later, with over 600 albums (LP and CD), Crystal Records would
still be alive and kicking, having survived the demise of LPs, cassettes, and
into the digital age with CDs competing with downloads and streaming.
58 years! (1966-2024) Thank
you for your continuing interest. I started Crystal Records 58 years ago with
the thought that there was interest in high quality recordings of chamber music
that were unavailable on the major labels. We featured brass, woodwinds, and
strings, starting with LPs, then cassettes, then compact discs. We were
delighted to add orchestral works that had been produced by the fabulous
composer Alan Hovhaness. CD sales now are down as more people do not have CD
Players and few new cars & computers have them. However, companies large
and small produce over 150 classical CDs every month, so CDs are definitely not passé. Our recordings are available for
streaming and downloads in a few places on the web, but the sound quality does
not match our CDs, and payment for these streams is almost negligible and can
not support new product. Fortunately, many customers appreciate the higher
quality and physical attributes of compact discs to keep us going. Thank you
for making it possible for Crystal still to be here after 58 years! In any
case, we want you to have access to this wonderful music and performances, so
if you do wish a download or stream, email us for information on obtaining the
highest quality available.
Alan Hovhaness recordings continue to be best-sellers.
The beauty of Hovhaness’ works never fails to impress everyone who listens to
them. And we are delighted that more and more people are discovering our Reicha series
and taking advantage of our 12-CD set of the 24 Reicha Woodwind
Quintets. Our instrumental solo and ensemble collections are unmatche3d anywhere else.
THANK YOU, our customers, for
keeping the vision alive, making it possible for Crystal Records to be in its 58th
year!
When Crystal Records was started in 1966, there
were almost no recordings available of top quality woodwind
and brass soloists and ensembles, and even very few of strings. As a
professional oboist and founder of the Westwood Wind Quintet, I had been
frustrated trying to find recordings of the music that I loved. The major
record labels (there were very few independent labels) had a few of their
“stars” on a smattering of instruments, but they were seemingly not very
interested in the less common solo instruments or ensembles, or in adding to
their rosters some of the fabulous players in the major orchestras around the
world. When one walked into a record store (which is how most people bought
records back then), it was almost impossible to find a choice of flute, oboe,
horn, or trumpet albums, and it was impossible to find tuba or
trombone. Much of the repertoire that I and my friends were playing was
nonexistent, as far as the major labels and the record stores were
concerned.
I had gotten the recording
“itch” a few years earlier, when Columbia Records, urged by Robert Craft,
produced a Schönberg series, on which they included the Schönberg Wind Quintet.
The Westwood Wind Quintet had performed this several times, and Craft asked my
group to do the recording. Rehearsals at Igor Stravinsky’s house added to the
excitement for me, still in my early 20s, and when the record came out, it was
thrilling to hear it on radio stations around the country. I was hooked on
recording and wanted to do more of the wonderful ensemble pieces that were
unknown to the general music-loving public. A few letters to major record
labels proved that they were not interested in this type of music, and a few
calls to some of the players I knew in the Los Angeles area proved that there
were others who wanted to record and let the public know about the music they
were playing. Among my peer group I was fortunate to know players who would
become some of the most respected on their instruments. With more enthusiasm
than knowledge of the industry, I started Crystal Records.
The first record we
released (and they were black vinyl records in those days, not CDs) was of my
own group, the Westwood Wind Quintet. But my idea from the start was to have
recordings of many different instruments and ensembles, and to get the best
players we could from around the globe. The Los Angeles Brass Quintet and Los
Angeles String Quartet albums came quickly, and then we moved to ensembles and
artists from New York, Cleveland, Dallas, Berlin, and other major cities, in
addition to Los Angeles. Roger Bobo did his first solo album, which has become
a “classic” amongst tuba players. Tom Stevens on trumpet and Harvey Pittel on
saxophone did solo albums that many considered exemplary for their instruments.
Since this beginning, many other fine artists have joined the Crystal roster,
and it is gratifying to see the reputations of the Crystal artists expand
throughout the world.
In 1975 another
milestone occurred when trumpet player Tom Stevens suggested that Crystal do an
all-Hovhaness album as part of a Ford Foundation grant. In this way I was
introduced to some of the most beautiful and unusual music I had ever encountered and met the composer, a warm,
remarkable man. When Crystal was later offered the chance to purchase the
Poseidon catalog of Hovhaness music, all conducted or supervised by the
composer, I jumped at the chance. Since then we have
recorded many more Hovhaness works and I am pleased to have had a part in
reintroducing this marvelous music and extending the popularity of this
extraordinary composer.
The recording
industry has changed somewhat from those early days. There are many independent
labels and the majors have even tried their hand at instrumental music. But at
Crystal we still try to do what we have always tried to do: find world-class
artists to play repertoire that is not frequently done by others. In our small
way, we hope we are helping to enrich the music community with excellent music
and performances that would otherwise be ignored. We thank our customers for
supporting our efforts through the past 54 years.
Since
its inception in 1959, the Westwood Wind Quintet has been performing the
quintets of Anton Reicha for some of its concerts. A few years ago, Charles
David Lehrer edited the original publications of these 24 quintets and made
parts and scores that he put on the International Double Reed Society web site.
I was delighted to find these and contacted “Chick” Lehrer, who convinced me
that it would be a grand project for the Westwood Wind Quintet to record all 24
of the quintets, a feat that had only been done once (many years ago) and never
by an American ensemble. In working on the Reicha quintets, I have found Reicha
to be even more profound and enjoyable than I had previously
thought. These are fantastic pieces of music by a major composer of the
period. They are not just good pieces by an average composer; they are
excellent pieces by a composer of the first rank. They have been described
as “symphonies in miniature” with “some of the finest
music ever penned” (Ritter, Audiophile Audition). I am pleased to say
that we finished recording all of these wonderful
works and all 24 are now available on 12 CDs. The CDs are available either
individually or in a box set at a discount price. See Reicha for
more information.
Sincerely,
Peter
Christ
President, Crystal Records, Inc.