I've been a staunch supporter of the Telarc label for many years, and with good reason: from their very first effort (a direct to disc LP called, "Direct From Cleveland") until their latest (Paavo Jarvi conducting the Cincinatti Orchestra with Night on Bald Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibtion), I have been consistently delighted with both the knockout sonics of most Telarc recordings, as well as some of the finest musical interpretations of many a classical work. That combination is a rare one, indeed.

Unfortunately, ever since Telarc was taken over by Concord Music, the flow of new releases has been reduced to a trickle, and those new releases, no matter how good they sound, are re-releases of previously-recorded material on the label. I suspected something wasn't quite right when, upon the Concord Music takeover, the first person to leave was the founder/president/chief recording engineer, Jack Renner.

Jack speaks of his "retirement,"and never disparages Concord Music, though, if I'm reading the picture right, his retirement wasn't entirely voluntary. Still, he's pursuing another passion of his - photography - and now has ample time to do so.

Telarc consistently improved their recording techniques over the years, using better and better digital recording devices, finally settling on the DSD recording method as the "ultimate," and the SACD format for the best playback of DSD recordings. Most Telarc SACD's are sonic blockbusters, but some are real duds. The culprit seems to be a reliance on the Sennheiser MKH-800 microphone which, while making a recording that's decidedly lush, full and resonant, is severely lacking in upper end detail. The Donald Runnicles SACD of Beethoven's 9th is probably Telarc's worst sounding disc, and that's especially disappointing, as it follows Runnicles' "Carmina Burana" SACD which, according to The Absolute Sound, is a "must-have" recording. Not surprisingly, the Sennheiser MKH-800 isn't used on "Carmina..."

Telarc SACD's now are all priced at $13.95, and the company's older CD's are priced at $9.95. While at first this seems like quite a bargain (and it most definitely is one), I'm reading something else into the picture that doesn't bode well for Telarc's future. I have too much personal experience (as does my wife) with corporate takeovers and the ultimate result of such takeovers: whatever remains of the company being acquired often bares little resemblance to just what attractted the acquistion of that company in the first place. I certainly hope Telarc isn't on its way out, but the activity from the brand over the past couple of years isn't encouraging.

So then just what is an audiophile/classical music lover to do?

Well, not all other labels are lousy, or consistently produce poor interpretations of great works. Still, I hadn't come across any specific label that was able to match, yet alone improve upon, Telarc's sonics. That is until now. The new "Label to be Reckoned With" is BIS.

BIS has been around for a while (though not as long as Telarc) and has a number of highly reviewed recordings. That which first attrracted my attention was Osmo Vanska's performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra and Chorus. The SACD received glowing reviews from a number of classical reviewers, having received top honors both for artistic merit and sonic performance. The disc is also a Grammy Award nominee.

I purchased that recording a while back and it just about knocked me over. It is without question, the finest recording of the 9th I've ever heard (I haven't heard all recordings of the 9th, but have heard quite a few). I was so delighted with it, that I looked into other recordings by Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra of Beethoven works, and snapped up discs with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th Symphonies (I just haven't yet purchased the remaining disc with both the 1st and 6th). All the discs are glorious in every way imaginable. Vanska has a marvelous skill with Beethoven's material, and the BIS sonics are actually better than those of Telarc!

The grand total of BIS discs that I own is only four, but I have every intention of expanding that a good deal, and intend to keep my eye on future releases on the label. BIS is a Swiss-owned label, so I guess that classical music sales, and SACD sales in particular, aren't as bad in Europe as they are here in the U.S. For me, and for anyone interested in hearing just how marvelous a symphony orchestra can sound, that's good news indeed.