redrose | Classical Music Advice

I posted this to Making Light, and I think it's worth reposting here:

Classical music labels I can think of offhand:
Naxos
Phillips
Decca/London
Sony
Deutsche Grammophon at one point had a set/series of disks that were priced below their big name releases.

I have some recordings from Excelsior that were good enough to please me. I picked up some stuff from Intersound, Quintessence, and ProArte in the bargain bin, and I like them just fine. Penguin, the publisher, had a set/series out at Borders - they were fine, too.

Don't be afraid to pick up the sampler/best of CDs, either of a country or a composer. If you like what you hear, you can always go buy the full CD for the specific track.

Feel free to drop a line in my LJ if you like something, and if I know anything like it, I will recommend.

I should note, I'm not an expert on any of this stuff; I grew up listening to classical and doo-wop, and have slowly branched out from there.