British Critic’s Book Is Withdrawn (Published 2007) (2024)

For years, the British critic Norman Lebrecht has been throwing firebombs in the world of classical music, denouncing what he sees as industry evils in a provocative style that has sometimes been described as accuracy-challenged.

On Thursday, in an unusually crushing act of contrition, his publisher agreed to recall his latest book, destroy it, say “Sorry” and promise not to do it again — all over a few pages discussing Naxos Records and its founder, Klaus Heymann.

The book, “Maestros, Masterpieces & Madness: The Secret Life and Shameful Death of the Classical Record Industry,” was released in Britain in July. Mr. Heymann sued the publisher, Penguin Books, in the High Court of Justice, saying the book wrongly accused him of “serious business malpractices” based on false statements. He cited at least 15 statements he called inaccurate.

In a settlement with Mr. Heymann, Penguin issued a statement in court saying it apologized for “the hurt and damage which he has suffered.” It agreed to pay an undisclosed sum for legal fees and to a charity. “Penguin Books has also undertaken not to repeat these allegations and to seek the return of all unsold copies of the book,” the statement said.

Reached on his mobile phone, the normally outspoken Mr. Lebrecht declined to discuss the settlement or Mr. Heymann’s claims. “I’m not in a position at the moment to comment,” he said.

He also said the American edition of his book, titled “The Life and Death of Classical Music,” was “not affected” by the case. It was published by Anchor Books, a division of Random House.

The United States edition will remain on the market, but with “routine, minor factual editorial changes” in the pages in question when a reprint comes out next week, an Anchor spokesman said. The spokesman, Russell Perreault, said Mr. Lebrecht had requested the changes.

In a telephone interview from Hong Kong, where he lives, Mr. Heymann said: “For me it’s beyond belief how any journalist in five pages can make so many factual mistakes. It’s shocking. Also, he really doesn’t understand the record business.”

Reviewers have cited inaccuracies in previous books by Mr. Lebrecht, who is a columnist for The Evening Standard of London and has a BBC radio program. In his 1997 book, “Who Killed Classical Music?,” Mr. Lebrecht said 750,000 people had heard Plácido Domingo sing in Central Park when the number was closer to 100,000, and called the Metropolitan Opera’s general manager Rudolf Bing a public servant.

Just as much, commentators have said that Mr. Lebrecht exaggerates, ignores nuance and indulges in hyperbole.

“Where others write, he romps, pursuing scandal, sex and ‘shame’ (a favorite word) with the alliterative abandon of a redtop tabloid,” The Sunday Times of London said in a review of “Maestros.”

Mr. Lebrecht’s Web site, normanlebrecht.com, says he has written 11 books about music. He has also written a novel, “The Song of Names,” which won the 2002 Whitbread First Novel Award.

Naxos, founded 20 years ago, is a budget label that focuses on issuing huge quantities of repertory, often with little-known artists who are paid modest fees. It has gained grudging respect over the years and now attracts prominent musicians like the conductors Marin Alsop and Leonard Slatkin, and is the first record company to put its entire catalog online. Naxos is also a major worldwide distributor of independent labels.

Mr. Heymann said Mr. Lebrecht had interviewed him in person on two occasions but had taken no notes. He also said Mr. Lebrecht had never checked with him about a number of allegations that he called defamatory.

For example, Mr. Lebrecht wrote, “Any money he made on records, Heymann would say, went back into repertoire — though there was enough left over to buy him a $10 million estate” in New Zealand. Mr. Heymann said the money had come from other businesses which subsidized Naxos and another label, Marco Polo, until 2003, when he finished selling off those businesses.

Mr. Lebrecht said Mr. Heymann had preferred not to meet with performers and had dismissed artists who had sought better terms. Mr. Heymann said that his being based in Hong Kong had made meeting artists difficult, but that he had done so whenever he traveled or they came to Hong Kong. He also said he had run festivals where they could get together.

As for colliding with artists over money, Mr. Heymann said that in one of the two cases cited by Mr. Lebrecht, the artist had made a recording for another label without telling him, and in the other, he could not comment in detail because the artist had died. But he denied that ties were severed because of money.

He also said Mr. Lebrecht had falsely accused him of stealing ideas from labels Naxos distributed; incorrectly said he had recorded the conductor Dennis Russell Davies and produced works in Slovenia; invented the detail that a PolyGram executive, seeking to buy a stake in Naxos, flew to Hong Kong with suitcases of cash; and wrongly wrote that performers were listed in small print on the back of CDs. (They are also on the front.) He said Mr. Lebrecht had also confused downloading with streaming, and recording copyrights with music publishing copyrights.

Despite the suit, Mr. Heymann said he did not think the book had a “negative impact” on his reputation. “But,” he added, “I don’t think somebody like Lebrecht should get away with 20 or 30 errors in a five-page article. In my industry, I’m a good guy.”