When we get around to educating ourselves in classical music, this list of 100 best classical from Telegraph music critic Michael Kennedy, 6.4.08, could come in handy.
For Kennedy’s explanations, see …
His introduction said: “I cannot give a cast-iron assurance that all these discs are currently available, but many are available as downloads from sites such as www.arkivmusic.com or www2.deutschegrammophon.com/home/
“Opera Rara (www.opera-rara.com) is a good place to buy recordings of lesser-known or forgotten operas, while Presto Classical (www.prestoclassical.co.uk) and MDT Mail Order (www.mdt.co.uk) specialise in classical CDs.”
List follows …
ORCHESTRAL, CHORAL, VOCAL & INSTRUMENTAL
BACH
Concerto for two violins; Paris SO; Avid Records.
(Samuel) BARBER
Knoxville: Summer of 1915; Dumbarton Oaks Orch; Sony.
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No 3 (Eroica); BBCSO; Barbirolli Society.
Symphonies Nos 5 and 7; Philharmonia Orch; EMI.
Beethoven Symphony No 9 (Choral); Bavarian Radio SO; Philips.
Violin Concerto; Berlin PO; Dutton.
Piano Concerto No 3; NBC Orch; Naxos Historical.
Piano Concerto No 5 (Emperor); Staatskapelle Dresden; Philips.
Piano Trio in B flat (Archduke); EMI.
Piano sonatas; Philips.
String Quartets; Harmonia Mundi.
BERLIOZ
Nuits d’été; Deutsches SO; Harmonia Mundi.
Symphonie fantastique; Berlin PO; CBS.
BRAHMS
Symphonies Nos 1-4; Scottish Chamber Orch; Telarc.
Piano Concerto No 2; NBC Orch; Naxos Historical.
BRITTEN
Serenade for tenor, horn and strings; Boyd Neel String Orch; Decca.
BRUCH
Violin Concerto No 1; LSO; Avid Records.
BRUCKNER
Symphonies Nos 7 and 9; Berlin PO; DG.
Symphony No 8; Vienna PO; DG.
CHOPIN
Artur Rubinstein; RCA.
DEBUSSY
La mer; Cleveland Orch; Decca.
DELIUS
(Must Buy! ) Brigg Fair, Appalachia, Hassan; LPO; Naxos Historical.
DVORAK
Cello Concerto; Jacqueline du Pré, BBC Legends.
ELGAR
The Dream of Gerontius; Hallé Orch; EMI.
Symphonies Nos 1 and 2; LSO; EMI.
Enigma Variations; LPO Live.
Violin Concerto; LSO; EMI.
Cello Concerto; LSO; EM.
HANDEL
Messiah; Toronto SO; EMI.
Water Music and Fireworks Music; Minnesota Orch; MMG.
HAYDN
Paris Symphonies Nos 82-87; Concentus Musicus Wien; Deutsches Harmonia Mundi.
Symphonies Nos 96-99; Royal Concertgebouw; Teldec.
Symphonies Nos 102 and 103; Chamber Orch of Europe; DG.
London Symphonies; Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orch; Nimbus.
MAHLER
(Must Buy! ) Das Lied von der Erde; Vienna PO; Decca
Mahler Symphony No 9; Berlin PO; EMI.
Mahler Symphony No 10; Berlin PO; EMI.
MOZART
Symphonies Nos 40 and 41; Staatskapelle Berlin; DG.
Piano Concertos Nos 22 and 27; Scottish Chamber Orch; Philips.
Four Horn Concertos; Philharmonia; EMI.
Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola; LPO; BBC.
String Quartets K465 and K590; Nimbus.
Clarinet Quintet; Musical Fidelity.
RACHMANINOFF
Piano Concerto No 2; Philadelphia Orchestra; RCA.
RAVEL
Daphnis et Chloé; Boston SO; Philips.
SCHUBERT
Piano Trio No1 in B flat; Cortot, Thibaud and Casals; Avid Records.
Piano Quintet in A (‘Trout’); Artur Schnabel (piano), three of the Pro Arte Quartet, and Claude Hobday (double bass); Avid Records.
Four piano sonatas including B flat (D 960); Alfred Brendel; Philips.
Piano Sonata in D (D 850); Clifford Curzon; Decca.
String Quintet; Hyperion.
Winterreise; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore; EMI.
Symphony No 9 in C major; LPO; EMI.
SCHUMANN
Piano Concerto and Carnaval; Myra Hess; Dutton.
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No 7; Royal Concertgebouw Orch; RCO.
Symphony No 10; Cleveland Orch; Decca
Cello Concertos Nos 1 and 2 LSO; DG.
Complete String Quartets; Borodin String Quartet; EMI.
SIBELIUS
Sibelius symphonies; Boston SO and LSO; Philips.
Violin Concerto; Philharmonia Orch; Dutton.
STRAUSS
(Must Buy! ) Four Last Songs; Berlin PO; DG.
Ein Heldenleben; Chicago SO; RCA.
TCHAIKOVSKY
Symphony No 6; Mariinsky (Kirov) Orch; Philips.
Piano Concerto No 1; NBCSO; Naxos Historical.
Violin Concerto; National SO; Dutton.
TIPPETT
A Child of Our Time; CBSO; Collins.
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Symphony No 5; LPO; Somm.
A London Symphony; Hallé Orch; EMI.
Serenade to Music; BBCSO; EMI.
VERDI
Requiem; La Scala Orch; EMI.
WALTON
Belshazzar’s Feast; Philharmonia Orch; EMI.
Symphony No 1; Philharmonia Orch; EMI.
Violin Concerto; Philharmonia Orch; EMI.
OPERA
BEETHOVEN
Fidelio; Royal Opera House Orch; Testament.
BRITTEN
Peter Grimes; Royal Opera House Orch; Decca.
The Turn of the Screw; English Opera Group Chamber Orch; Decca.
GERSHWIN
Porgy and Bess; Cleveland Orch; Decca.
HANDEL
Julius Caesar; ENO Orch; Chandos Opera in English.
JANACEK
Katya Kabanová;Vienna PO; Decca.
LEHAR
TheMerry Widow; Philharmonia Orch; Naxos Historical.
MONTEVERDI
L’incoronazione di Poppea; English Baroque Soloists; DG Archiv.
MOZART
Le nozze di Figaro; Philharmonia Orch; EMI Classics.
Così fan tutte; Concerto Köln; Harmonia Mundi.
Così fan tutte; Philharmonia Orch; EMI Classics.
Die Zauberflöte; Vienna Philharmonic; 1951 Salzburg Festival; EMI Classics.
The Magic Flute; LPO; Chandos Opera in English.
PUCCINI
Tosca; La Scala; EMI Classics
Madama Butterfly; Rome Opera Orch; EMI Classics.
ROSSINI
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Chamber Orch of Europe; DG.
STRAUSS
(Must Buy! ) Der Rosenkavalier; Vienna PO; Decca.
Salome; New York Metropolitan Orch; Walhall Eternity Series.
JOHANN STRAUSS II
Die Fledermaus; Vienna PO; Decca.
VERDI
Otello; NBC Orchestra; RCA.
Falstaff; Philharmonia; EMI Classics.
La Traviata; Turin Radio SO; Naxos Historical.
WAGNER
(Must Buy! ) Der Ring des Nibelungen; Bayreuth Festival 1955; Testament.
The Ring; ENO.
ENDSIT
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