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Buidling a Classical Library - MUST HAVES!

I started a r2d4 thread last week and am so impressed with the depth of music knowledge on this site that I'm going to start this one too. My knowledge of great classical recordings is so limited it's embarrassing to call myself a music lover. I've tried following some of the reviews in Stereophile, TAS and Golden Ear, but they all seam to have some agenda other than great sound, great performance and great material in mind. The fact that my system can resolve the subsonic activity of an earthquake during the highschool bands performance of Nutcracker or what ever Stereophile is about does nothing to help me find great music. My request, if you choose to accept it, is to identify the must have recordings to build library from scratch. PLEASE CONSIDER SONIC QUALITY, PERFORMANCE AND MATERIAL EQUALLY. As a lover of music I believe all three should be superior. Also, in the spirit of my last post, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CRITICIZING OTHERS SELECTIONS. IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE A SELECTION START A THREAD, LEAVE THIS ONE FOR KNOWLEDGE FOR THOSE OF US WHO NEED IT. THANK-YOU. Finally, please list a maximum top ten and even if your favorites already appear, list them anyway. This will help me figure out the first ones to buy. Vinyl and/or digital are acceptable as long as the material is still avalible.
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Showing 1 response by musicnoise

musicnoise
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Here are a few - all except number 5 listed below are absolute must haves - at least the work, I have listed the conductor or performer and label of the versions that I find to be outstanding. With classical music you will find it enlightening to have more than one performance (i.e. different artist or conductor). Many listeners to classical music have upwards of 10 versions of a piece. Additionally, I have listed one opera because Wagner is such a classic that a collection without the Ring would perhaps be considered incomplete - but do not shy away from other opera - for example some of Mozart's best output was opera and Verdi, Puccini, Rossini wrote incredible music in pretty much only that sub genre.
1. Bach's mass in B minor - Robert King on Hyperion and John Elliot Gardiner on Archiv. Absolute must have - do not let the fact that it is a mass have any effect.
2. Beethoven's Ninth Symp. Furtwangler from 1951 on EMI and Von Karajan's 1961-62 version with the BPO on DG.
3. Beethoven's Third Symp. - many good modern recorings
4. Mozart 35, 38, 40, and 41 symph. Mackeras
5. Schubert trios no 1 op 99 and no 2. op. 100 - Guarneri Trio Prague (just a personal favorite - maybe not a 'must have')
6. Beethoven's piano sonata's 14 (Moonlight), 8 (Pathetique), 21 (Waldstein), 23 (Appasionatta) Paul Lewis on Harmonia Mundi.
7. Mahler Symp 1 - Michael Tilson Thomas
8. Wagner's Ring Cycle - Keilberth on Testament records
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