Must have classic recordings

I don't know that you will get a lot out of a few "great recordings." Most people who are into classical music, myself included, find the genre to lend itself to a comparison of performances. For example, a great recording of Beethoven's 9th is one thing but the real enjoyment tends to come more from hearing the differences between performances by say Karajan in 62 vs Karajan in the late 70's vs. Furtwangler in the 40's or early 50's vs Vanska or Herrwegghe or Jarvi. Changes in tempo, how one conductor interprets the piece, the difference between the Berlin Phiharmonic as opposed to the Vienna, or how one conductor interacted with a given orchestra as opposed to another, and so on and so forth - virtually endless. To get much of anything out of classical music takes a good deal of time investment, but the rewards are remarkable. Of course, one can certainly find a well recorded version of any piece so as to say to company "listen to how great classical sounds on my system." For that, almost any studio recording in the last 10 years should suffice.