When will there be decent classical music recordings?

Am I incorrect in assuming you (tatyana69) are speaking of orchestras, music written for them, and performed in a large concert hall? Well, there is also "Classical" music written for smaller ensembles meant to be performed in smaller venues. "Classical" is used as a category for all "composer-written" music, but there are, as you may know, different periods within that form. During the Baroque period (1600-1750) there was a lot of music written for solo instruments (harpsichord, cello, violin) and small ensembles. And there are many incredible recordings of this music, where the intimate details of each instrument can be clearly heard from a close perspective, not dissimilar from those in "Pop" recordings. I have some harpsichord recordings which put the instrument right in front of me in my room. Or, even better, me right in front of the instrument in the room in which the recording was made. Look for Trevor Pinnock performing music for harpsichord on the British CRD label (on LP) for some electrifying music, recordings, and reproductions in your music room!

Yeah yeah tostado, Kirkpatrick and Kipnis are fantastic players and interpreters. Kipnis even did some audiophile label recordings. I have more of these two players on CD though, which I assume will be okay with the OP, assuming he is interested in the music. Scarlatti is very difficult to play, and equally as exciting to listen to. Keyboard works is my single favorite and most listened to genre.

The difficulty in recording and reproducing large orchestras is why old-timers like J. Gordon Holt considered reproducing such recordings the ultimate challenge and test of a music system's capabilities. For the exact reason Al just explained, getting the high frequencies right, so that playback on speakers sounds like what listeners in the concert hall hear, is the hardest to accomplish. Should speakers be designed to sound "right" with recordings made using only a stereo pair of mics (some audiophile labels), a trio (as were the Mercury and RCA's of the 50's and early 60's), or many "mono" mics placed close to the instrument(s)? Each style of micing requires a different loudspeaker high frequency balance to produce the kind of sound audience members hear. Pop/Rock recordings are entirely different, a reference to live audience sound being non-existent. 

One little-mentioned label that offered Classical music with a very "immediate" sound that included low-level instrument sounds was Ark Records (LP only), Robert Fulton's (70's speaker designer) label. REALLY good sounding recordings, like direct-to-disc.

A hearty seconding of rcprince's recommendation of the Harmonia Mundi label recordings. Great sound, great repertoire, great artists and performances. My favorite contemporary Classical label, by far.

ptss, I wish more companies put a polarity reversal switch on their pre-amp(s). Ralph at Atma-Sphere is one of the few. And a mode switch (stereo/reverse/mono/left/right) too.