Classical Music for Aficionados

Thanks, Al for your recommendations.
Hopefully many more members will follow.

Scott_w,

Hopefully you’ll get some ideas on this thread that will turn you on.
Sonically, my recommendations above all are excellent.
You might want to try the Stravinsky L’Histoire du Soldat on HDTT for sonic realism. Maybe the best sound I ever heard. (If you don’t know the site already, Google it.  You can purchase a download or a disc.)

Thanks for starting this, RV and thanks for the acknowledgment, Al.

I’m not a huge classical music aficionado but over the years, some pieces have certainly captivated me. Two that have are:

1) Stravinsky’s "Symphony of Psalms". Another commendable work by IS. The version I own is below as listed in Discogs. Not saying the recording is audiophile quality but I do enjoy the music very much.

From Discogs...
Stravinksky* / Poulenc* - Saramae Endich, The Robert Shaw Chorale and RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw ‎– Symphony Of Psalms / Gloria
Label: RCA Victor Red Seal ‎– LSC-2822

From Discogs...
2) Isaac Stern - Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic* - Barber* / Hindemith* ‎– Two Twentieth Century Masterpieces - Violin Concertos
Label: Columbia Masterworks ‎– MS 6713

The above a gift received many years ago. Everyone knows Samuel Barber’s "Concerto for Violin & Orchestra" (and rightly so) but it was Paul Hindemith’s violin concerto on the same LP that won me over. Here on You Tube is the Hindemith concerto from the same LP. Hope you enjoy it. PH doesn’t get enough love ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJoZ1olUphs

I bought a London Treasury series copy of this record when I was a teenager, and still listen to the recording, though I have accumulated a variety of different copies, I still do not own the first Decca. But, in its various incarnations, it is a wonderful performance and recording and short of the original Decca copy, can be gotten cheaply:
https://www.discogs.com/master/view/551677

rvpiano, FWIW I'll contribute a bit, but since I (and many others) have already posted in the past to lists of best/favorites etc and I'm too old to 
just replicate those recommendations, I'm just going to post about music/performers/genre that I'm currently listening to, without regard to professional competency or audiophile credentials. I really like this stuff and It sounds good to me. That's it folks!

I'm currently focusing (mostly) on music for the solo piano and recently discovered a label that supports some newer pianists performing more uncommon/ unusual pieces along with some common ones, some eclectic, but all assessible  and  enjoyable,  in balanced compilations. Happily the audio  is also excellent.

Here are a few on the Steinway & Son's label:

Get Happy - Jenny Lin
Grand Romance - Jeffery Biegel
LaValse - Sean Chen
The Rascal and the Sparrow - Antonio  Pompa- Bald
Exiles Cafe- Lara Downes
American Again - Lara Downes
Siegfried Idyll - David Deveau     

Today I'm having a Gilbert & Sullivan fest! Love that stuff.   Still sing it but now in the shower only. :-)