OUR CLASSIC CLASSICS
A List of All-Time Great Recordings
Patrick C Waller
I
have just reviewed the list below and my reaction was – “what
no Delius, Martinů or Beethoven 9?” There were some hard
choices indeed. I could easily have chosen a list about twice
as long but these are the 50 odd recordings that are particularly
special to me and cover most of my favourite music - the least
I feel I could survive on. I have multiple versions of most
of these works but really should be getting rid of the others
because I nearly always choose to play the ones given below.
I did try to pick specific pieces rather than box sets but
didn’t have to make almost impossible choices amongst the Sibelius
and Vaughan Williams symphonies - the individual works in these
sets aren’t available separately.
Albeniz Iberia
Suite • Alicia
De Larrocha
rec. 1986 • Decca 4178872
Albinoni Oboe
Concertos Op. 7 • Heinz Holliger/I Musici • DG 4271112
M
Arnold Symphonies 2 & 5 • Bournemouth
SO/Sir Charles Groves, CBSO/composer • EMI 63368 
Bach Well
Tempered Clavier Books I & II • Angela Hewitt
• Hyperion
CDS44291-4
Bach Cello
Suites • Pablo Casals • EMI 5626112 **
Bach St
Matthew Passion • Gabrieli
Consort & Players/Paul McCreesh
• Archiv
4742002
Bantock Omar
Khayyám • BBC SO & Ch/Vernon Handley
• Chandos CHSA5051
Beethoven Symphony
3 • Philharm
O/Otto Klemperer rec. 1959 • EMI
5677402
Beethoven String
Quartet 13 • Lindsay Qt • ASV CDDCA602
Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata • Solomon • EMI
4768652
Bernstein Candide • London
SO & Ch/composer • DG 4744722
Brahms Symphony
2 • London PO/Sir Adrian Boult
• EMI 69819
Brahms Ein
Deutsches Requiem • Philharm
O/Otto Klemperer • EMI 5669032
Bruckner Symphony
4 • Vienna PO/Karl Bohm
• Decca
4758403
Bruckner Symphony
8 • Berlin
PO/Gunter Wand rec. 2001 • RCA
74321828662
Bruckner Symphony
9 • Columbia
SO/Bruno Walter rec. 1959 • Sony
5188122
Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne • Netania Davrath • Vanguard Classics ATMCD1189
Chopin Nocturnes • Artur
Rubinstein • RCA 09026630492
Chopin Waltzes • Dinu
Lipatti • EMI 5669042
Debussy Orchestral
Music • Concertgebouw O/Bernard
Haitink • Philips 4387422
Dvořák Cello
Concerto • Mstislav
Rostropovich, London PO/Carlo Maria Giulini • EMI
3582319 
Elgar Violin
Concerto, Enigma
Variations • Yehudi Menuhin, London SO/composer • EMI
5669792 **
Elgar Dream
of Gerontius • Janet Baker, Halle O/Sir John
Barbirolli • EMI 7631852
Faure Complete Piano
Music • Kathryn Stott • Hyperion
CDA66911-4
Gershwin Porgy
and Bess • Willard White, London PO/Sir Simon
Rattle • EMI 4768362
Haydn Symphonies
99-104 • Royal PO/Sir Thomas Beecham • EMI 5855132
Lieberson Neruda
Songs • Lorraine Hunt
Lieberson, Boston SO/James Levine • Nonesuch
7559799542
Liszt Piano
Concertos & Sonata • Sviatoslav Richter, London SO/Kiril Kondrashin
• Philips
4462002 *
Mahler Symphony
10 • Berlin
PO/Sir Simon Rattle
• EMI
5569722
Mahler Das
Lied von der Erde • Kathleen
Ferrier, Vienna PO/Bruno Walter
• Decca
4665762 **
Mahler Ruckert
Lieder
• Janet
Baker, New PO/Sir John Barbirolli • EMI
5669812
Mozart Piano
Concerto 27, Double Concerto • Emil
Gilels, Vienna PO/Bohm • DG
4190592
Mozart Clarinet
Concerto & Quintet • Thea
King, English CO, Gabrieli Qt • Hyperion
CDA66199
Mozart Cosi
fan Tutte • Elisabeth
Schwarzkopf, Walter Berry, Phil O/Karl
Bohm
• EMI
5673822
Nielsen Symphonies
1 & 5 • Danish
State RSO/Thomas Jensen
• Dutton
CDLXT502 *
Puccini La
Bohème • Victoria de Los Angeles, Jussi Björling,
RCA Victor SO/Sit Thomas Beecham
• EMI
5677502
Puccini Tosca • Maria
Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, la Scala O/Victor
de Sabata rec. 1953 • EMI
5628902 **
Rachmaninov Piano
Concertos • Stephen
Hough, Dallas SO/Andrew Litton • Hyperion
CDA67501/2
D
Scarlatti Sonatas • Andreas Staier • Deutsche
Harmonia Mundi 82876673752
Schubert String
Quintet • Hollywood Qt • Testament SBT1031
Schubert Piano
Sonatas • Radu Lupu
• Decca 4757074
Schubert Complete
song cycles • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
• DG 4372352
Shostakovich Symphonies
1 & 5 • Czech
PO/Karel Ancerl • Supraphon
SU36992
Sibelius Symphonies
1-7 • London
SO/Anthony Collins • Beulah
14PD8
R
Strauss Metamorphosen,
Four Last Songs • Gundula
Janowitz, Berlin PO/Herbert von Karajan • DG
4474222
Tchaikovsky Symphonies
4-6 • Leningrad
PO/Evgeny Mravinsky • DG
4775911
Vaughan
Williams Symphonies 1-9 • London
PO/Sir Adrian Boult rec. 1950s • Decca
4732412 **
Verdi La
traviata • Angeli Gheorghiu, Royal Opera House
O/Solti • Decca 4481192
Wagner Tristan
und Isolde • Kirsten
Flagstad, Phil O/Wilhelm Furtwangler
• EMI
5676212
Wagner Der
Ring des Nibelungen • Bayreuth
Festival O/Daniel Barenboim • Warner
2564623172
Wagner Parsifal • Bayreuth
Festival O/Hans Knappertsbusch rec. 1962 • Philips 4647562
The recording date is given
where I am aware that the artist cited made more than one recording
of the work
* Does not seem to be currently
available as coupled – a previous catalogue number is given
** Historic recordings which
are available on more than one label; I have cited the version
I know but it may be available in another transfer, and possibly
more cheaply
