What are the 10 must-have classical recordings?

[Fitzcaraldo215]

I am asking this question in the context of a classical newbie. What 10 classical recordings (actual recordings not composers) must one have? In my context, I like to see that list in digital format but of course others may want to know the analog format just the same.

Say you are a heavy classical fan and came to my house. Which recordings would you expect me to have for you to enjoy listening to my system? Or put another way, if two classical fans visited each other's homes, which classical recordings have the highest chance of being in both places?

I am asking this as part of my journey to understand classical music. I currently have maybe 20 to 40 classical albums that I have randomly bought based on what sounded good to me. And some recommendations here. But love to get the "must have" list as I suspect I am missing most if not all of them.

So please help us enter this domain of music by making recommendations that you all would agree fall in this category.

Thanks a lot in advance .

Amir - My lifetime journey of discovery through classical music and recordings is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. I think once you get started picking up certain threads you initially like of periods, composers, genres, etc., it will become just as rewarding for you. You likely will expand and grow from there. And, music that you just do not get now, that you shrug your shoulders at, often becomes music you later adore as your experience grows.

Keith_W's list is excellent from the perspective he took in approaching his list. My list below will be slanted somewhat differently. I wanted to try to pick well performed works that were chosen more for their potential "accessibility" to a new classical music listener. These are not necessarily works of huge stature in the repertoire, though some are, but some of these might hopefully be interesting for you musically. I also wanted to choose only from releases recorded in hi rez over the past decade or so that I find to be excellent sounding.

My choices here are all hybrid SACD's - DSD Mch, DSD Stereo and CD Stereo - all on one disc. However, my listening is almost entirely in Mch, so I am just assuming they are of comparable recorded quality if you choose to listen in hi rez stereo. I actually have many hundreds of really fine recordings on SACD, BD-A and BD-V that I could cite out of my collection of thousands of hi rez Mch discs. But, these are the 10 favorites that happened to come quickly to mind from a number of different classical periods.

Stravinsky: Petroushka/Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances - Jansons, Concertgebouw
2 orchestral masterpieces from the first part of the 20th Century on the excellent RCO Live label.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 - Haitink, Concertgebouw
Last half of 20th Century, and one of my favorites by this great composer. A recording and equipment reviewer friend agrees this is exemplary orchestral sound. He took it to RMAF for equipment listening. RCO Live.

Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem - Levine, Boston
A cornerstone of Western art. I have heard slightly better performances, but this is one of the best recordings I know for large chorus and orchestra. BSO Label.

Haydn: Symphonies 12, 50, 60 - Huss, Haydn Sinfonietta Wien
High Classicism by an 18th Century genius in lively performances. BIS.

Handel: Messiah - Butt, Dunedin Consort
Excellent, lively, small scale performance of an essential masterpiece. Linn.

Music for Compline - Stile Antico
A diverse program of English High Renaissance a capella religious music by a terrific young group. Harmonia Mundi.

Holst: Orchestral Works Vol. 2 - A. Davis, BBC Philharmonic
Early 20th Century. Includes The Planets, which everyone likes. Chandos.

Bach: Mass in B-Minor - Van Veldhoven, Netherlands Bach Society
Another absolute cornerstone of Western art in a very moving performance. Channel Classics

Dvorak: Symphony No. 7/American Suite - I. Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra
A favorite recording sonically from this conductor/ensemble/label's superb releases of beautiful and absorbing late Romanticism. Channel Classics.

Adams: Harmonielehre/Short Ride in a Fast Machine - Tilson Thomas, San Francisco
A risky choice of romanticized contemporary minimalism, often very energetic, often sentimental, sometimes "New Age" sounding, sometimes like a classic Hermann movie score, but I love it. It is an absorbing musical and sonic adventure in great orchestral sound. SFS Label.

As I said, I could go on and on. I also love concerts, operas, etc. on BD-video, but that would be a whole other story.

 

[amirm]

Thanks a bunch Fitzcaraldo. Between HDTRacks, Prostudiomasters and Amazon, I found all but two of them and the former two are downloading as I type this .

Next would be mining Keith's extensive list!

 

[edorr]

I am asking this question in the context of a classical newbie. What 10 classical recordings (actual recordings not composers) must one have? In my context, I like to see that list in digital format but of course others may want to know the analog format just the same.

Say you are a heavy classical fan and came to my house. Which recordings would you expect me to have for you to enjoy listening to my system? Or put another way, if two classical fans visited each other's homes, which classical recordings have the highest chance of being in both places?

I am asking this as part of my journey to understand classical music. I currently have maybe 20 to 40 classical albums that I have randomly bought based on what sounded good to me. And some recommendations here. But love to get the "must have" list as I suspect I am missing most if not all of them.

So please help us enter this domain of music by making recommendations that you all would agree fall in this category.

Thanks a lot in advance .

Late to the game here, but here is some advice. Before going on a hunt for "classical recordings" figure out what type of classical music rocks your boat. Changes are you will gravitate to a certain period, composer(s), and within this narrowed down field, you may well find you have a preference for say chamber music / orchestral / solo instrument / vocal etc. Once you figured out your musical taste in classical, THEN go find the recording most to your liking (sound quality and interpretation) within that narrowed down field. If you start exploring recordings based on others' musical taste you may actually be turned off from classical (as opposed to turned on), because the recommendations may just not your cup of tea musically (although they are fine classical albums). Case in point, I cannot stand opera, but own probably 5 different recordings of the same Beethoven string quartet (three of which may be in my top 10 list). If I had started exploring classical by checking out other's Opera recommendations chances are I would have thrown in the towel and decide I'm just not into classical.

Having said that, you can't go wrong owning a fine version of Beethoven's 5th, Mozart Requiem, Ravel's Bolero and Vivaldi's four seasons....

 

[amirm]

Thanks a bunch edorr. I have been a huge fan of Vivaldi, especially the four seasons. I must have half a dozen performances of it. You do make a great point and I recall others saying the same.

I am going to listen to what I have already bought, share the list of favorites and seek more advice.

 

[bonzo75]

Thanks a bunch edorr. I have been a huge fan of Vivaldi, especially the four seasons. I must have half a dozen performances of it. You do make a great point and I recall others saying the same.

I am going to listen to what I have already bought, share the list of favorites and seek more advice.

Amir - shortlist concerts in your area. Listen to relevant recordings, then attend those concerts, then listen to the recordings again. You can't approach classical like you would approach blues, by asking for some recordings and trying to listen. Baptism has to be by live

 

[edorr]

Thanks a bunch edorr. I have been a huge fan of Vivaldi, especially the four seasons. I must have half a dozen performances of it. You do make a great point and I recall others saying the same.

I am going to listen to what I have already bought, share the list of favorites and seek more advice.

For Baroque afficionados, there is of course a very long list of very fine Bach recordings to explore (as well as Corelli, Scarlatti etc.). Venturing outside baroque, you may want to listen to Beethoven's use of "fugue" form, which is directly tied to the baroque period. This is mostly found in "late Beethoven", but I find the first fine example of Beethoven's development from building on the classical period (Mozart etc) to regressing to Baroque as his primary source of inspiration to be his 3rd Symphony. Just for kicks, you may also want to listen to his Grosse Fuge (Opus 133). This was avant garde music very few people undestood when first released. Just throwing out some suggestions I think someone with a taste for Vivaldi might appreciate.

 

[amirm]

For Baroque afficionados, there is of course a very long list of very fine Bach recordings to explore (as well as Corelli, Scarlatti etc.). Venturing outside baroque, you may want to listen to Beethoven's use of "fugue" form, which is directly tied to the baroque period. This is mostly found in "late Beethoven", but I find the first fine example of Beethoven's development from building on the classical period (Mozart etc) to regressing to Baroque as his primary source of inspiration to be his 3rd Symphony. Just for kicks, you may also want to listen to his Grosse Fuge (Opus 133). This was avant garde music very few people undestood when first released. Just throwing out some suggestions I think someone with a taste for Vivaldi might appreciate.

I went to look for a sample and landed on this animated score:

It is mesmerizing and at the same time educational to see the break up of the separate sequences. Half way through it it says Beethoven was deaf during the last 10 years when this was composed so the coherency is not always there or something to that effect?

And yes, it does remind me of Vivaldi but with more lose structure (look at me making up terms ).

 

[edorr]

I went to look for a sample and landed on this animated score:

It is mesmerizing and at the same time educational to see the break up of the separate sequences. Half way through it it says Beethoven was deaf during the last 10 years when this was composed so the coherency is not always there or something to that effect?

And yes, it does remind me of Vivaldi but with more lose structure (look at me making up terms ).

It's Vivaldi on crack cocaine.

His 3rd sympony (which you probalby know) is a much more accessible compostion introducing baroque ideas. The "marcia funebre" and final movement are otherwordly profound, grounbraking and at the same time sophisticated.

 

[Bobvin]

I'm not a big classical fan, but there is some I really like, and I'm always happy to find more. I appreciate all those who have contributed to the list, it will help me build up my own collection. The great thing you all offer, too, is not just which piece, but which performance is considered worthy of owning. Glad to see:
Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Holst's The Planets
Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
My great, great uncle was Antonin Dvo?ák, (forgive the lack of proper accent characters), I particularly like his Cello Concerto.
Gershwin certainly has some "fun" classical music, Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris.
Aaron Copland also has what I consider "fun" classical music, like "Billy the Kid", "Rodeo"

I would expect classical fans would have these in their collection.

 

[Old Listener]

Late to the game here, but here is some advice. Before going on a hunt for "classical recordings" figure out what type of classical music rocks your boat. Changes are you will gravitate to a certain period, composer(s), and within this narrowed down field, you may well find you have a preference for say chamber music / orchestral / solo instrument / vocal etc. Once you figured out your musical taste in classical, THEN go find the recording most to your liking (sound quality and interpretation) within that narrowed down field. If you start exploring recordings based on others' musical taste you may actually be turned off from classical (as opposed to turned on), because the recommendations may just not your cup of tea musically (although they are fine classical albums). Case in point, I cannot stand opera, but own probably 5 different recordings of the same Beethoven string quartet (three of which may be in my top 10 list). If I had started exploring classical by checking out other's Opera recommendations chances are I would have thrown in the towel and decide I'm just not into classical.

Having said that, you can't go wrong owning a fine version of Beethoven's 5th, Mozart Requiem, Ravel's Bolero and Vivaldi's four seasons....

I strongly agree with edorr's advice. I'd add that concentrating on audiophile recordings at this stage is a mistake. I'd suggest that the things that matter are the composer and work first, then the performance and sound quality as the least important.

There is universal agreement on few if any must-have recordings. I'll suggest some composers and works to try and recordings that I think show the composer and the work to good advantage.

- There a many recordings of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with a wide variety of styles. Beyond the Four Seasons, I suggest trying the recordings of Op. 3,4 and 9 that Rachel Podger has made with various groups. Several are on Channel Classics. Lots of flavor to the sound.

- Haydn - Paris Symphonies - Bruggen / ?/ Philips
London Symphonies - Szell / Cleveland / Sony for 93-99 (and a wonderful 92)
Klemperer for 100 and 102
Mackerras / Orchestra of St. Luke's / Telarc for 101,103,104

- Haydn's Trumpet Concerto is the best concerto for that instrument and a fine example of classicism. The cello Concertos are first rate music and the Wispelwey / Florilegium / Channel Classic recordings are stunning and well recorded.

- Mozart's Piano Concertos 9 and 14-27 are masterpieces. There are lots of great performances. My favorite set is Bilson/Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists / on DG Archiv; the performances and the sound seem so right for these works. The soloist is playing on a fortepiano rather than a modern grand piano and the orchestra is playing on period instruments using gut strings with tuning to a lower frequency than modern standards. If you would prefer to avoid period instruments

- Mozart symphonies from 35-41 are first rate works. For No.38, I find the Mackerras/Prague Chamber Orchestra/Telarc recording to be the very best. I like Szell/ Cleveland Orchestra for 35,39-41. Mackerras/Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Linn (downloads) is a good alternative for 35-41 with high res. download options. By the way, Mozart didn't write a 37th symphony. A symphony by Michael Haydn was described as by Mozart. Another story.

- The Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola K. 364 is a very beautiful work even for Mozart. My favorite recording remains Heifetz/Primrose/ Solomon/RCA Victor SO on Sony/RCA (among other favorities.) A recent recording with Rachel Podger and Beznosiuk on Channel Classics has modern sound (and Podger!)

- The Bruno Walter / Columbia Symphony/ Sony recording of Beethoven's symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) still moves me nearly 50 years after I first heard it.

- The Jordi Savall / Concert of Nations recording of the Beethoven Eroica symphony is my favorite (among many other favorites.)

- The Grumiaux / Galliera / Philharmonia recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto was Philips is now on (Decca) Eloquence. Sometimes Beethoven was in a heaven storming mood, other times he could produce striking beauty as well as any composer. This recording expresses the beauty of the VC better than any other for me.

- The Stern / Istomin / Rose Piano Trio recording of the Beethoven Archduke Trio is a good intro to piano trio music.

- Rudolf Serkin's recording on Sony of the Beethoven Pathetique, Moonlight and Appassionata piano sonatas are evergreen for me. An easy way to get to love Beethven's piano sonatas.

- Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream - overture and Incidental Music is a fine as anything else Mendelssohn ever wrote. The Peter Maag / London Symphony Orchestra / Decca recording has many fans.

- The Mendelssohn Octet, Op. 20 is a very fine introduction to chamber music for strings. Lots of good recordings but the Smetana Quartet / Janacek Quartet recording is a good choice.

- Schubert, Trout Quintet - Rudolf Serkin , friends at the Marlboro Festival / Sony. This recording illustrates the idea of friends getting together to enjoy making music together. That was the purpose of chamber music. The sound is early stereo and not the best of that era. There are plenty of later recordings with better sound.

- Schubert Symphony 8 and 9 - Szell/ Cleveland Orchestra / Sony - Lots of great recordings of these symphonies. This is my favorite.
The Mackerras / Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Telarc recording has better sound.

- Dvorak Symphony No. 8 - Kertesz / LSO / London (Decca)
(Kertesz's recording of the 9th symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic is still a favorite after 40 years.

- Dvorak Slavonic Dances - Szell / Cleveland Orchestra (orchestral version)
The piano version is just as good in different ways. Brendel/Klien/Vox has lots of character and humor. Thorsten/Thurber has even more mittel Europa flavor and modern sound.

- Dvorak wrote lots of very beautiful chamber music. The American Quartet is well known and very easy to love. The Pavel Haas Quartet recording is very fine.

- The Dvorak string and wind serenades are examples of music that is between chamber music with a few players and larger scale orchestral music. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra recordings are a good choice among many alternatives.

- Brahms Piano Concerto 1 - Fleisher / Szell / Cleveland Orchestra / Sony. The young Fleisher made many great recordings together.
(Fleisher and Szell made landmark recordings of the Beethoven Piano Concerti as well. You can get a box set with the Beethoven concerto recordings and recordings of both Brahms Piano Concertos.)

- The Brahms Symphony performances James Levine made with the VPO are a great way to get to know those works.

---
A word about recordings of Szell/Cleveland Orchestra. Recent remasterings have made the sound considerably more acceptable to modern ears.

ArchivMusic.com has great facilities for searching for classical music.

 

[amirm]

Bach 48 Preludes and Fugues

Another surprising omission. You guys really think that Bartok and Gorecki should be recommended in an all greatest top 10 recording and not Bach? Really? This guy wrote the foundation for all modern music, countless musicians have been influenced by him and are in awe of him. So of course Bach deserves a place on any collection. As to which[/b] Bach, that's hard to say. If I don't restrain myself i'll be recommending Bach all day long. I pondered including St Matthews Passion, surely the greatest choral work every composed - but it's not one for beginners. Then there are the crowd pleasers, like the Brandenburgs and Orchestral Suites. But I think I will go with the Bach 48. As to which recording, this one is easy - get the Angela Hewitt 2008 recording. She plays on a Fazioli piano (which has a beautiful, round tone, almost pearlescent. Great refuge for those of us who have been Steinwayed out): http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Well-Tempered-Clavier-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B001SB1JVY

This is delightful music and precisely the kind I like! I would love to download but I can't find that performance. There is this one though: http://www.prostudiomasters.com/search?q=Bach:+The+Well-Tempered+Clavier#quickview/album/1383

by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Should I get this high-res or the CD box set from Amazon as you suggested?

 

[amirm]

Brahms: the piano trio's : http://www.allmusic.com/album/johannes-brahms-the-three-piano-trios-mw0001360013

To use totally inappropriate terminology for classical music, I dig this composition too . Same question I asked from Keith though. What do you think of this performance: http://www.prostudiomasters.com/search?q=Brahms:+the+piano+trio#quickview/album/4401

by Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt.

"Award-winning violinist Christian Tetzlaff is joined by his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt on this exciting recording of the complete piano trios by Brahms, a body of works at the very core of the romantic chamber music repertoire. Tetzlaff, considered one of the world's leading international violinists, was named Instrumentalist of the Year in 2005 by Musical America and was the 2015 ICMA Artist of the Year. Vogt was appointed the first ever Pianist in Residence by the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003 and is highly sought-after as a soloist and chamber musician."

Thanks again.

 

[Jaguar]

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Neville Marriner
St Martin in the Fields
1970, Argo, Netherlands pressing

I love how used classical records usually look unplayed. You can get a NM copy of this for less than $20 shipped. Amazing music, performance and sound quality. Guaranteed not to disappoint.

 

[Keith_W]

This is delightful music and precisely the kind I like! I would love to download but I can't find that performance. There is this one though: http://www.prostudiomasters.com/search?q=Bach:+The+Well-Tempered+Clavier#quickview/album/1383

by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Should I get this high-res or the CD box set from Amazon as you suggested?

I am not familiar with that particular version, so I am unable to comment. Sorry Amir.

These are notable performances of the 48: both versions of Angela Hewitt (2009 and 1999), Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, Daniel Barenboim, Andras Schiff, Rosalyn Tureck, Gustav Leonhardt, Tatiana Nikolaeva. The last two (Leonhardt, Nikolaeva) are on harpsichord. The Nikolaeva is a vintage recording on a Pleyel harpsichord, which sounds horrendous to most modern ears. When I say I like it, people look at me funny.

If you want a really straight laced performance of the 48, go for the Barenboim or Tureck. If you are after beautiful tone, then either Hewitt or Schiff. For something unusual, try the Gould or the Richter.

BTW, so many recommendations for Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I just realized that I don't have a single version in my collection!

 

[Vincent Kars]

To use totally inappropriate terminology for classical music, I dig this composition too . Same question I asked from Keith though. What do you think of this performance: http://www.prostudiomasters.com/search?q=Brahms:+the+piano+trio#quickview/album/4401

by Christian Tetzlaff, Tanja Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt.

"Award-winning violinist Christian Tetzlaff is joined by his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt on this exciting recording of the complete piano trios by Brahms, a body of works at the very core of the romantic chamber music repertoire. Tetzlaff, considered one of the world's leading international violinists, was named Instrumentalist of the Year in 2005 by Musical America and was the 2015 ICMA Artist of the Year. Vogt was appointed the first ever Pianist in Residence by the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003 and is highly sought-after as a soloist and chamber musician."

Thanks again.

Never heard this specific combination.
The reason I recommended the Borodin is that I do have several versions including names like Faust/Melnikov but the Borodin Trio is the best performance known to me.

 

[edorr]

OK. Might as well throw in some personal favourites:

Chopin - Preludes (this music first got me turned on to classical music)
Bach - Chaconne (most brilliant composition for violin know to man)
Ravel - Piano Concertos (slow movements in particular)
Beethoven late Piano Sonata and late string quartets (Adagio Hammerklavier, Arietta Opus 111 and Adagio 131 are not from this planet)
Rodrigues - Concierto de Aranjuez (can't go wrong with this)
Mozart - Mass in C minor (like it better than the Requiem)

 

[Diapason]

I was thinking about this thread last night and wondering if I could make a sensible recommendation, so naturally I found myself thinking about the CDs I love the most and the repertoire I listen to the most. The thing is, unlike some (many) classical listeners, I've never really warmed to the standard repertoire, so as much as I obviously admire Beethoven and Mozart Symphonies, for example, I rarely or never actually listen to them. As such, and despite being a heavy classical listener, I probably don't have a lot of the CDs I "should" have either, and the ones that I possess don't get played often.

Interestingly, some discs have captured the imagination of a few non-classical listening friends enough for them to buy them, so I thought maybe I'd share some of those as alternatives to dip into. There are obviously some standard repertoire selections in here too. (I'm also leaving out Bach completely because basically he's the greatest genius ever and you should have everything he ever looked at. But you could start with a good set of the Brandenburg Concertos, maybe the Cello Suites, a selection of Cantatas, maybe the B minor mass, and what about...........)

Anyway, it's a kind of a hotch-potch selection.

1) The Essential Purcell (amazon link, Listen to samples here
Purcell was England's greatest composer before Elgar, and this is a good example of his style. It's mainly vocal music (sung in English) with small-scale orchestral forces, but there's something really compelling about it and it doesn't require a huge amount of "knowledge" to hear the beauty of what's going on here. Listen to how Purcell "paints" the words by having the music reflect the meaning.

2) Vivaldi Four Seasons - Fabio Biondi
Actually I was going to recommend this but it seems to be out of print. Same forces in any case, and if you like the Four Seasons you should like this. Cheap to buy used anyway.
As regards the Four Seasons themselves, Biondi has recorded this twice, and either version should give a fresh view of this music. This is not the staid, country-club-polite reading that many of us grew up with. Actually, this may be out-of-print as well, but it's in other box sets which are just as cheap as a single disc. Worth a purchase.

3) Allegri Miserere, Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli - The Tallis Scholars
Available in multiple formats, this is ethereal music, beautifully sung and even for the non-religious among us, it's tremendously moving and affecting music.

4) Goldberg Variations - Gould 1981
I said I was leaving out Bach, but it seems I lied. Under normal circumstances, I'm a purist. I prefer to hear music played on the kinds of instruments the composers would have known, I'm a big fan of historically informed performance, and I would absolutely claim that the Goldberg Variations is a harpsichord work. But I never listen to the harpsichord recordings I own, and I regularly listen to this. There's a reason this is considered a classic.

5) Faure and Durufle Requiems - Atlanta Symphony, Shaw
This was one of those Stereophile R2D4 recommendations back in the 90s, and once again, it's not one for the purist. I think this music was conceived with much smaller forces in mind, but here it gets the full symphony and orchestra chorus treatment and you know what, it sounds just great. The Durufle Sanctus is one of those moments where you think you might shortly get a driver in the face.

6) Rachmaninov Piano Concertos - Ashkenazy, Previn
One of those Kenneth Wilkinson recordings with fabulous performances to boot. If you don't want to jump to your feet applauding at the end of Rach 2 you should forget about the whole endeavour!

7) Grieg Lieder - Anne Sofie van Otter
I mentioned this in the "natural" thread, so it seemed only natural to include it here! Not the kind of thing I normally listen to, but just so beautiful and intimate it's hard to stop once you start.

8) Debussy Preludes - Zimerman
I love this (double) set, the intensity of the performance is mesmerising and the music itself is just a shimmering tour-de-force. On first listening the piano sound seems a bit strident, but I've grown to love it.

9) Saint-Saens Organ Symphony - Roth, Les Siecles
This is not one of the classic recordings of this work (see Charles Munch for that) but I really like it, and I love this music. Saint Sulpice contains one of the finest French Romantic organs in the world (second only to St Ouen, Rouen IMO) and the sprawling acoustic makes for a very exciting disc. The bass drum in the final movement sounds like an explosion.

10) Stravinsky Firebird, Rite of Spring - Dorati, Detroit
I kept changing my mind between this or Holst's Planets for my final selection, but this won out. There are more savage Rites, but the clear lines here really let you hear what's going on. The story goes that it caused riots at its premiere, and even a century later it still sounds fresh. A worthy introduction to a more modern sound.

That's it from me. I don't know if any of these can really be considered more important than the Beethoven Symphonies of this world, but the classical arena stretches far and wide.

 

[Barry2013]

The Concierto de Aranjuez is one of my personal favourites.
I have the early Red Seal RCA pressing with Julian Bream and the Monteverdi Orchestra with John Eliot Gardiner.
I also very much enjoy the Woods So Wild with Julian Bream again on RCA Red Seal.
There may be more modern recordings but both the above are very good

 

[amirm]

Rodrigues - Concierto de Aranjuez (can't go wrong with this)

Ah, I finally know what this delightful track is called . Any specific performances you recommend?

 

[edorr]

Ah, I finally know what this delightful track is called . Any specific performances you recommend?

I have this "Romeros" version on SACD (ripped). Not the final word in resolution, but very fine playing. No doubt others on the forum refer to and point out merits of other recordings.

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Concerto-Romeros/dp/B0002O390M