10 Great Classical LP's


Asking, not telling. Any suggestions? I'm a middle-aged guy, but have just started listening to classical and am looking for suggestions. Thank you.
jhsjhs
This is a great question because it's not just the piece of music but also the composers rendition of it. I have multiple recordings of my favourite pieces because they all sound different and depending on what mood i'm in I may prefer on over another.

One thing I know I prefer is a sharp vibrant bow sound as opposed to the mellow stringy sound.
I have the NPR book, and it certainly covers many must-have composers & compositions, however if you are looking for an audiophile slant on best sound coupled with best performances, the two best sources I know are posts here by Rushton and Arthur Salvatores' website http://www.high-endaudio.com/. Cheers,

Spencer
It seems that you’re getting a wide variety of advice ranging from going with reissues of the audiophile labels to cheap stuff from Goodwill. The problem is that you need to learn what you like and don’t like in classical music. That’s daunting task for most people new to classical. My most salient advice is to use your local library to explore the genre before spending a dime. With the help of a good guide, you can try before you buy. Definitely preferable to spending 30 bucks a pop for reissues.

Speaking of guides, I’m not familiar with NPR book but with only 350 pieces covered, it seems limited. I highly recommend the Morin’s 1100+ page book titled “Classical Music, the essential listening companion”. It covers the major works of about 500 composers – everything from Gregorian chant to Philip Glass. For each composer covered, they start with a short biography followed by the reviews. They always start with the symphonies and then walk through to end with chamber music. For each piece, they review multiple recordings and make recommendations and more importantly, tell you why they made the recommendation. For Mahler’s second for instance, they compare approximately 20 recordings.

I’m using “they” to describe the writing because the book is really a compilation of input from the 4 dozen or so contributors that was edited by Morin. They all seem like an accomplished bunch which includes Harold C. Schonberg – one of the best known music critics around. Again, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I have two copies – one for home and another for the office. Added bonus, it’s cheap - Only 20 bucks on Amazon.
Morin's book sounds very interesting, but remember that the original poster asked for 10 records, the NPR book discusses "only 350" and Morin expands that to God knows how many. Of course the NPR book is limited, that's the idea! It's a start, which is what I believe the OP is asking for. Otherwise you might as well recommend the Penguin Guides. Really, Sbrown, have some mercy on the poor OP! :-)
Catching up here--for other newcomers to the world of classical, I have found the NPR book to be extremely useful (though my wife has laughed at me for buying something by NPR, which she loves, and I do not). I have picked up a few recordings mentioned there an above, and am enjoying the process of learning and listening. I am now focusing on used stuff through here and ebay as I still really don't know what I like.

Thanks so much for all the help, and I hope to answer my own question for the next crop of newbies at some point before too long.

Jim.