Basic Repertoire or flogging a dead horse

Pbb, per harp we are music lovers and not performance reviewer? Some of us mostly me, lacks music education to be able to criticize/judge a performance. Secondly, when We/I go to the record store, we just pick the record, which is carry by the store (limited) at that particular time, and not necessary pick a same record with different label the next time. Fanfare is sometime a luxury, or troublesome, you know? Which is why I post, what I posted, last time. Good day. :-)

Pbb: in my case, the tough part is yr request for "quality recording":) I usually go for the performance & hope for the sonic quality... which is rarely there, to be honest!

Coming to yr pieces.
The Antiqua Koln Orch. recording for Bach's Brandenburg & others (Archiv/DG -- CD).

Don't remember which Bartok is sonically pleasing-- will get back to you on that. (Don't know about Barber, sorry).

I could add to suggestions above:
Orff/Carmina Burana - Jochum -- DG (LP)
Mahler 2nd - Klemperer+Philarmonia (EMI, LP & cd)
Mahler 5th - Barbirolli (EMI "great recordings" or is it BBC classics? CD)
Scheherazade / Telarc (not a top-notch performance but powerful dynamics)
Berlioz /Symphonie Fantastique/ Munch (CD, japanese edition of Mercury, I think. I also have a CBS LP of this -- so, I may be quoting the wrong label s/where: cbs is Sony nowadays)

Cheers

Most of my limited knowledge is from listening to PBS radio for years. OK, just like here, you will get different opinions. ----Regarding just about anything conducted by Lenny or Herbie; they are both to slow in the slow movements and to fast in the faster movements. (Lenny's Mahler excepted) There are versions of many pieces where one movement is great and another movement--not so great. Listen / watch -- On dvd no less:Beethoven's 9th by Cauadio Abbado. His 9th is the best by far I've ever heard. I have this by Herbie / Lenny/ and Fritzie(Riener)Non can touch this version.

Back to Bartok's Concerto for Orch: to my knowledge, the better sounding one is w/ Chicago S. Orch/Boulez (DG -- CD).
I prefer Chicago/Reiner (RCA -- LP, probably CD too), but the sound is not audiophile quality! Cheers