Best single volume guide to classical music

I did some checking on “Year of Wonder” playlists and they are available on Spotify and Apple Classical Music. Can’t locate on Qobuz or Tidal…perhaps a labor of love opportunity for you to create a Qobuz version.

I recently helped an elderly friend dispose of their CD collection. The one classical CD that caught my eye was called: "Classics at the Movies." It's a 4 CD set that featured classical music used in 40 different movies, including: 2001, A Space Odyssey; Apocalypse Now; The Last Emperor; Fantasia; The Godfather III; Out of Africa; A Clockwork Orange & Amadeus. It was released on the "Classical Heritage" label; so, there should be some familiarity with many of the chosen selections.

I'd go with this:

Here is a book that might be what you are looking for.

Composers, Their Lives and Works

The Penguin Guide is pretty good for choosing specific recordings, but is not that great a guide for determining which specific piece is significant or a good introduction to a particular composer or type of music. It is unfortunate that the Penguin Guide has not been updated for more that a dozen years or so.  But, some other people have used the Penguin ratings for identifying the better recordings that can be bought from their site.  The very best recordings that are contained in the Penguin Guide earn a "Rosette."  You can find lists of Rosette winners by googling Penguin rosette.  This particular website has Rosette winners categorized by different musical eras which is quite helpful: