5 must have classical recordings

Those are not recordings. They are pieces of music, all of which have been recorded many times. As for the Mozart symphonies, I would restrict beginners to #29 and later.

Kal

Dvorak, do not forget this guy!! ..and for starters with curious ears Stravinsky and Prokofiev is a must....have fun!

Orchestral or chamber, old or new, fast or slow, voices or no voices?

Some recommendations from my collection...all should be easily found.

1) Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Chicago Symphony/Reiner. RCA Living Stereo.
2) Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Barber - Adagio for Strings et al. Saint Louis Symphony/Slatkin. Telarc.
3) Mozart - Requiem. Arnold Scheonberg Choir/Harnoncourt. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi.
4) Soundtrack - Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Composed by Howard Shore.
5) Beethoven String Quartets. Alban Berg Quartet. EMI Classics.

Happy listening!

1-Rachmaninov Concerto No.2 Evgeny Kissin- RCA Victor Red Seal
2-Barber & Meyer Violin Concertos- Hilary Hahn-Sony.
3-Essential Verdi- 2cd's of Various artists (the worlds best!)Decca.
4-Elgar-Pomp & Circumstance Marches Symphonies 1 & 2- Virgin Classics.
5-Beethoven-Triple Concerto Mutter/Yo Yo Ma/Zeltser/Karajan-Deutsche Grammophon.

Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff - concerti !!! He makes all other great pianists sound like children... It's simply a great Russian poetry...

Rubinstein plays Chopin

Romantic music of Spain - Janos Starker (cellist)

Heifets ( any recording )

Maria Callas ( mad scenes )