Top 100 Classic Music CDs

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Each month, Classic FM producer Nigel Gayler adds another recording to his Top 100 of classical music CDs no listener should be without. Take a look at the collection so far...

• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006

2010

Smetana: Ma Vlast
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik
SUPRAPHON: 11 1208-2 031

Orff: Carmina Burana
Gundula Janowitz/Gerhard Stolze/Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Schöneberger Sängerknaben/
Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin/Eugen Jochum
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: 447 437-2

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Britten: Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia (from the opera 'Peter Grimes')*
London Symphony Orchestra/Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden*/Benjamin Britten
LONDON: 425 659-2
Chopin: 24 Preludes, Waltzes, 4 Scherzos
Valdimir Ashkenazy
DECCA: 460 991-2
Vaughan Williams: Fantastic on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Bryden Thomson
CHANDOS: CHAN 9775

Sibelius: Violin Concerto
SIBELIUS: VIOLIN CONCERTO*/ Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No.2/ Glazunov: Violin Concerto
Jascha Heifetz/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Walter Hendl*
RCA RED SEAL: BMG 82876663722

2009

Fauré: Requiem
FAURÉ: REQUIEM, Messe Basse, etc
Caroline Ashton/Stephen Varcoe/John Scott/Simon Standage
The Cambridge Singers/Members of the City of London Sinfonia/John Rutter
COLLEGIUM: COLCD 109
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.2
SHOSTAKOVICH: PIANO CONCERTOS & SHCHEDRIN PIANO CONCERTO NO: 2
Marc-André Hamelin/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton
HYPERION: CDA 67425
Saint Saens: Carnival of the Animals
SAINT SAENS: LE CARNAVAL DES ANIMAUX, etc
Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Frank Braley,Michel Dalberto, Emmanuel Pahud, Paul Meyer, David Guerrier, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Béatrice Muthelet, Esther Hoppe, Janne Saksala & Florent Jodelet
VIRGIN CLASSICS: 7243 5 45603 2 3
Schubert: Symphony No.8 'Unfinished'
SCUBERT: SYMPHONY NO.8 'UNFINISHED', etc
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Claudio Abbado
DG: 423 6552
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto/Bruch - Violin Concerto No.1 & Scottish Fantasy
MENDELSSOHN - VIOLIN CONCERTO/BRUCH - VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.1 AND SCOTTISH FANTASY
Kyung Wha Chung/Orchestre symphonique de Montréal /Charles Dutoit
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe*
DECCA: 460 976-2
Tallis - Spem in Alium
TALLIS - SPEM IN ALIUM, etc
The Tallis Scholars
GIMMELL: CDGIM 203 (2 CDs)
Canteloube - Songs of the Auvergne
CANTELOUBE: SONGS OF THE AUVERGNE Complete
Kiri Te Kanawa/English Chamber Orchestra/Jeffrey Tate
DECCA: 444 9952 (2 CDs)
Satie - Trois Gymnopedies
PIANO DREAMS – THE ERIK SATIE COLLECTION
Pascal Rogé
DECCA: 458 105-2
Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition, etc
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine/Theodore Kuchar
NAXOS: 8.555924
Mozart - Clarinet Concerto
MOZART CLARINET CONCERTO/Clarinet Quintet*
Thea King/English Chamber Orchestra/Jeffrey Tate
Gabrieli String Quartet*
Hyperion: CDA66199
Rachmaninov - Symphony No.2
RACHMANINOV: SYMPHONY NO.2/Vocalise/Intermezzo & Dance (Aleko)
London Symphony Orchestra/ André Previn
EMI: 7243 5 66982 2 2 (Great Recordings of the Century)
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2008

Bach - Cello Suites
BACH: CELLO SUITES
Steven Isserlis
Hyperion: CDA67541/2
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
BERLIOZ: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Concertgebouw Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis
PHILIPS: 475 7557
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
STRAVINSKY: THE RITE OF SPRING & Pulcinella Suite
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Yoel Levi
TELARC: CD-80266
Beethoven - Emperor Concerto
BEETHOVEN: THE FIVE PIANO CONCERTOS
Murray Perahia/Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink
SONY BMG: 88697102902
Dvorak - Symphony No.9 'New World'
DVORAK: SYMPHONIES: 7, 8, 9, Symphonic Variations & Romance*
London Philharmonic Orchestra/English Chamber Orchestra*
Sir Charles Mackerras
EMI Classics for Pleasure: 7243 5 75761 2 3 (2CDs)

Chopin - Nocturnes
CHOPIN: NOCTURNES
Maurizio Pollini
DG: 00289 477 5718
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
VIVALDI: THE FOUR SEASONS, etc
Guiliano Carmignola/Venice Baroque Orchestra/Andrea Marcon
SONY CLASSICAL: SK 51352
Mozart - Marriage of Figaro
MOZART: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
Giuseppe Taddei/Anna Moffo/Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, etc
Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini
EMI: 0946 3 58602 1 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              0946 3 58602 1      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Borodin - String Quartet No. 2
THE ESSENTIAL BORODIN
BORODIN: STRING QUARTET NO.2 (1962), Symphonies, etc.
Borodin Quartet
DECCA: 455 632-2 (2CDs)
Bach - Brandenburg Concertos
J.S BACH: THE BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
European Brandenburg Ensemble/Trevor Pinnock
AVIE: AV 2119
Verdi - Requiem
VERDI: MESSA DA REQUIEM, etc
Amy Shuard: Anna Reynolds: Richard Lewis: David Ward
Philharmonia Chorus & Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini
BBC LEGENDS: BBCL 4029-2
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker
TCHAIKOVSKY: THE NUTCRACKER
Kirov Orchestra/Valery Gergiev
PHILIPS: 462 114-2 (1 CD)
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2007

Mahler - Symphony No. 5
MAHLER; SYMPHONY NO.5
Berlin Philharmoniker/Sir Simon Rattle
EMI: 7243 5 57385 2 3
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2
RACHMANINOV: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS 2* & 3
Vladimir Ashkenazy/Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra*/Kirill Kondrashin*
London Symphony Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari
DECCA: 466 375-2
Bach - St Matthew Passion ­
BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION
Prégardien /Goerne/Fink, etc
Arnold Schoenberg Choir/ Concentus Musicus Wien/Nikolaus Harnoncourt
TELDEC: 2564 64347 -2
Bruch - Violin Concerto  
BRUCH: VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.1
MENDELSSOHN; VIOLIN CONCERTO, etc
Janine Jansen/Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Chailly
DECCA: 475 8133
Mozart - Requiem  
MOZART: REQUIEM, KV 626
McNair/Watkinson/Araiza/Lloyd
Academy & Chorus of St Martin in the Fields/Marriner
PHILIPS: 432 087-2
Saint-Saens - 'Organ' symphony  
SAINT-SAËNS: SYMPHONY No 3 & Widor Symphonies 5 & 6, etc
Peter Hurford, organ/Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Charles Dutoit
DECCA: 467 433-2
Rodrigo - Guitar Concerto  
RODRIGO: CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ, Fantasia para un gentilhombre,
& Concierto para una fiesta
Craig Ogden/BBC Philharmonic/Sachio Fujioka
CHANDOS: CHAN 9604
Verdi - La Traviata  
VERDI: LA TRAVIATA
Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, etc
Bayerisches Staatsorchester & Bayerischer Staatsopernchor
Carlos Kleiber
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: 00289 477 0772
Handel - Messiah  
HANDEL: MESSIAH
Avemo/Bardon/Zazzo/vanRensburg/Davies
The Choir of Clare College/Freiburger Barockorchester/ René Jacobs HARMONIA MUNDI: HMC 901928.29
Schubert - Quintet
SCHUBERT: STRING QUINTET in C MAJOR D956
Alban Berg Quartett/Heinrich Schiff
EMI: (Great Recordings of the Century) 7243 5 66890 2 2
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2006

Holst - The Planets
HOLST: THE PLANETS
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – ADRIAN BOULT
ELGAR; ENIGMA VARIATIONS
LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – ADRIAN BOULT
EMI CLASSICS: CDM5677482 (Great Recordings of the Century)
Schubert - The Trout
SCHUBERT: THE TROUT
CLIFFORD CURZON AND MEMBERS OF THE VIENNA OCTET, et al
DOUBLE DECCA: 452 3932
Puccini - La Boheme
PUCCINI: LA BOHEME
Victoria de los Angeles, Jussi Bjorling, Robert Merrill, Lucine Amara, etc
RCA Victor Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham
EMI CLASSICS: 7243 5 67750 2 2
Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertos
GRIEG & SCHUMANN PIANO CONCERTOS
Leif Ove Andsnes/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Maris Jansons
EMI CLASSICS: 7243 5 57562 2 0
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY No 9 in D minor, op 125 “CHORAL
Anna Tomowa-Sintow, soprano
Agnes Baltsa, contralto
Peter Schreier, tenor
Jose van Dam, baritone
Wiener Singverein
Berliner Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan
DG; 4158322
 
Elgar - Enigma Variations  
Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations
Sir Adrian Boult/LSO
EMI: B00005YUBA
Strauss Four Last Songs  
STRAUSS: FOUR LAST SONGS*/CAPRICCIO: FINAL SCENE
DEATH AND TRANSFIGURATION
Gundula Janowitz, soprano
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra*/Herbert von Karajan*
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Karl Bohm
Staatskapelle Dresden/Karl Bohm
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON (CLASSIKON)  DG: 439 467-2  

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 14 'Moonlight'
BEETHOVEN: PIANO SONATAS Nos 14, 8 & 21
“Moonlight” & “Pathetique” & “Waldstein”
Radu Lupu
DECCA: 476 7218
Tchaikovsky violin concerto  
TCHAIKOVSKY & BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTOS
JASCHA HEIFETZ/CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/FRITZ REINER
RCA VICTOR:09026 61495 2 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              09026 61495 2      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Mozart Symphony No. 40 & No.41
MOZART: SYMPHONIES Nos. 40 & 41 “Jupiter”
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: 445 548-2
Bach Goldberg Variations
A STATE OF WONDER
THE COMPLETE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS 1955 & 1981
GLENN GOULD
SONY CLASSICAL: SN3K 87703

Elgar cello concerto
ELGAR: CELLO CONCERTO/SEA PICTURES*/COCKAIGNE OVERTURE
Jacqueline du Pre, cello; Dame Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano*
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir John Barborolli
EMI: Great Recordings of the Century: 5628862
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