50 Greatest Classical Recordings

Classical music made a list of the 50 greatest recordings of all time. It’s great to have all these excellent albums in a list and even better to have them available with a single click.

Rank Album Artist(s)
1 Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (orchestral excerpts) Richard Wagner Wiener Philharmoniker Sir Georg Solti
2 Beethoven: Symphonies Nos.5 & 7 Ludwig van Beethoven Wiener Philharmoniker Carlos Kleiber
3 Britten: War Requiem Benjamin Britten Galina Vishnevskaya Sir Peter Pears Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau London Symphony Chorus The Bach Choir Melos Ensemble London Symphony Orchestra
4 Bach: Goldberg Variations (Deluxe Edt. Studio + Live) Johann Sebastian Bach Lang Lang
5 Puccini: Tosca Giacomo Puccini Mirella Freni Luciano Pavarotti Sherrill Milnes National Philharmonic Orchestra Nicola Rescigno
6 Elgar: Cello Concerto, Op. 85 – Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme Op. 33 Jean-Guihen Queyras BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiří Bělohlávek
7 Wagner : Tristan und Isolde Richard Wagner Siegfried Jerusalem Daniel Barenboim Berliner Philharmoniker
8 Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été / Ravel: Shéhérazade, &c. Régine Crespin John Wustman L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Ernest Ansermet
9 Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4-6 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Evgeny Mravinsky Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
10 Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (Live) George Gershwin William Warfield Leontyne Price Cab Calloway RIAS-Unterhaltungsorchester Alexander Smallens
11 Bach – Cello Suites Johann Sebastian Bach Ralph Kirshbaum
12 Beethoven: Late String Quartets Ludwig van Beethoven Brodsky Quartet
13 Janácek: Kát’a Kabanová Leoš Janáček Elisabeth Söderström Naděžda Kniplová Peter Dvorsky Wiener Philharmoniker Sir Charles Mackerras
14 The Art Of The Prima Donna Dame Joan Sutherland
15 Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas Ludwig van Beethoven Louis Lortie
16 The Origin of Fire – Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen Anonymous 4
17 Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610 Claudio Monteverdi The Sixteen Harry Christophers
18 Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, S. 124 – Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 43 – Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 Sergei Rachmaninoff Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic Columbia Symphony Orchestra
19 Chopin: Sonata No. 3 and Works by Liszt Emanuel Ax
20 Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Murray Perahia
21 Britten: Peter Grimes Benjamin Britten Sir Peter Pears Claire Watson Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
22 Reich: Music for 18 Musicians Steve Reich Various Artists
23 Mozart: Horn Concertos/ Quintet, K. 452 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Philharmonia Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan/Dennis Brain Herbert von Karajan Philharmonia Orchestra
24 Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Otto Edelmann Christa Ludwig
25 Handel: Messiah George Frideric Handel Judith Nelson Emma Kirkby Carolyn Watkinson Paul Elliott David Thomas Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford Academy of Ancient Music Christopher Hogwood
26 Allegri Miserere Tenebrae
27 Mozart: The Magic Flute (Highlights) – Queen of the Night Arias Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz Herbert Lippert Budapest Failoni Chamber Orchestra Michael Halasz
28 Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25 Frédéric Chopin Sebastian Di Bin
29 Elgar: Violin Concerto, op.61 / Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending Hilary Hahn London Symphony Orchestra Sir Colin Davis
30 Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande Claude Debussy Roger Desormière/Choeurs Yvonne Gouverné/Orchestre Symphonique de Paris/Dame Maggie Teyte/Alfred Cortot/Mary Garden/Claude Debussy Roger Desormiere Orchestre Symphonique De Paris
31 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; 3 Rückert Lieder Gustav Mahler Kathleen Ferrier Julius Patzak Wiener Philharmoniker Bruno Walter
32 Bach, Mendelssohn & Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Marcel Worms
33 Bellini: Norma Vincenzo Bellini Maria Callas Franco Corelli Christa Ludwig Nicola Zaccaria Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Milano Tullio Serafin Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
34 Brahms: Symphony No.4 Johannes Brahms Wiener Philharmoniker Carlos Kleiber
35 Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Maurice Ravel Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden London Symphony Orchestra Pierre Monteux
36 Verdi: Requiem Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
37 Chopin: The Nocturnes Frédéric Chopin Claudio Arrau
38 Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro – Highlights Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Riccardo Muti
39 Beethoven: Fidelio Ludwig van Beethoven Otto Klemperer
40 Janácek: Jenufa Leoš Janáček Elisabeth Söderström Peter Dvorsky Eva Randová Wiesław Ochman Vienna State Opera Orchestra Wiener Philharmoniker Sir Charles Mackerras
41 Gesang der Jünlinge Karlheinz Stockhausen
42 Strauss, R.: Tod und Verklärung; Metamorphosen; Four Last Songs Richard Strauss Gundula Janowitz Berliner Philharmoniker Herbert von Karajan
43 Berg: Lulu Alban Berg Teresa Stratas Orchestre de l’Opéra de Paris Pierre Boulez
44 Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 & 2 Johann Sebastian Bach Edwin Fischer
45 Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 Béla Bartók Fritz Reiner
46 Britten: Billy Budd Benjamin Britten Daniel Harding London Symphony Orchestra
47 Mozart: Sonata for 2 Pianos in D Major, K. 448 – Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor, Op. 103, D. 940 Murray Perahia
48 Smetana: Má Vlast Bedřich Smetana Boston Symphony Orchestra Rafael Kubelik
49 Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (Remastered) Gustav Mahler Bruno Walter Columbia Symphony Orchestra
50 Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232 (Live) Johann Sebastian Bach Münchener Bach-Orchester Karl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor

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