What makes a truly great classical album?
It’s not just flawless technique or pristine sound – though the finest recordings have both in abundance. The greatest classical albums are those in which performer, composer, and moment align so perfectly that time seems to stand still. These are the recordings that define not only careers but eras – interpretations so vivid, so emotionally alive, that every subsequent performance feels like a conversation with them.
From Carlos Kleiber’s electrifying Beethoven symphonies – still the benchmark for orchestral precision and passion – to Glenn Gould’s mercurial, revelatory Bach, these are the records that changed the way we hear the classics. Maria Callas’s Puccini heroines burn with operatic truth; Jacqueline du Pré’s Elgar Cello Concerto remains a cry from the soul, captured forever in luminous sound.
Some of these albums broke new ground, others distilled tradition to its purest form – but all share that elusive magic that makes you stop, listen, and feel that music is speaking directly to you. Whether you’re a lifelong collector or new to classical recordings, these 31 albums are not just milestones of performance, but living proof of why this art endures: passion, humanity, and the endless search for beauty.
31. Elgar: Violin Concerto
Yehudi Menuhin (violin); LSO/Edward Elgar (1932). EMI 566 9792
A 74-year-old Edward Elgar joins teenage violinist Yehudi Menuhin at the recently opened Abbey Road studio – a passing of the musical baton from one generation to the next if ever there was one, and a very moving one at that. Elgar’s reading is an aptly broad, reflective one, while Menuhin’s playing still astonishes for its technical ease and maturity of insight.
30. Chopin: Etudes Opp. 10 & 25
Maurizio Pollini (piano) (1972). Deutsche Grammophon 413 7942
Chopin’s Etudes present considerable challenges to the pianist, but Maurizio Pollini’s masterly 1972 recording ensures the listener isn’t remotely aware of them. And there are few pianists that can manage that. There’s something refreshingly straightforward about his playing too – all the magical ebb and flow without excess of emotion.
29. Mozart: The Magic Flute
Nicolai Gedda etc; Philharmonia/Otto Klemperer (1964). EMI 966 7932
The cast of Otto Klemperer’s 1964 Magic Flute reads like a who’s who of 1960s opera. The brilliant Nicolai Gedda and Gundula Janowitz lead the way as Tamino and Pamina alongside Lucia Popp, Gottlob Frick, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig and Walter Berry. The result is a Flute full of joy and wisdom, with characters who are both unearthly yet recognisably human.
28. Allegri: Miserere
Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips (1980). Gimell GIMSE 401
The 1980 recording of Allegri's Miserere not only made the Tallis Scholars a household name, but led the way to today’s great wave of exceptional mixed-voice choirs. Alison Stamp is faultless in the testing soprano solo – top Cs and all – while, with the choir and solo quartet placed some distance apart, the perfect acoustic of Merton College chapel is captured beautifully.
27. Handel: Messiah
Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood (1980). L’Oiseau Lyre 430 4882
Stodge no more. In Christopher Hogwood’s hands, Handel's legendary Messiah was no longer portentous work, but impactful and tightly sprung. The period instrument specialist was spring-cleaning well-loved pieces even as his pioneering contemporary Roger Norrington had barely launched the London Classical Players.
26. R Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf et al; Philharmonia / Herbert von Karajan (1956). EMI 966 8242
In 1956, a dream cast assembled for a recording of Richard Strauss’s operatic masterpiece that, today, remains unbettered. The Philharmonia is on sparkling form and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf gives the performance of her life. Karajan’s passion for the music leaps from the speakers, and the warm stereo recording lends it all a gorgeous sheen.
25. Mozart: Horn Concertos
Dennis Brain (horn); Philharmonia/Herbert von Karajan (1953). EMI 965 9362
With this disc, Dennis Brain rewrote the French horn rulebook. No one before had performed Mozart’s four concertos for horn with such effortless grace, such variety of dynamic and phrasing and such affable banter between soloist and orchestra. When Brain died in a car crash aged 36 three years later, he left a gap that many say has never been filled.
24. Reich: Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich; Musicians (1978). ECM 821 4172
All of Steve Reich’s experiments came together in this tour de force of disciplined bliss. The structure is tightly logical as ever: human breaths (voices, wind) measure against heartbeats (mallets) and longer wave forms. You can feel the sheer force of the composer driving this performance of almost superhuman finesse; every note glistens in a perfectly balanced, glowing recording.
We named Steve Reich as one of the best living composers.
23. Britten: Peter Grimes
Peter Pears (Grimes) et al; Royal Opera House/Britten (1958). Decca 467 6822
This was the first complete recording of a full-scale Britten opera, based on a superb stage production of Peter Grimes and vividly recorded in a ground-breaking production. Taking full advantage of new stereo technology, members of the cast moved around the stage in dramatic fashion, giving the recording a sense of being ‘live’.
22. Mozart: The Piano Concertos
Daniel Barenboim (piano); English Chamber Orchestra (1967-74) EMI 572 9302
Still in his twenties, Daniel Barenboim joined the English Chamber Orchestra to record a groundbreaking set of the complete Mozart Piano Concertos, conducting from the keyboard. He later re-recorded them with the Berlin Phil, but this first version wins out for its bite and beauty, boundless energy, and an atmosphere of inspired and intimate music-making from start to finish.
21. Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 etc
Martha Argerich (piano) (1965) EMI 556 8052
‘Argerich plays Chopin’ is the emphasis on a recording where the interpreter sometimes comes before the composer, but this brilliant disc deserves its legendary appellation.
Only 24 when she was captured playing at Abbey Road, Martha Argerich performs with such white-hot intensity that it scarcely feels like a studio recording.
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20. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4; Ravel: Piano Concerto
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano); Philharmonia/Gracis (1957) EMI 567 2382
Reclusive Italian virtuoso pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, one of the greatest pianists of all time, gives us two supernaturally inspired interpretations. In the Rachmaninov, the heroic virtuosity of Michelangeli’s playing banished any notion of No. 4 as inferior to its two predecessors, while the cool demeanour and exquisite subtlety of the Ravel slow movement remains peerless.
19. Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610
Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner (1989) Archiv 429 5652
John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir give us a high-octane, dramatic, and sensual recording of Monteverdi's Vespers. In their balance of theatrical excitement and glittering grandeur, they capture the very essence of Venetian flamboyance. One of the most thrillingly atmospheric recordings of Baroque choral music ever made.
18. Hildegard von Bingen: A Feather on the Breath of God
Emma Kirkby (soprano); Gothic Voices / Christopher Page (1981) Hyperion
This was the 1981 disc, from the pioneering Gothic Voices group and the incomparably pure-voiced Emma Kirkby, that launched interest in the medieval visionary and composer Hildegard von Bingen. It remains Hyperion’s best-selling disc and helped generate a stream of medieval music recordings in the following decade.
17. Vikíngur Ólafsson: Bach works
Víkingur Ólafsson (piano) (2018). DG 483 5022
Our reviewer found this album of Bach keyboard works by Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson to be little short of revelatory. 'Intermingling celebrated transcriptions with some of Bach’s preludes, fugues, inventions, sinfonias, partita movements and with the A minor Variations BWV 989 which form the structural heart of this performance, Ólafsson creates a ravishing musical sequence.'
16. Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas
Artur Schnabel (piano) (1932-8) EMI 763 7652
Artur Schnabel was the first pianist to record the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas, undertaking the mammoth project in the early 1930s. Even in today's overcrowded market, his interpretations have never been supplanted. It’s hard to imagine a more magnificent mingling of power and humility, of mystical reflection and ready wit, or of structural awareness and spontaneous statement.
15. The Art of the Prima Donna
Joan Sutherland (soprano); Royal Opera House Chorus & Orchestra (1960) Decca 478 3071
This ambitious set of 16 arias associated with past coloratura legends came out in 1960 at the beginning of Joan Sutherland’s career as an international recording star. Her incomparable technique, stylistic virtuosity and full-bodied tone were captured at their peak, without any trace of subsequent mannerisms.
14. Janáček: Kátya Kabanová
Elisabeth Söderström etc; Vienna Phil/Charles Mackerras (1977) Decca 475 7518
Released in 1977 when Decca was at the height of its powers, this recording opened up new dimensions in Janáček performance. Fabulous, surging Vienna playing, Elisabeth Söderström’s title role, and matchless Decca sound all combined to produce one of the truly classic opera recordings.
13. Beethoven: Late String Quartets
Busch Quartet (1930s) EMI 509 6552
It’s nearly 80 years since the Busch Quartet made their legendary recordings of Beethoven’s Late String Quartets, and it’s frequently stated that they have never been bettered. These aren’t ‘interpretations’ as such – more acts of communion mediated by the amazingly self-effacing artists doing the playing. The sound is 1930s mono, but potently communicative.
12. Bach: Cello Suites
Pablo Casals (cello) (1936-9) EMI 965 9212
It was a chance discovery in a Catalan junkshop that inspired one of music's truly great recordings. When the 13-year-old Pablo Casals came across the dusty scores of Bach's Cello Suites, it was ‘the great revelation of my life’.
But only after living and breathing them for almost half a century, did he then feel ready to set them down in the recording studios in London and Paris from 1936 to 1939. It’s the thrill of an uncharted musical odyssey that sets this album apart.
- We included Bach's Cello Suites in our round-up of the best cello music of all time, and named Pablo Casals are one of the greatest cellists
11. Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Willard White etc; Glyndebourne Chorus, LPO/Simon Rattle (1988) EMI 234 4302
Glyndebourne’s 1986 Porgy and Bess confirmed the work’s status as Gershwin’s masterpiece - and one of the great operas. Two years later, EMI revived the production, turning Abbey Road into Catfish Row. Simon Rattle paces events perfectly, and every character is entirely convincing vocally and dramatically – and don’t even try to resist the tears as Willard White’s ever-hopeful Porgy heads on his way at the end.
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10. Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4-6
Leningrad Symphony Orchestra / Yevgeny Mravinsky (1960) DG E4197452
In 1960, during the Cold War, Evgeny Mravinsky led the Leningrad Philharmonic on a landmark UK tour, thrilling audiences with electrifying Tchaikovsky. Deutsche Grammophon seized the chance to capture their raw, urgent sound in superior stereo. Their recordings of Symphonies 4 to 6 (the 'Pathétique'), made in London and Vienna, remain legendary – especially the blazing Symphony No. 4 and the breathless Finale of No. 5, among the most exhilarating ever committed to disc.
9. Ravel, Berlioz
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande / Ernest Ansermet (1963) Decca
Régine Crespin’s performance of two wonderful French song cycles – Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Berlioz’s Nuits d’été – is pure escapism, her voice effortlessly gliding from whispered sensuality to ecstatic outbursts. Gloriously idiomatic, Crespin captures the ebb and flow of each poetic phrase with timeless elegance, while the Suisse Romande band provides lush, atmospheric support under expert direction.
8. Mahler: Symphony 3
BRSO/Bernard Haitink (2018) BR Klassik BRK 900149
At the age of 89, the legendary Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink took home the 2018 BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Year with this magnificent reading of Mahler's vast, panoramic Third Symphony. Haitink had already lived with the work for over half a century, and his immense storehouse of Mahlerian wisdom shines through this radiant performance.
7. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Kirsten Flagstad et al; Philharmonia etc, Furtwängler (1952) Documents 223061
This landmark 1952 Tristan und Isolde was the first complete recording, featuring Kirsten Flagstad’s radiant Isolde and Ludwig Suthaus’s inspired Tristan under the great, mercurial conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. Captured in long takes with the Philharmonia at its peak, it delivers unmatched intensity and flow. Even Furtwängler, once sceptical of recording, was stunned by the result.
6. Elgar: Cello Concerto
Jacqueline du Pré; London Symphony / John Barbirolli (1965) Warner 2564607600
Some say it’s the red-hot personality, others that it’s the du Pré-Barenboim love story, still others that the tragic emotions evoked in the music foreshadow the tragedy that later befell the performer. Whatever the reason, Jacqueline du Pré’s recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto has a magic that has made it legendary.
5. Puccini: Tosca
Maria Callas et al; La Scala / Victor de Sabata (1953) Warner 2564634103
Walter Legge signed 29-year-old Maria Callas to EMI in 1953, launching a legendary Tosca with Tito Gobbi and Giuseppe di Stefano. Captured at her peak, Callas dazzles with vocal control and dramatic insight. Victor de Sabata conducts with fiery precision, making this La Scala recording a benchmark. Few opera sets achieve perfection – this one comes breathtakingly close.
Here's the immortal 'Vissi d'arte' ('I lived for art, I loved for love'):
4. Bach: Goldberg Variations
Glenn Gould (piano) (1955) Glenn Gould Anniversary Edition 88725411822
Columbia executives doubted Glenn Gould’s choice to debut with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, but his passion prevailed. In 1955, the 22-year-old recorded the work with electrifying clarity and speed, launching his global career. Despite his eccentricities, Gould’s performance captivated listeners, transforming perceptions of Bach and illuminating an overlooked masterpiece.
3. Britten: War Requiem
Galina Vishnevskaya, LSO and Chorus / Benjamin Britten (1962) Decca 4757511
'I thought Mozart and Verdi had said it all: I was wrong,' admitted Britten’s publisher Ernst Roth after the 1962 premiere of War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral’s consecration. A powerful response to war and loss, Britten’s masterpiece stunned audiences and cemented his place among the greats. Discover the remarkable story behind this extraordinary work in our War Requiem feature.
2. Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Carlos Kleiber (1975-76) DG Originals 4474002
Carlos Kleiber, the famously reclusive conductor, left few recordings, but his Beethoven Fifth and Seventh Symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic are legendary. These 1970s performances offer a timeless, deeply rehearsed vision of Beethoven –monumental yet detailed, energetic yet refined.
Captured in the Vienna Musikverein, they combine clarity, drive, and emotional power, making this pairing essential to any classical collection.
Has the start of the Fifth ever sounded more urgent and propulsive? Have a listen:
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1. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelung
Birgit Nilsson (Brünnhilde), Hans Hotter (Wotan) et al; Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Georg Solti (1958-65) Decca 4786748
When Decca embarked on recording Wagner’s Ring Cycle in the 1950s, many scoffed. But Das Rheingold (1956) – with its thunderous opening and pioneering stereo – proved a game-changer. Under producer John Culshaw and conductor Georg Solti, the Vienna Philharmonic brought Wagner’s epic to vivid, cinematic life.
Solti demanded long takes and theatrical energy, supported by an unrivalled cast including Nilsson, Hotter, and Windgassen. With innovative sound effects and a sense of dramatic space, the recordings transformed the LP into a medium for serious opera.
Unlike previous efforts, these weren’t just documentation but high drama with mass appeal – Rheingold even entered the pop charts. Each opera shines, though Walküre faced challenges. Still, Götterdämmerung remains a monumental achievement. Solti’s Ring helped elevate the art of studio recording, inspiring over 40 cycles to follow. Yet for many, it remains the definitive version – unmatched in scale, energy, and imagination.