I know this sounds like the fellow going to the doctor and saying he is describing his friend's symptoms, but I think the use of such a repertoire would be more for those wishing to develop an interest in music they have not been into before, since good systems are often the gateway to serious music for many of us. It was, in great measure, the case for me. I have either as lps or cds, often both, sometimes with alternate recordings, most of these musical pieces. I am curious in knowing, however, if more recent recordings offer better sound quality. Like I said previously, sound quality should not be the overriding factor, but an emphasis should be put on it since these are, after all, audiophile pages. As Unsound said, some idea of how (if anyone is interested, obviously) this should be approached so that it does not become unwieldy, boring or worse should be decided upon at the outset. My suggestion is that as "Best of", we go down the list, one or a few composer(s) at a time ( depending on how many individual entries there are) , on a weekly basis, and keep these individual threads open for a while. People could then go through the posts (assuming there are some, of course) and decide if a consensus exists or take whatever suggestion makes the most sense to their mind. I would also suggest that the recordings should be in the catalogue so that people could actually buy them from regular record sources.
This is what Richard Freed way back in the early 80s believed such a basic repertoire should consist of. I have not been so bold as to reproduce his suggestions, although I found them to be excellent.
BACH:
Brandenburg Concertos
Suites for Orchestra
BARBER:
Adagio for Strings
BARTOK:
Concerto for Orchestra
BEETHOVEN:
Piano Concerto No 1, in C Major
Piano Concerto No 2, in B-flat Major
Piano Concerto No 3, in C Minor
Piano Concerto No 4, in G Major
Piano Concerto No 5, in E-flat Major ("Emperor")
Violin Concerto in D Major
Overtures
Symphony No 1, in C Major
Symphony No 2, in D Major
Symphony No 3, In E-flat Major ("Eroica")
Symphony No 4, in B-flat Major
Symphony No 5, in C Minor
Symphony No 6, in F Major ("Pastoral")
Symphony No 7, in A Major
Symphony No 8, in F Major
Symphony No 9, in D Minor
BERLIOZ:
Harold in Italy
Symphonie Fantastique
BIZET:
Symphony in C Major
BRAHMS:
Piano Concerto No 1, in D Minor
Piano Concerto No 2, in B-flat Major
Violin Concerto, in D Major
Concerto for Violin and Cello, in A Minor
Symphony No 1, in C Minor
Symphony No 2, in D Major
Symphony No 3, in F Major
Symphony No 4, in E Minor
Variations on a Theme by Haydn
BRITTEN:
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
BRUCH:
Violin Concerto No 1, in G Minor
BRUCKNER:
Symphony No 4, in E-flat Major ("Romantic")
Symphony No 7, in E Major
Symphony No 8, in C Minor
Symphony No 9, in D Minor
CHOPIN:
Piano Concerto no 1, in E Minor and No 2, in F Minor
COPLAND:
Appalachian Spring
Billy the Kid; Rodeo
DEBUSSY:
The Afternoon of the Faun
Iberia
La Mer
Nocturnes
DUKAS:
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
DVORAK:
Cello Concerto, in B minor
Symphony No 7, in D Minor
Symphony No 8, in G Major
Symphony No 9, in E Minor ("From the New World")
ELGAR:
Enigma Variations
FALLA:
Nights in the Gardens of Spain
The Three Cornered Hat
FRANCK:
Symphony in D Major
GERSHWIN:
An American in Paris
Concerto in F
Rhapsody in Blue
GRIEG:
Piano Concerto in A Minor
Peer Gynt
HANDEL:
Messiah
Water Music
HAYDN:
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major
Symphonies No 93-104 ("London Symphonies")
Symphony No 94, in G Major ("Surprise")
Symphony No 100, in G Major ("Military")
Symphony No 101, in D Major ("The Clock")
HOLST:
The Planets
KODALY:
Hary Janos Suite
LALO:
Symphonie Espagnole
LISZT:
Piano Concertos No 1, in E-flat Major, and No 2, in A Major
Les Préludes
MAHLER:
Das Lied Von Der Erde
Symphony No 1, in D Major
Symphony No 2, in C Minor ("Resurrection")
Symphony No 4, in G Major
Symphony No 5, in C-sharp Minor
Symphony No 9, in D Major
MENDELSOHN:
Violin Concerto, in E Minor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Symphony No 3, in A Minor ("Scottish")
Symphony No 4, in A Major ("Italian")
MOZART:
Clarinet Concerto, in A Major
Piano Concerto No 20, in D Minor
Piano Concerto No 21, in C Major
Piano Concerto No 23, in A Major
Piano Concerto No 24, in C Minor
Piano Concerto No 27, in B-flat Major
Violin Concerto No 5, in A Major
Serenade in G Major ("Eine Kleine Nachtmusik")
Sinfonia Concertante, in E-flat Major for Violin and Viola
Symphony No 35, in D Major ("Haffner")
Symphony No 36, in C Major ("Linz")
Symphony No 38, in D Major ("Prague")
Symphony No 39, in E-flat Major
Symphony No 40, in G Minor
Symphony No 41, in C Major ("Jupiter")
MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL:
Pictures at an Exhibition
OFFENBACH/ROSENTHAL:
Gaîté Parisienne
ORFF:
Carmina Burana
PACHELBEL:
Canon, in D Major
PAGANINI:
Violin Concerto No 1, in D Major
PROKOFIEV:
Alexander Nevsky
Piano Concerto No 3, in C Major
Violin Concertos Nos 1 and 2
Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Peter and the Wolf
Classical Symphony, No 1, in D Major
Symphony No 5
RACHMANINOFF:
Piano Concerto No 2, in C Minor
Piano Concerto No 3, in D Minor
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Symphony No 2, in E Minor
RAVEL:
Boléro
Piano Concertos
Daphnis et Chloë
Rhapsodie Espagnole
La Valse
RESPIGHI:
The Pines of Rome
The Fountains of Rome
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:
Capriccio Espagnol
Sheherazade
RODRIGO:
Concierto de Aranjuez
ROSSINI:
Overtures
SAINT-SAÃNS:
Carnaval of the Animals
Piano Concerto No 2, in G Minor
Symphony No 3, in C Minor
SHOENBERG:
Transfigured Night
SCHUBERT:
Symphony No 8, in B Minor ("Unfinished")
Symphony No 9, in C Major (the "Great C Major")
SCHUMAN:
Piano Concerto in A Minor
Symphony No 1, in B-flat Major ("Spring")
Symphony No 2, in C Major
Symphony No 3, in E-flat Major ("Rhenish")
Symphony No 4, in D Minor
SHOSTAKOVICH:
Symphony No 1
Symphony No 5
SIBELIUS:
Violin Concerto in D Minor
Finlandia
Symphony No 1, in E Minor
Symphony No 2, in D Major
Symphony No 4, in A Minor
Symphony No 5, in E-flat Major
SMETANA:
The Moldau
J. STRAUSS:
Waltzes
R. STRAUSS:
Death and Transfiguration
Don Juan
Don Quixote
Ein Heldenleben
Thus Spake Zarathustra
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
STRAVINSKY:
The Firebird
Petrushka
The Rite of Spring
TCHAIKOVSKY:
Piano Concerto No 1, in B-flat Minor
Violin Concerto in D Major
1812 Overture
The Nutcracker
Romeo and Juliet
Symphony No 2, in C Minor ("Little Russian")
Symphony No 4, in F Minor
Symphony No 5 in E Minor
Symphony No 6, in B Minor ("Pathétique")
VAUGHN-WILLIAMS:
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
VIVALDI:
The Four Seasons
WAGNER:
Orchestral Music from the Operas