Best recordings for the following...

For the Four Seasons I like the Gil Shaham with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. For a wild ride the Nigel Kennedy recording is interesting (it is the recording that got him noticed despite having punk spiked purple hair at that time).

"Four Season" best would be on Telarc #80070 with Seiji Ozawa with BSO and the one on Chesky. I forgot the conductor but they are both my favorite.
Recent one I would suggest you look into Tartini edition on DG with Anne-Sophie Mutter.

"Nutcracker"- Antal Dorati on Mercury living presence and again Telarc with Sir Charles Mackerras #80137

Hope that help, good luck

This is a cut/copy from a thread I posted to a few days ago, which details a recording I like (uses period instruments):

I've got a really fantastic recording / performance of this, which is one of the few discs I use to test new equipment.

Archiv Produktion
Stereo 400 045-2
copyright 1982 Polydor INternational GmbH, Hamburg, Previously released as 2534 003
The English Concert
Simon Standage (violin), Trevor Pinnock

go to www.arhcivproduktion.com
skip the intro
click on catalogue
enter 4 seasons in the search for window
it is the 6th of 11 choices (grey cover, 1982, picture of a blue dude with huge hair blowing wind on the cover).
this is the best i've ever heard of this performance, particularly the violin soloist (simon standage), and also the quality of the recording is excellent.

happy listening.

Dorati Nutcracker on Philips 6833 200, not sure if it is the same as the one on Mercury above.