As far as the Beethoven symphonies go... I'd say the milestone recordings are Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Carlos Kleiber with the Vienna Philharmonic. You can't go wrong with either performance, and the Vienna and Berlin Phil players have this music in their blood. If you ever want to delve into the Brahms symphonies, I think von Karajan and the Berlin Phil are again the benchmark.
The only catch is that all of these recordings are fairly old. I know Deutsche Grammaphone has a remastered version of the Kleiber recordings, and I'm sure they should have remastered versions of the von Karajan recordings too. I, for one, am waiting for SACD's remasters... wishful thinking I suppose.
Anyway, best of luck, and happy listening. Beethoven's music is near and dear to me, and I hope these recordings bring you as much pleasure as they have for me. Happy listening!
The only catch is that all of these recordings are fairly old. I know Deutsche Grammaphone has a remastered version of the Kleiber recordings, and I'm sure they should have remastered versions of the von Karajan recordings too. I, for one, am waiting for SACD's remasters... wishful thinking I suppose.
Anyway, best of luck, and happy listening. Beethoven's music is near and dear to me, and I hope these recordings bring you as much pleasure as they have for me. Happy listening!