your top 5 classical cds

Making someone choose only 5 is tough but here is an assortment of disks which tend to stay fairly high on the playlist (presented in no particular order amongst themselves):

Solo/Chamber music
1) Benjamin Britten: Three Suites for Violoncello Solo (played by Peter Wispelwey) Channel Classics - #17102 (hybrid SACD version (means it has both an SACD and CD layer) but also available on CD)
2) Mussorgsky: Pictures At an Exhibition (piano - played by Evgeny Kissin) RCA - #63884
3) Bach: Goldberg Variations (piano - played by Glenn Gould). I prefer the 1981 recording to the earlier one and much prefer the SACD to the redbook. Others will certainly have other interpretations they prefer but the music itself is wonderful.
4) Chopin Etudes (piano) - I have been listening to Murray Perahia's new SACD (single layer SACD, Sony - #61885; CD also exists) but I also like Maurizio Pollini's interpretations. Check Audiogon archives for more recommendations of interpretations.
5) Prieres Sans Paroles: French Music for Trumpet and Organ (BIS - #1109). SACD (hybrid, I believe). Beautiful music.

Larger Scale Orchestral/Choral:
1) Verdi Requiem - I have a Eugene Ormandy-conducted version I like but you might want to check the archives.
2) Aaron Copland: Fanfare & Sympony #3, Minnesota Orch. conducted by Eiji Oue; Reference Records - #93
3) Mahler Symphony #6 (San Francisco Orchestra cond. by Michael Tilson Thomas) - hybrid SACD. SFO 821936-0001-2.
4) Mozart Requiem, by Netherlands Bach Society - hybrid SACD; Channel Classics #18102 - another great recording.
5) Arvo Part (several disks, among them: Orient Occident, De Profundis, Alina); on the Harmonia Mundi label mostly. You might try the used bins as people tend to be polar/absolutist (love/hate) on this composer.

as T_Bone has indicated, this is a tough one! in the last few months these discs seem to be occupying my player most:
(in no particular order)

1) The Cello Suites: Bach; Yo Yo Ma
2) Pasion: Piazolla, Turina, Penaforte, Villalobos; Eroica Trio
3) Dracula: Philip Glass; Kronos Quartet
4) Eight Seasons: Vivaldi, Piazolla; Gidon Kremer
5) Cantos de Espana: Albeniz; Alicia De Larrocha
6) String Quartet No. 8: Shostakovich; Emerson String Quartet
7) Symphonic Dances & Suites for Two Pianos: Rachminoff; Emanuel Ax & Yefim Bronfman
8)

1) Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 2 & 3, Horacio Gutierrez on Telarc

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003CX8/002-0673974-4826412
:)

There is no accounting for taste, as I am about to demonstrate:
--Bach: Lute Suites (guitar transcription); John Williams.
--Mozart: Concerto No. 5, Sonata (K. 378), Quintet, (K. 516); Heifetz, Piatigorsky, Primrose.
--Beethoven, Symphony Nos. 5 & 7; Kleiber.
--Debussy: Chamber Music; Athena Ensemble.
--"Pavane--Ravel, Satie & Faure"; Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

The Heifetz was out of print last I checked, so here's a substitute:
--Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 23; Uchida.

I'd love to give you some recommendations - do you have any composers whos style you like? Do you like orchestral, instrumental, small groups, choral. What have you liked so far? There is just too much to chose from for me to give meaningful recommendations.