Some great sounding classical "warhorses" ??

You also try the 'Naxos' label for cheap but good recordings.

Guys, I knew I would get some fine responses to this query and my "cart" on Amazon is starting to fill up! So good of y'all to help out.

I’m a long-time, heavy-duty, classical-music audiophile with a large classical CD collection (over 2,000 classical CDs), including multiple versions of all the “warhorses” on your list. Here are my recommendations for your choices, based on a balanced consideration of excellent performance and excellent sound.

1. Chabrier, Espagna. Dutoit, Montreal, Decca/London.
2. Bizet, Carmen Suites. Dutoit, Montreal, Decca/London.
3. Elgar, Enigma Variations. Andrew Davis, BBC, Teldec. A stunning recording, engineered by the great Tony Faulkner. May be hard to find, but well worth seeking out.
4. Britten, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. The famous conductor-led performance on Decca/London is very fine but is not captured in the very best sound, even for its day. The Andrew Davis, BBC version on Teldec is terrific, engineered by the great Tony Faulkner. Again, it might be hard to find, but it’s well worth the search. My second choice is Previn, Royal Philharmonic, Telarc. Both of these have much better sound than the Britten-led performance.
5. Bernstein, Candide Suite. No recommendation.
6. Orff, Carmina Burana. Three good choices: Blomstedt, San Francisco, Decca/London (Grammy winner). Slatkin, St. Louis, RCA. Dutoit, Montreal, Decca/London. All three of these have excellent sound.
Happy listening.

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on Tellarc.

also highly recommend this version of Mahler Symphony no.5 with Riccardo Chailly