I have a piece in the current issue of Commentary called “My Favorite Classical Recordings.” It’s an annotated list of twenty-five recordings made between 1926 and 1973 that I regard as indispensable:
None of the records on this list is new. I have been listening to most of them for a quarter-century or more, and to some since I was a boy. They have withstood the test of time and hard usage. Beyond choosing only performances that are currently in print, I have made no effort to balance the list in any way, and for that reason some of the composers, performers, and pieces that I love best are not represented on it. It is nothing more–or less–than a roll of personal favorites, the 25 classical recordings that have given me special pleasure throughout a lifetime of listening. Perhaps some of them will do the same for you….
Read the whole thing here.