Guides to the Finest Classical Music Recordings (2 books)

* Ivan March and Paul Czajkowski, eds. - THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO THE 1000 FINEST CLASSICAL RECORDINGS: The Must-Have CDs and DVDs, Revised Edition (Penguin, 2012).

* Rick Phillips - THE ESSENTIAL CLASSICAL RECORDINGS: 101 CDs (McClelland & Stewart, 2004).


For anyone interested in building a strong classical music collection, here are two essential guides to the best recordings on CD and DVD:

The revised edition of THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO THE 1000 FINEST CLASSICAL RECORDINGS (2012) reviews the best classical albums issued and reissued over the past five decades, many of which dominate the catalog because of their sheer excellence, irrespective of recording dates. More comprehensive than ever before, it indicates key recordings on CD, DVD, and enhanced SACD, including those in surround sound. If you want the finest available version of any major classical album, you will find it listed and assessed in these pages.

In THE ESSENTIAL CLASSICAL RECORDINGS (2004), CBC Radio's Rick Phillips reviews what he considers to be the 101 essential CDs, and tells readers not only why each one is the best recording in his opinion, but also why this piece of music belongs in their collection and where the composer fits into the evolution of classical music. Read consecutively, the recommendations -- from medieval Gregorian chant to Arvo Pärt's "Fratres" (1977) -- form a dazzling and concise history of classical music.

Both books are in EPUB format.