Likewise. However, I should point out - most of those recordings are so-so when it comes to sound quality. Some are of interest to those who value the performance over every other respect. For example, the Beethoven piano sonata set by Schnabel was recorded in the 1930's. It is THE definitive recording to be sure, only because nobody else plays like Schnabel - but the recording itself is mono, bandwidth limited, and sounds scratchy. Given that the recording is so old and out of copyright, a number of other people have tried releasing the same set. Obviously, they can't simply copy the EMI remaster and sell it. There have been a number of other efforts to remaster it from 78's. I have only heard the Naxos remaster and the EMI, and I would go for the Naxos in preference to EMI.
I am also a little surprised that we have come down this far in the list and nobody has mentioned the following pieces, which surely should belong to any serious collector of classical music:
Beethoven Symphony No. 3
Hard to give a recommendation, because there are so many claimants to the throne. But if pushed, I would go for the Klemperer:
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphony-Eroica-Overtures-Leonore/dp/B000063UNF
Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Mike's list has a recommendation for the Carlos Kleiber 5 & 7 on DGG. This is not a bad recording, but it does not compare to the 1982 live recording on Orfeo:
http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-Ludwig-van-Beethoven/dp/B000EDWLY6
This is an electrifying performance where Kleiber almost pushes his orchestra over the edge. They somehow manage to hold it together and the finale is the most rousing rendition of the 7th you will ever hear. As an added bonus (rare in classical recordings of the period!) it's actually well recorded.
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
The greatest symphony ever, by the greatest composer who ever lived. Everyone would EXPECT you to have at least one recording. I could fill a whole book with musings on the 9th, as well as all the recordings and live performances I have ever heard, so it is extremely difficult for me to just pick one recording to recommend. You should have at least one historic recording by Furtwangler (who recorded this piece 8 times), and of these, the 1941 recording is the most famous. For a more modern recording, it really depends on your taste, your view of this piece, and how you think it should be interpreted. Most people would go for recordings by the following: Karajan 1963, Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Claudio Abbado. Of these, the Abbado is easily the best recorded, so that will be my recommendation:
http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-MATT...1446332077&sr=1-3&keywords=abbado+beethoven+9
Bach 48 Preludes and Fugues
Another surprising omission. You guys really think that Bartok and Gorecki should be recommended in an all greatest top 10 recording and not Bach? Really? This guy wrote the foundation for all modern music, countless musicians have been influenced by him and are in awe of him. So of course Bach deserves a place on any collection. As to
which[/b] Bach, that's hard to say. If I don't restrain myself i'll be recommending Bach all day long. I pondered including St Matthews Passion, surely the greatest choral work every composed - but it's not one for beginners. Then there are the crowd pleasers, like the Brandenburgs and Orchestral Suites. But I think I will go with the Bach 48. As to which recording, this one is easy - get the Angela Hewitt 2008 recording. She plays on a Fazioli piano (which has a beautiful, round tone, almost pearlescent. Great refuge for those of us who have been Steinwayed out): http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Well-Tempered-Clavier-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B001SB1JVY
Schubert - Die Schone Mullerin, Winterreisse, and Schwanengesang
Schubert is probably the greatest composer of songs who ever lived. Greater than Bacharach, greater than Simon and Garfunkel, or anyone else you care to name. He wrote thousands of songs, all full of charm, wit, imagination, and depth of feeling. These songs are poetry by mostly German poets, set to music - Miller, Rellstab, etc (but not Goethe). They are exquisite works of art in so many respects - you can enjoy the poetry, there's the music, there's the singing, and the piano. Nearly all of them are written for solo piano and singer. These three song cycles are considered by many to be the pinnacle of Schubert's song output, though of course there are other songs worth mentioning which are outside this collection. Many great artists have attempted these songs - Jussi Bjorling, Fritz Wunderlich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Janet Baker, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elly Ameling are all worth listening to if you get your hands on it. But for me, I will go for Ian Bostridge: http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Scho...1&keywords=schubert+schone+mullerin+bostridge
Mozart Piano Concertos
If you have noticed that I am sticking to works by major composers, there's a good reason for it. You asked for the 10 must-have recordings in any collection. Major composers are major composers for a good reason, and it would be remiss of me not to mention Mozart. Once again, you can make a case for including dozens of other works by Mozart, but i'm going to go for the piano concertos. Recordings by Marta Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Nelson Friere, and Mitsuko Uchida are part of the canon, but for me i'm going to go for Perahia: http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Comple...sr=1-1&keywords=mozart+piano+concerto+perahia
I could keep going on but that's it for now 
