The following cd's are perfect for me:

Bach - Art of the Fugue, Nikolayeva, Hyperion.  This is masterful
playing which nearly puts me in a trance.

Bach - Brandenbergs, Pinnock, Archiv.  This set has perfect pacing.

Beethoven - Cello sonatas, Coin/Cohen, Harmonia Mundi.  This is one of
the few recordings which takes me back in time; most take me forward.
Period instruments never sounded so good.

Beethoven - Late Piano Sonatas, Pollini, DG.  Here we have the perfect
sound for Pollini - deep and stark.

Handel - Messiah, Boston Baroque, Telarc.  A power-plus performance.

Haydn - Piano Sonatas, Brendel, Philips.  A superb blend of elegance,
pacing, and variety of mood.

Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier, Gould, Sony.  It may be perverse, but that
doesn't bother me.  Gould is winningly unique, and the recorded sound
fits him perfectly.

Mozart - Piano Sonatas, Uchida, Philips.  The only pianist, IMHO, who
always plays the fast movements perfectly, with a daring quality that's
very exciting.

Mozart - Piano Concertos nos. 17 and 18, Schiff/Vegh, London.  This disc
just flows perfectly.  Schiff and Vegh are in perfect unison.

Mozart - Great Mass, Leppard, EMI.  Until I heard this disc, I never
knew the heights of beautiful music.

Mozart - Magic Flute, Klemperer, EMI.  The greatest grouping of soloists
in an opera recording.

Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 959, Brendel(1st recording), Philips.  A
perfect blend of structural integrity and poetic yearning.

Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 894, Ranki, Hungaroton(LP only).  I love this
piece, but it needs a proponent who minimizes the rubato and highlights
the inherent power of the music.  Ranki is the one.

Shostakovich - Preludes and Fugues, Nikolayeva, Hyperion.  Nikolayeva
perfectly captures the mystery and dread of these piano pieces.  The
recorded sound does likewise.  In fact, the sound is probably the most
"effective" of any disc I have.

Handel - Heroic Arias, Bowman/King, Hyperion.  This is the "ultimate"
baroque recording.  If there's a heaven, this is the music that greets
you.  If there's a hell, Bryn Terfel will be there to welcome me.

I did not include superb recordings of obscure works, because of lack of
recorded competition.

Don