12 Essential Classical Vinyl Records to Start a Collection
Classical music is one of the most rewarding genres to collect on vinyl, but it can also be one of the hardest to know where to start. The catalogue is two centuries deep, the recordings number in the tens of thousands, and the canonical recommendations don't always make the best first listens. The aim of this guide is to help with that.
Below you'll find twelve classical records currently in stock at Viking Records, chosen as a balanced starting point for a new collection. Six are by modern composers — Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Philip Glass, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ludovico Einaudi — whose work has brought a new generation of listeners to the genre on vinyl. The other six are recordings from the traditional canon, chosen because they hold up beautifully on a turntable and reward repeat listening.
Each entry below includes notes on the pressing, the recording, and what to listen for. If you're new to classical, the modern composers tend to be the friendliest first listens; if you're already familiar with the canon, the traditional picks will be the records you reach for most often. If you're completely new to building a vinyl collection, you may also want to read our starter guide for new collectors alongside this one.
→ Shop the full Classical vinyl collection at Viking Records
Part One: The Modern Canon
Six records by living or recently-departed composers — the corner of classical that's brought new listeners to the genre on vinyl over the past decade. Many of these sit at the edge of classical and other genres; if you enjoy them, our experimental and avant-garde vinyl collection is the natural next stop.
Max Richter — The Blue Notebooks
The Blue Notebooks is one of the most popular modern classical records on vinyl, and an excellent introduction to the genre. Richter's setting of texts by Kafka, Orwell and Czeslaw Milosz uses piano, strings and quiet electronics to create a calm, reflective listen that rewards repeated plays. The album's 15th anniversary reissue is on heavyweight wax with the full booklet of texts.
"On the Nature of Daylight" is the most-licensed piece of contemporary classical music in recent years — you've probably heard it in a film without realising — and the rest of the album is just as strong. A great starting point for anyone curious about modern classical, and a record that suits both attentive listening and quiet background play.
Key track: On the Nature of Daylight
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Max Richter — The Blue Notebooks In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Olafur Arnalds — Some Kind of Peace
Olafur Arnalds is an Icelandic composer whose work blends piano, strings and software-driven electronics. Some Kind of Peace was recorded during the 2020 lockdown and is gentler and more intimate than his earlier records. Viking stocks the blue vinyl pressing — if you're curious whether coloured wax sounds different to standard black, our guide to black vs colour vinyl covers the question in detail.
If you've enjoyed the Stranger Things score, the BBC Broadchurch theme, or any film score with that softly-modern feel, Arnalds is the composer most directly behind that sound. A lovely record to put on at the end of the day.
Key track: Woven Song
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Olafur Arnalds — Some Kind of Peace In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Nils Frahm — All Melody
Nils Frahm is one of the central figures of modern classical on vinyl, and All Melody is the record most fans would recommend as a starting point. Recorded across a converted studio space in Berlin, the album uses pipe organs, prepared pianos, modular synthesisers and choral textures across a generous double LP.
It's an immersive listen, designed to be played whole rather than dipped in and out of. The pressing is well-cut and gives the broad dynamic range the recording needs. Worth setting aside an hour for the first listen.
Key track: My Friend the Forest
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Nils Frahm — All Melody In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
"Classical's recent vinyl renaissance has been driven by Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm — and they're a great place to begin."
Philip Glass — Glassworks
Glassworks is the best single introduction to Philip Glass on vinyl. The album was originally conceived as a sampler — a way for new listeners to get to know Glass's style without committing to one of his longer works — and that's exactly how it functions four decades on. Six pieces, each showing a different side of his minimalist approach.
This Music On Vinyl 180g pressing is the best currently-available edition: clean mastering, sturdy sleeve, no fuss. "Opening" is two minutes of solo piano that you'll likely recognise from films, advertising and television. A fantastic first Glass record.
Key track: Opening
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Philip Glass — Glassworks In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Ryuichi Sakamoto — async
Sakamoto recorded async in 2017 after his first cancer recovery, and the album has the unhurried quality of music made without commercial pressure. The pieces are spacious — solo piano, found sounds, quiet electronics — and the album rewards close listening on a good system.
This 2xLP pressing presents the album with the care it deserves. Not background music; better suited to the times when you can give the record your full attention. One of the most respected late-career albums in contemporary classical, and a fitting introduction to one of the genre's most important figures.
Key track: andata
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Ryuichi Sakamoto — async In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Ludovico Einaudi — Underwater
Ludovico Einaudi is one of the rare contemporary classical artists who regularly enters the mainstream album charts. Underwater was recorded during his own pandemic isolation and is a beautiful solo-piano set — quieter and more contemplative than his band-led records.
Viking stocks the gatefold 2xLP pressing, which is generously cut for music this quiet. A particularly welcoming record for newcomers to classical, and one of the more reliable wedding-and-dinner-party records in this part of the catalogue.
Key track: Atoms
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Ludovico Einaudi — Underwater In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Two: The Traditional Canon
Six recordings from the older catalogue, chosen because they sound especially good on a turntable and are widely loved by both first-time and experienced listeners.
Bach — Six Evolutions: Cello Suites (Yo-Yo Ma)
Yo-Yo Ma's third recording of the Bach Cello Suites, made in 2018, presents the complete cycle across a beautifully-packaged 3LP set. Ma recorded the suites earlier in his career, and this third reading is considered by many to be the most expressive and warmly-paced of his three takes.
Bach's Cello Suites are one of the most rewarding works in the entire classical repertoire to live with on vinyl. The Prelude from Suite No. 1 is one of the most recognisable pieces of solo classical music ever written, and the deeper movements develop slowly across the cycle.
Key track: Prelude from Suite No. 1
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Bach — Six Evolutions: Cello Suites (Yo-Yo Ma) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Beethoven — Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' (Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic)
Karajan's recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is the version most audiophiles use as their reference Eroica, and this 180g pressing does it real justice. The dynamic range is wide, the brass sounds present and warm, and the strings hold their air through the loud passages. If you're curious how heavyweight remasters get their character, our guide to half-speed mastered vinyl explains the technique used on many of the best modern classical pressings.
If you've got a decent turntable (see our guide to the best record players for 2026) and you've never sat through a full Beethoven symphony in one go, this is the one to start with. It rewards being played loud, in a quiet room, with no other distractions — a beautiful recording on 180g vinyl, very much like sitting in your favourite auditorium.
Key track: Allegro con brio (1st movement)
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Beethoven — Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' (Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Mozart — Requiem (Karajan / Vienna)
Mozart wrote the Requiem on his deathbed and didn't finish it — his student Süssmayr completed the score after his death. Karajan's Vienna recording is the most accessible version for a first listen, mastered cleanly across this 2× 180g LP set.
The Lacrimosa, the eight bars Mozart did finish, is the most affecting passage on the record; many listeners find it stays with them long after the album ends. A wonderful first Mozart record if you're building a classical collection from scratch.
Key track: Lacrimosa
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Mozart — Requiem (Karajan / Vienna) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Vivaldi — The Four Seasons (Kyung-Wha Chung)
The Four Seasons is probably the most widely-known piece of classical music ever written. There are dozens of recordings in print; Kyung-Wha Chung's is the one most often recommended for a first listen, with sharper rhythmic detail and more lively phrasing than the older standard versions.
A lovely record to gift to someone starting a classical collection, and one of the most reliably enjoyable albums in this entire guide. The pressing is clean and well-presented.
Key track: Spring — I. Allegro
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Vivaldi — The Four Seasons (Kyung-Wha Chung) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Chopin — Nocturnes (2xLP)
Chopin's twenty-one Nocturnes are some of the most consistently beautiful solo piano music in the classical repertoire. They were written across his lifetime, in different moods, and they work particularly well played a piece or two at a time across an evening.
This 2xLP pressing gives each side enough room to breathe — important for music this quiet, where surface noise can be a real distraction on tighter cuts. If you're hearing pops or hisses on your records, our guide to unwanted sounds on vinyl walks through the most common causes. The Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 is the one most listeners recognise on first listen.
Key track: Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2
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Chopin — Nocturnes (2xLP) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Bach — Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould, 1955 Remastered)
A landmark recording from 1955, when Glenn Gould was twenty-two. The 1955 Goldbergs are played at a faster tempo than most pianists choose, and you can hear Gould humming along quietly throughout — both features were unusual then, and are part of what makes this recording so widely loved.
This remastered pressing is taken from the original tapes and presented on a clean, well-cut LP. Gould later re-recorded the Goldbergs in 1981 at a slower tempo; both are excellent, but the 1955 is the one most listeners reach for first, and a fantastic starting point if you've never heard the work before.
"Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations is a great way into Bach — even for listeners who think they don't like classical music."
Key track: Aria
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Bach — Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould, 1955 Remastered) In stock at Viking Records — new, sealed, fast UK delivery. |
Part Three: Additional Classical Picks
Four records that round out the modern classical and Romantic canon on the Viking shelf.
Max Richter — Recomposed: Vivaldi Four Seasons (2012)
Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi’s 1725 concerti is one of the most successful modern-classical crossover records of the streaming era. Richter retains the structural skeleton of the original while replacing about three-quarters of the material with new composition, scored for solo violin, strings and harpsichord. A perfect entry point to Richter’s catalogue and to the wider modern-classical conversation.
Key track: Spring 1
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Max Richter — Recomposed: Vivaldi Four Seasons In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Max Richter on vinyl → Browse Classical → |
Olafur Arnalds — Island Songs (2016)
Icelandic composer Olafur Arnalds recorded Island Songs over seven weeks in seven Icelandic locations with seven different collaborators. Solo piano, brass quartet, choir, spoken word; each piece grounded in the specific place where it was made. One of the warmest modern-classical records of the last decade, and a beautiful first step into the post-classical scene Arnalds has done so much to shape.
Key track: Arbakkinn
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Olafur Arnalds — Island Songs In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Olafur Arnalds on vinyl → Browse Classical → |
Philip Glass — Dancepieces (1987)
A compilation of Glass’s ballet and dance scores from the 1980s, including material from In The Upper Room and Glasspieces. Repetitive structures, modal harmony and the propulsive arpeggio patterns Glass made his signature — if you want one record that explains why minimalism became the most-imitated classical school of the late 20th century, Dancepieces is it. 180g Music On Vinyl pressing.
Key track: In The Upper Room: Dance II
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Philip Glass — Dancepieces In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Philip Glass on vinyl → Browse Classical → |
Glenn Gould — Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 30, 31 & 32 (1956 / 1960 reissue)
Glenn Gould’s readings of Beethoven’s late piano sonatas are some of the most discussed performances in 20th-century classical recording. Op. 109, 110 and 111 are Beethoven’s final statements for the piano; Gould approaches them with the same idiosyncratic phrasing and unsentimental articulation he brought to Bach. 180g Vinyl Passion Classical reissue.
Key track: Piano Sonata No. 32, Op. 111: II. Arietta
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Glenn Gould — Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 30, 31 & 32 In stock at Viking Records Shop NowMore Glenn Gould on vinyl → Browse Classical → |
Honourable mentions
A few additional records currently in stock that would make excellent additions once you've explored the twelve above. Several of these sit at the crossroads of classical and other genres — particularly soundtrack and minimalist work, where our soundtrack vinyl collection is also worth a browse.
Arvo Pärt — Tabula Rasa. The Estonian minimalist's foundational record, originally released on the ECM label. A natural next step if The Blue Notebooks works for you.
Mahler — Symphony No. 5 (180g 2xLP). The Adagietto (fourth movement) is one of the most-used pieces of classical music in cinema; the rest of the symphony is just as rewarding once you sit with it.
Holst — The Planets (Karajan). For listeners who came to classical through film scores. Mars, Bringer of War predates Star Wars by sixty years and clearly shaped the cinematic-orchestral language that followed.
Joe Hisaishi — Spirited Away (OST). Closer to soundtrack than strict classical, but Hisaishi's piano-and-orchestra writing for Studio Ghibli is among the most carefully crafted in modern film music.
Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 3 (Lang Lang). One of the most technically demanding piano works in the entire repertoire, performed by one of the most celebrated living pianists.
Philip Glass — Essential (4LP Crystal Clear). A handsome four-LP coloured-vinyl set covering the wider Glass catalogue; a natural follow-up once Glassworks has done its work.
Where to start
If you're entirely new to classical on vinyl, the easiest starting point is three records: Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks for contemporary, Yo-Yo Ma's Bach Cello Suites for the canon, and Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations for solo piano. After a few weeks with those, you'll have a clear sense of which corner of the genre you most want to explore next.
For a longer read on contemporary classical specifically, the Erased Tapes label (Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds and others) has been a major force in modern classical for fifteen years, and their label site is worth a visit.
→ Shop the full Classical vinyl collection at Viking Records
Keith runs Viking Records — a UK online vinyl shop curating new releases, deluxe pressings, and standout records across genre and era. New posts every week.
