Haydn: The Symphonies
Another monument in the history of recording, this is the only set of  Haydn symphonies that ever reached completion, and the performances are  generally so good as to bear comparison with many of the best individual  performances. The music itself is astounding--107 symphonies, all of them good,  many of them shattering masterpieces. Haydn invented the Classical style, which,  along with the contributions from his friend Mozart and his student Beethoven,  became the standard by which all future music was measured. At a budget price,  owning this set is like being able to have your own authentic copy of the "Mona  Lisa" for a couple hundred dollars. Awesome!--David Hurwitz