Recommended CD's for classical good recording ?

if you want good, I mean really good classical recordings, I suggest checking some SACD's for example RCA Living Stereo SACD series, Mercury Living Presence SACD's, Esoteric DECCA SACD's...

Dawgcatching, as usual, I'll take the minority view. If you want to learn about classical music, there are only 3 things of any importance: repertoire, repertoire, and repertoire.

The Naxos label is overall an amazing resource with a very large catalog of both standard classical repertoire and rarely performed works. . . mostly good to excellent recent recordings from newer less known performers, and legacy remasters of performances by the old maguses.
I have also become extremely fond of the Dutch label Brilliant Classics. This very low cost label seems to be specializing in publishing boxes of up to 170 CDs, containing complete bodies of works by major composers like J. S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brams and Haydn, with Dvorak apparently in progress. Individual recordings may vary in technical quality and performance level, but the sets constitute invaluable tools for building representative collections at a reasonable cost. I paid $113 on Amazon a couple of years ago for the 155 CD box of the complete Bach Edition. In come cases, Brilliant Classics and Naxos may be the only labels where you can find some rare repertoire. . . e.g. the complete piano works by Antonin Dvorak. The links below will bring you to pages that list several Brilliant Classics complete editions:

Bach Edition:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp;jsessionid=4228A0503AF4BD29F98902D659165CA7?album_id=142935
Beethoven Edition:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=173672
Brahms complete works:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=190901
Chopin Complete Works:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=150363
Arcangelo Corelli complete works:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=101599
Haydn Complete Edition:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=206305
Mozart Complete Works:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=108813

Are you sure the ones from the 40's and 50's that sound flat and one-dimensional aren't mono? Just about all releases through at least the mid-50's, and often later, were in mono. They would only be stereo on cd if they were initially recorded with multiple microphones or stereo microphones, and the producers were able to obtain and work with original master tapes containing those multiple tracks.

That said, among stereo re-releases of early material I would highly recommended the Chesky cd re-issues of Horenstein conducting the Royal Philharmonic or London Symphony orchestras, ca. 1962. Best in terms of sound quality, imo, is the Dvorak "New World." Particularly on a system with tube electronics, you will not believe you are listening to something that was recorded with 1962 equipment.

Also, you might want to try some of the Earl Wild piano recordings on Chesky.

For chamber music, and considering relatively recent recordings, Wilson Audio (that's Dave Wilson, the builder of super-expensive and highly regarded speakers) has put out some excellent cd's. And just about anything on the Dorian label is likely to be very good as well.

Regards,
-- Al

If you're looking for specific recommendations perhaps a time period or composers names would be helpful.

If you like early music like Mozart, Bach, Corelli etc performed on period instruments take a look at www.preludeklassiekemuziek.nl. You won't be dissappointed.
Regards
batalok