This site is a great place to send your students who are working on Classical repertoire. Personally, I’ve been able to use the NAXOS site to listen to pieces I’m currently working on, but I’ve always had free access as a college student. (Otherwise you have to pay to use it.) But ClassicCat.net is free, plus it often allows you to not only listen to the mp3’s, but often to download them also!
ClassicCat.net categorizes sites, compiling free mp3’s from all over the web. So, for example, if I wish to find a recording of Chopin’s Black Key Etude, I would first select Chopin, Frederic from the front page. Under Etudes, I would then select 12 Etudes Op. 10. The next page shows a listing of the performers/recordings available to listen to. Scanning down the list, I look for No.5, the famous “Black Key” etude. It appears that there are at least 5 recordings available to listen to. By clicking on the performer’s name, you will be taken to a page with more information about the performer. By clicking the orange icon, you will be taken to the site where the mp3 originated from, where you can listen/download the mp3.
Happy listening! Let me know what you find.
