Is This Really The Best Piece Ever Written...?

This is the second part of Matthew King’s critical reaction to Classic FM’s notorious 'Hall of Fame' and features the thrilling final countdown to ONE. Matthew King, without any prior knowledge, attempts to play and ‘sing’ pieces on the spur of the moment (and inevitably there are terrible displays of ignorance, along with occasional lapses of memory, inaccuracies and some truly appalling vocalisation!) This is really an exercise in instantaneous reaction.
This is really an exercise in instantaneous reaction. Feel free to react spontaneously (if politely!) in the comments below.
Thank you for watching.
You can see Part 1 of Matthew King’s reaction to the 'Hall of Fame' here: • Classic FM Made A Stup...
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#ClassicFM #HallofFame #TheMusicProfessor

[@themusicprofessor]

NB: This is a 'reaction' video in the purest sense of literally not knowing what was on the list until the cameras were rolling. Everything in the video is improvised in the moment. This is why (regrettably) I didn't know some of the pieces (with apologies to Debbie Wiseman and others on the list whose pieces I will now go and listen to in a state of penance!)

[@ajames283]

This list was obviously made by someone whose only knowledge about classical music is what they heard as background music in TV, movies, and cartoons.

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

It's a list made by people who follow Classic FM, so people who actively listen to classical music. I think that it's a competition inside a selection of 300 pieces, so if a piece is at the first position it doesn't mean that it's the best classical piece ever written, but only that it received the highest number of votes in the group of 300 pieces.

[@mrhenu]

I think the only criteria for this list is how many people can whistle these tunes

[@mrhenu]

More specifically, how many British people*

[@proserpinehymn]

Love your profile picture. Richter.

[@cliffhughes6010]

Ah, the Old Grey Whistle Test

[@JESL_Only_1]

You are most correct. Somebody once said, if you can whistle it or hum it, you've got something.

[@olliepops1124]

@@JESL_Only_1 Adorno had something like that, but I’d not suggest tracking it down. His work on music is pretty reductive.

[@RickGraham]

I remember a lecture you gave at Guildhall in 1998. Was blown away with your piano playing and musical knowledge. Keep the vids going, Matt!

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you Rick!

[@SlicedZucchini]

Loved this; been completely blind for 6.5 years now, and enjoyed this much

[@themusicprofessor]

That's wonderful. Thank you for listening.

[@bobmeyers186]

This series is so fun. Looking forward to upcoming videos!

[@myouatt5987]

Loved the thoughts, improv, etc., and couldn't agree more with your conclusions - thank you ... there's a world of other stuff out there to blow the mind and long may it last! 😀😀

[@davidhowe6905]

3:41 the great thing about Grieg's piano concerto, is that it still sounds good, even if you play '... all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order'.

[@Zurvan101]

Eric Morecombe entered the chat.

[@marshac1479]

I cant unhear roll out the barrel

[@callierich8966]

I have always wished that classic fm would publish a list of pieces with the FEWEST votes. That would be interestinf

[@themusicprofessor]

Excellent idea.

[@cliffhughes6010]

Debussy's Prelude a l'Apres Midi d'un Faun was revolutionary. It shook up the establishment.

[@AndrewWilsonStooshie]

The genius of Faure's requiem is his heavy use of cellos and violas. Then, in the Sanctus uses a solo violin which, in contrast to the other movements, sounds so ethereal.

[@marshac1479]

I went to hear the requiem at the Royal Festival Hall last week and Sanctum gave me goosebumps. So beautiful.

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

If Beethoven was alive today and listening to the Classic FM Hall of Fame on a radio, guess where the radio would've ended up?

[@madrigal1956]

He would gave done nothing, hearing nothing out of this strange little box

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

@madrigal1956 28 yrs of hearing. Still time to hear the shocking state of the countdown. 😆

[@basedokadaizo]

@@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984 i never actually realized he lost his hearing THAT young, at 28? i was so sure he was in his forties-- definitely gives a lot of his compositions new perspective!

[@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984]

@basedokadaizo Beethoven liked to drink alcohol a bit too much. Scientists have tried to suggest that Beethoven died from liver failure, maybe. But his hearing loss has remained a mystery. Another aspect was possible lead poisoning. Beethoven suffered a lot in his later years, but he soldiered on until the end. Life is all about experience, pleasure, and pain. It defines us as human beings. Without it, great works would never be heard or created.

[@Soffity]

@@dr.impossibleofcounterpunc1984 Beethoven had such a tumultuous life and I’m sure that’s why so much of his music is so passionate and at times crazy. Could you compose the 3rd movement of the Moonlight Sonata if you were feeling laid back and peaceful but the first movement on the other hand?

[@dhjerth]

They really bungled that top 6. After all, there are only 6 different Brandenburg concertos. I looked up some of the romantic and film stuff I hadn't heard before. Quite inspiring, really got me in the mood to put on some Mahler instead! I must have missed it on the list.

[@trevjr]

I like this format, excellent. I too was fascinated by the Grieg when I was young. In fact, when I started piano I had a Grieg book and many of the works were simple enough for me to read thru. I think I learned to sight read from that book. I also think Knoxville 1915 is Barber's best work. It is a perfect synthesis of words and music and the music is just glorious. You have good taste sir!

[@jtbasener8740]

I am all the more convinced of my impression that it is simply impossible to try and name the best classical pieces ever written.

[@Zurvan101]

Absolutely. There's so much incredible classical music and every fan has their own subjective opinion on the matter, myself included. Although there is definitely such a thing as good and bad musical compositions, the best is always going to be a personal opinion and nothing more. Such a list is fun but its nothing more than a popular opinion poll.

[@caterscarrots3407]

@@Zurvan101 Exactly. Even good and bad are subjective. Like Mozart's A Musical Joke for example, someone in the 1700s might think "That's bad" because of how it's a satirical piece parodying what an incompetent composer of the time might have produced, whereas I in the 21st century think that it's just as good as any other Mozart piece. Indeed one of my favorite moments in the whole piece is the moment where the opening motif of the fourth movement breaks down into just quarter notes call and response and then half notes and then tied half notes, all at piano, and then immediately afterwards, the momentum is back at forte. This motivic breakdown into quiet long notes in call and response followed by a loud reignition of the momentum is something Beethoven would do about 20 years later in perhaps the most well known symphony of all time, the Fifth Symphony. But yeah, that just goes to show how different people of different tastes can say opposite things about the piece.

[@kyleethekelt]

In Beethoven's Ninth, nothing makes me feel the way that recitative followed by the famous theme's first introduction by the basses and cellos does. Sheer magic. It never gets old no matter how many times I hear it.

[@DrChrisF]

The Grieg piano concerto's 2nd movement gets nowhere near as much love as the first, but I think it's rather sublime

[@torgenxblazterzoid]

Couldn’t agree more. The most beautiful slow movement of them all - in my opinion of course. The middle movement of the Gershwin Concerto in F runs it close, until the piano’s entry at least.

[@4Topwood]

Agreed. The 2nd movement is my favorite.

[@henrikhortner2361]

@music professor how bout you make a video with your own top 10 or 20 favourite pieces. I'm sure there would be some nice discoveries for some of us 🙏

[@themusicprofessor]

I'll have a think about that. It's incredibly difficult!

[@sleepydrJ]

I’d vote for Bach’s Chaconne from bwv 1004. Heard Rachel Barton pine play it last week. This piece has it all in every way. Interpretation is also key, and in my opinion, always always on a baroque violin.

[@CloudCoderChap]

Hello, loving your content, even if it makes me feel like I don’t know classical music. I got into classical due to anxiety and I stuck around, but I’ll still bang out some Kendrick Lamar, UK Drill, and Metal quite often. It occurs to me that I’ve done myself a disservice by listening to ClassicFM soo much and really not straying from the pieces I love so much. In that vain it would be awesome to have a video of your top 50 pieces of some sort. As well as any tips on how to discover more classical music, when all your friends are philistines so it’s just me out here trying to find things I like. Chopin is my favourite as I find his music very emotive and I’m a sucker for anything in a Minor key.

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you! Great suggestion. I'll have a think.

[@mrhenu]

Vaughan Williams is one of the greatest symphonists of all time. My favorites are 4, 5 and 9

[@N____er]

If I made this list, it would be all Bach.

[@des4993]

yes

[@keithparker1346]

I think you need to get out more

[@ericrakestraw664]

Allegri's Miserere (13:43) is the work that Mozart famously copied from memory after hearing it once at age 14.

[@waffleman-]

Allegedly

[@robertmueller2023]

Marche Slav was an arrangement, written 10 years earlier, but had some very nicely crafted bits. I think his heart was in that one in contrast to 1812, a commission he didn't want.

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

They’re quite different pieces really. Marche Slav is definitely more interesting, definitely more memorable (aside from the cannons).

[@libertytree3209]

My guess is Beethoven's number 7 is on there because of the movie The king's speech. It was very moving there. I remember being very surprised how much it touched me being used in that place. It is used as the background of the coaching of the speech that the king Delivers on the war and he goes through the entire thing using just the Symphony.

[@theoryman1]

Yeah, it's not about what's interesting, it's a popularity contest from the listeners. Though Rach 2 is one of my favorite pieces of music. BTW, the last movement of the The Planets is Neptune. The Planets is what I have people listen to who say they "don't like classical music".

[@normanmeharry58]

Is it not Saturn, bringer of old age?

[@vdtv]

And much of the popularity is due to a certain work beig played every hour, on the hour. And on the half hour.

[@jaydenfung1]

Fun video! This is a random question, but I've been meaning for some time to make videos about Vivaldi's more obscure pieces. I've realized that most people haven't been exposed to more than The Four Seasons and maybe the fugue from the concerto grosso from L'Estro Armonico or the A minor double violin concerto from the same opus. Thinking of calling the channel "The Fifth Season" or something like that. I especially want to highlight his eccentric late style. Do you or your editor have any advice for it (software, etc.)? I love the formats of your videos.

[@themusicprofessor]

'The Fifth Season' sounds like a great idea! There's so much more to Vivaldi than the 4 Seasons.

[@ajames283]

Subbed. I love Vivaldi's eccentric pieces.

[@jitsukerr]

Super idea! He wrote so much choral music, but the only thing that ever gets sung is the Gloria, and the soprano solo Nulla in mundo pax sincera.

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

Vivaldi’s mandolin stuff is a ton of fun too, rarely heard outside of dedicated mandolin circles.

[@robertmueller2023]

Ahhh ... the final exams on the last Friday? How the college town become empty and silent overnight? Its like you're Charleton Heston in The Omega Man. Brings back good memories.

[@stevenklimecky4918]

I believe "The Mission" soundtrack is one of the greatest scores of all time. Please take a listen. "Gabriel's Oboe" is beautiful and heartbreaking, especially in the context of what's happening in the film. But there is a lot more to the score - beauty, and pain, and meditation, and grandeur.

[@wernervannuffel2608]

Indeed. Everybody needs to know this composition.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

I'd put there any Bernard Herrman work or Max Steiner's

[@marshac1479]

I love the Hall of Fame. I know its all the same classics but it's the Easter weekend and it's great to relax to.

[@dracho8741]

Beethoven 9 will always be the best for me

[@dzinypinydoroviny]

Yeah. Even though it's probably not my favourite Beethoven piece, it is indeed the greatest of all.

[@josemiguelmaciasvocar2690]

Also: putting anything by Karl Jenkins over 2(!) Beethoven Symphonies should be illegal

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

You are speaking about your personal tastes, which apparently don't coincide with the ones of the public of Classic FM.

[@HarryS77]

​@@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracksBattleship Earth is consistently ranked as a top movie in public polls, so.

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

@@HarryS77 I don't know the film you are speaking about. Perhaps you are speaking about the film "Battlefield Earth", which has a score of 2.5/10 in IMDB. So, it's a terrible example. Usually the films which get a score of 8-10 in IMDB are good. I only know "Palladio" of Karl Jenkins. It's a good piece in my opinion and I think that people who attack him are only snobs. As I wrote in an other comment, I'm happy to see that Classic FM values contemporary classical music. We can not listen only to Mozart and Beethoven for the next 1'000 years. We also need a bit of fresh air.

[@HarryS77]

@@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks What are you even talking about?

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

@@HarryS77 I was responding yor comment here above.

[@cpklapper]

I love Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and not just because I am a horn player. There is so much of a feeling of Russian peasants about it. [Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony] Franck’s Symphony in D Minor is delightfully quirky and nearly Swedenborgian in its color. [Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra] Richard Strauss, “Death and Transfiguration” is spooky and mysterious, far more subtle than his other works [Fürtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic] The Fürtwängler interpretation of Beethoven’s Choral Symphony at Bayreuth barely stays on the rails at the end, making it the most convincing performance of that piece, while his recording of Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony wrenches every last bit of pathos out of the score.

[@ant7936]

I can't listen to Rach 2nd Piano now, without thinking of...... "You've been very far away, haven't you? Thank you for coming back to me" "Oh yes... boo hoo hoo"! 😢

[@TheMotherOfBambi]

2:55 was so funny and relatable as a reaction

[@bhami]

Lark Ascending: overplayed warhorse! Let's hear the Sea Symphony a lot more!

[@TreasaLynch]

I tend to agree. The Sea Symphony is underloved.

[@MrJhonbaker]

Beethoven's Kreutzer was always my favorite piece of music

[@peterchan6082]

I do think that Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto is indeed the greatest of all four, musically much more profound than his Third, which I think is overplayed.

[@Zurvan101]

His third piano concerto is musically FAR superior, its just not as beautiful as his second. It's an incredibly complicated composition that puts off many listeners, including seasoned classical music fans. When I first dived in to rachmaninoff's work, his 2nd PC was my favourite and I saw his 3rd as being a bit messy. It took me some time to recognise the genius of the piece. Rach 2 is very good but it consistently gets the votes it does because of the dreamlike magical beauty and mournful romanticism of the adagio sostenuto. Which after all is a common feature in much of rachmaninoff's work.

[@peterchan6082]

@Zurvan101 You are, of course, entitled to your opinions.

[@shootingamerica3646]

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 is my all-time favorite! It's what I describe as "beautiful melancholy".

[@carlosrobertoalvarado6462]

What a discovery!!!you are a genius. Thank you so much for your great knowledge. Than you!!!!

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you!

[@chrisperyagh]

'Gabriel's Oboe' or the mock Baroque scourge of many oboists who want to play a much better solo piece, but that's the only thing in the band/orchestra library. It's just a motto theme, just like 'La Califfa'.

[@vitbur]

Go watch The Mission right now! It's a great movie about human dignity in which music itself plays a part in demonstrating the inherent worth of every human. This simple truth disqualified the racial theories promoted by the colonial governments in South America, interested in exploiting the natives, that were instead defended by the Jesuits.

[@lettersquash]

Anyone else tried to scroll down that list when it appears?

[@BennoWitter]

It's a shame how many classic pieces weren't on that list because it was loaded with all of the film scores. Throw all of those out and give me more Schubert, Mendelssohn, Bach, Biber, Wagner, etc. I would even accept Alma Deutscher over some of the stuff that is on there.

[@markshilov7067]

It is because of such point of view there is a lack of understanding for modern classical music. I would prefer to see more film scores, as it represents modern-day writing - at least in some way. And as a composer I am quite happy to see such vast variety in the ClassicFM top pieces list. Although I strongly disagree with the order, as such order indicates poor level of education and unwilling to get to know new music.

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

I don't see why film scores shouldn't be in the list, considering that a lot of music written for films is excellent. Your comment is only stupid musical racism, as if the quality of a piece of music was determined by the category. It's a good thing for me that contemproary classical music is valued by Classic FM. It's not that we have to listen only to the old stuff for the next 1'000 years.

[@robertmueller2023]

Did anybody here know Ron Grainer? Dr. Who and The Omega Man composer?

[@RickGraham]

Tales Of The Unexpected too

[@Siansonea]

My current favorites are Debussy's _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun_ and Mahler's _Adagietto_ from Symphony No. 5. Edit at 15:30 you mention Holst's _The Planets,_ and you mention that Mercury is the final piece with the offstage choir, but that's actually the "Neptune, The Mystic" section.

[@themusicprofessor]

Ah yes - of course. My mistake.

[@chrisperyagh]

I was driving to a gig with a cellist when it had only just been announced the queen had died and I had Classic FM on the radio. I should've put a wager on it that I bet the first piece to be played right after the announcement and news was 'Nimrod' as I'd have made £5. Such is the predictability of Classic FM to have it on standby in case of such an event.

[@themusicprofessor]

At least it wasn't Barber's Adagio for Strings!

[@andrewbuckley9180]

Yes thanks for this. I do in general like ClassicFM but they do seem to favour the tunes that bring the advert money in I feel. You never get anyhting from Buxtehude, or a Sharwenka pianoc oncerto or many many other fantastic pieces. Thanks, I am in total agreement with you.

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

Unfortunately, the only reason I’ve heard of Buxtehude is a arrangement by Prokofiev of one of his organ pieces

[@ajames283]

Bux 272 is the best

[@ajames283]

ClassicFM lists are just the most superficial list possible.

[@andrewbuckley9180]

@@ShaunakDesaiPiano Try the Prelude and Fugue in G Minor as a starter

[@caterscarrots3407]

I’ve only ever heard people mention Buxtehude in relation to JS Bach, I’ve never actually heard the music of Buxtehude.

[@leoendo4159]

My no 1 stays forever: Ravel Adagio Assai 😢

[@Digibeatle09]

I really only came to classical music in my late 20s - there’s definitely a syndrome of a large number of people listening to particular movements of symphonies/concertos (because that’s what’s played on stations like Classic FM) and not to the entirety of the works. I can occasionally get into that “groove” myself - it’s definitely not going to deepen one’s knowledge - or increase one’s appreciation - of the huge amount of extremely inspired music from over the centuries. One heartening thing though from this list is that Ravel’s “Bolero” doesn’t feature (perfectly fine piece though it is) - there was at time - perhaps 20 to 25 years ago - when the “average punter” seemed to “plonk for” that piece when asked to name a piece of classical music they liked !

[@themusicprofessor]

I love Bolero (and everything by Ravel!) I suspect it was popular in the 1980s because of Torville and Dean.

[@johnchessant3012]

I'm never not in the mood for at least some part of Beethoven 9 (right now, the 3rd movement). Can't wait to hear it live later this month conducted by Manfred Honeck! Also, its 200th anniversary is coming up.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

The Vaughan Williams 5+6 have it all… the scherzo in the 6th, astonishing - Wayne Shorter’s favourite piece of music apparently. Actually I hear a lot of Vaughan Williams in Wayne. His favourite composer.

[@themusicprofessor]

The 6th Symphony is wonderful and the moment at the end of the first movement when the great tune emerges is one of my favourite moments of all! I didn't know Wayne Shorter was a fan.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

I'm not sure if anyone who knows Beethoven's 7th Symphony remembers how the other movements go.

[@ftumschk]

It'll be the same for Dvořák 9 and Shosty's 2nd piano concerto. Same goes for the Enigma Variations (basically Nimrod), and for "Planets" read "Mars"... plus Jupiter perhaps, albeit mostly the bit with the Rugby World Cup theme ;)

[@kyleethekelt]

Actually, it's one of my favourites of his. The third movement in particular. Love that middle section in D major. Sublime.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

@@kyleethekelt Yeah. Sublime, indeed!

[@Mahler1988]

My favorite movement is the first, very powerful harmonies and rythms, and what a coda!

[@SimonParker-hv6uu]

I doubt if Tchaikovsky liked the 1812.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

The Grieg A minor is a decent reboot of the Schumann A minor.

[@themusicprofessor]

Yes. I love the Grieg but I love Schumann's even more.

[@tt-ew7rx]

With Classic FM's propensity of playing select movements out of context of whole works, I have not really noticed them doing the andante from Mahler 6 or the finale of Mahler 3. Or the final 5-7 min of Mahler 2. That'd be exciting.

[@themusicprofessor]

...Or the slow movement of Mozart's 21st concerto or the cavatina from Beethoven's Op 130 or the slow movement of Ravel's G major Concerto or Debussy's De Pas sur la Neige or 'Le Regard du Pére' from Messiaen's Vingt Regards or....etc. etc.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

Grieg's E minor Piano Sonata is a good, if not overly ambitious, work. Gould's copy of the Sonata must have omitted the poco in the Alla Menuetto ma poco lento...or substituted poco with molto. Either way, he injects it with some gravitas.

[@andrewhcit]

To be honest, I'm just happy that Lark Ascending has dropped out of their number 1 spot, because Classic FM listeners keep voting it number 1 year after year after year.

[@josemiguelmaciasvocar2690]

1812 INSTEAD OF THE PATHETIQUE??? FINLANDIA INSTEAD OF THE 7TH????

[@waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3]

Ikr, pathetique is my favourite symphony ever

[@vdtv]

Pachelbel himself desperately wanted his other music to count for something, as these ancient sound clips (glass roll recordings, some of the first ever made) clearly document. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4SuZKOQnt6JaJo

[@frankhainke7442]

I guess everyone would make a list that would be very different. My list for certain would look very differently. There is so much I missed. But what is the use of such list. I probably would want to put many compositions on number one and twice as much on number two and so on.

[@pabmusic1]

Elgar actually cyphers the first nine or ten notes of the slow movement of Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata in Nimrod. Forget the original key and time signature, and just concentrate on the Beethoven tune itself.

[@normanmeharry58]

Before classic fm, pirate radio stations, there was in Britain, stability, predictability, and on the wireless, the Light Programme (now Radio 2) which played a mish-mash of music including excerpts from popular classicals. The Third Prog (Radio 3) was purely classical for serious music lovers. There was no pandering to easy listening. That was Radio 2. There was no Radio 1 until after the pirate stations appeared. Music is now largely a consumer item, and I suppose, rightly so.

[@themusicprofessor]

I'm not sure if I'm entirely comfortable with music being described as "a consumer item"!

[@dionysiandreams3634]

Best thing about this is I can tell 100 percent there’s no British bias. Yes Elgar and RVW are great but Elgar’s cello concerto is far from his best work and you’re not being a very good advocate of Vaughan Williams by parading about lark and Tallis over and over again and ignoring the symphonies and many of his other great works.

[@themusicprofessor]

"you’re not being a very good advocate" - I presume you mean the Classic FM poll...since I make this exact point in the video!

[@dionysiandreams3634]

@@themusicprofessor yes, perhaps I should have said “one is not”

[@timothy4664]

🍿 been waiting for the rest of the list. Lets do it. Sibelius Violin Concerto is far far superior to Finlandia. Knoxville Summer of 1915 is one of favs. Leontyne Price is my favorite recording Rach 2 is number 1? I guess i am surprised and not. I do love it, but I am not sure I would select it as the greatest. I don't have a different work in mind though. I am surprised Mahler was so high (or is it low?)

[@R08Tam]

Wot, no Delius?

[@ukdavepianoman]

Part of the problem of ClassicFM list is ClassicFM themselves as they only play "safe" music (which is not to say some of the works on this list are not masterpieces...because they are!) but they don't experiment much with their playlists. For Holst Planets (the fading is Nepture, not Mercury) they only ever seem to play Mars or Jupiter. To those of us who know far more pieces than ClassicFM play, there are composers works much greater. Yes Vaughan Williams/Sibelius' symphonies are wonderful and much more interesting than Lark Ascending/Finlandia. Really enjoyed your comments, piano playing...and even some of the singing :)

[@marieparker3822]

For Debussy they only play 'Claire de Lune' or 'La fille aux cheveux de lin' - occasionally 'En bateau'.

[@climate42]

Sorry, really silly list. Some pieces wouldn't have been on my top 500. I more reflects what the general public might think than someone attuned to musical content. I'd rank beethovens fourth concerto well ahead of no.5, but perhaps half a dozen of mozart's ahead of no. 4. No, I am not a mozart bigot. They are really that good. Brahms understood that. Where is brahms, anyway?

[@themusicprofessor]

I think somewhere in this I make a case for the Mozart concertos...

[@climate42]

@themusicprofessor yes you did. They are all good from 9 onward but 9 plus 13 to 27 are extraordinary. This was a popularity contest. Otherwise nos. 24 and 25 would have been high in the rankings. So would some haydn quartets.

[@Fl4ppers]

Anyone who thinks Adagio for Strings is good should check out School for Scandal. Its earlier but has waaaay more going on.

[@TreasaLynch]

If you like Rach II, it is worth listening to Stanford II has well.

[@joshmanley6647]

The Chaconne shall be at the number one spot where it belongs. Everything else can work it out.If people want the Barber ditty to be ranked higher than Jaws movie music then so be it

[@TreasaLynch]

The vote is almost certainly coloured by how frequency people hear these things on Classic FM. So it was revealing that historically Rach II is the most popular piece in this vote process. Except while Classic FM was pushing the hell out of Vaughan Williams a few years ago.

[@jitsukerr]

The top 5 pieces regularly switch places. For a while in the early 00s it was the Bruch at the #1 slot

[@carlhopkinson]

5th and 6th symphonies

[@kevgermany]

But where does the list come from? Listeners votes. Maybe you're missing the point. It's what people want to listen to, not intellectual assessment of worth/quality. Very much like the pop of the 'classical world' Personally I find their limited playlist irritating, along with some of the presenters. Compared to Bayerne Klassic, not good. But they do open the ears of many who would otherwise not listen to 'classical music'

[@marieparker3822]

Beethoven's 'Missa Solemnis'! He even throws in a violin concerto in the middle of it! He really is the greatest!

[@themusicprofessor]

The Benedictus! That is a great moment.

[@za7850]

Is that Arthur Schopenhauer on your piano?

[@ftumschk]

It is indeed. As there are (imho) quite a few "nothing" pieces on the Classic FM list, perhaps it's appropriate to have an actual "nihil list" standing by.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

@@ftumschk my compliments!

[@Fluff-gl6yr]

I’m just going to come in here quickly to defend Barber’s adagio on the basis that it (in my opinion) works much better in its original form as the second movement of a string quartet. I just think it makes sense that way. The old recording by the Curtis quartet is particularly good: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2m9nplvipdlrdksi=lGTTaC106Xe5JRnC

[@gretareinarsson7461]

There is no such thing as best “the best piece.”

[@karrotkake]

not a single mahler or shostakovich symphony, no rachmaninoff piano concerto 3, not a single work of bach, yet so many minor pieces and film pieces... how sad

[@themusicprofessor]

Some of these things turn up in the first video

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

Since it’s a voted list, anything by Bach or Shostakovich’s symphonies wouldn’t do well by virtue of there being too many good ones.

[@karrotkake]

@@carbonmonoxide5052 ohhh i didnt know it was a voted list sorry, that makes way more sense now

[@mr-wx3lv]

Classic FM was set up to cater for the popular classics: even snippets of the classics. It's done it's job. When they say Beethoven 9 is in there, it's because of the ode to joy theme in the last movement. Not because of the other movements..

[@normanmeharry58]

The classic fm fans attend our local orchestra concerts. As soon as they hear the movement or piece they like they clap furiously, then leave.

[@ant7936]

Your 100 Best Tunes BBC Home service in the 50-60s on Sunday nights. Similar format. 😄

[@MrInterestingthings]

The Grieg concerto is great. The Ballade is famous. Ill check out the violin sonata.I think you have an excellent memory jumping from beethAsymphony toSchubertBflat rhythm..ill check out TheUntouchables.How did you know about the Gershwin rehearsal.So glad to find your channel.I want to hear your music. Maybe you can tell us more about Boulez.The2ndPianoSonata is my favorite piece of music but i have no idea how its written.It bothers me that people want solace and quietude. Fine.Bruch wrote Scottish Fantasy and great violin concerto the2pfconcerto aintso fine. But there must be more to him. No Bruckner orMahler in this list.Says a lot about general listening.Please do 5Orchestral pieces I have the score but need more learning.

[@themusicprofessor]

For Boulez 2nd sonata, check out this from Prof. Andreyev: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpjMiGeOmciJY68

[@4034miguel]

That is a list of most popular pieces and not a list of the best of them

[@martineyles]

Mercury? I think you mean either Uranus or Neptune - whichever is "The Mystic". Mercury, the winged messenger is much earlier in the suite and faster.

[@sli6541]

No Bach? Sacrilegious.

[@martineyles]

The real crime is that you have a piano in the room and are playing a tinny immitation of one instead.

[@themusicprofessor]

It's just a bit impractical moving between the computer and the upright every time I play something. In a reaction video like this, the keyboard is just there to illustrate things. for more serious videos I always use a real piano.

[@knudsandbknielsen1612]

There are no experts in taste. Life evolves, and so do musical experiences. I can't hear a piece of music the same way twice. There are no absolutes in the non existing science of consciousness. The best piece of music I know does not exist. I just know so much music, some of it is always playing in my head, even as I write this. I don't listen much to music, because I know so much of it. But sometimes I listen to music I know, sometimes I search for music I don't know. The last music that made me cry was Debussy's L'apres Mini D'un Faun. I do find this particular piece of music almost perfect, in that it is perfectly liberating to give the middle finger to Tonica, and just be seduced by the moment, of course tying up to the next and referring to the previous, but still all the time ever more alluring. And since Debussy is considered by some the father of jazz, why not mention Bill Evans. Note: I'm a harmony guy, though not unfamiliar to James Brown. Stevie Wonder is to me one of the greatest composers, but so is Todd Rundgren, Bendik Hofseth, Joni Mitchell, Ennio Morricone, Igor Stravinskij and Brian Wilson. God Only Knows... But I have to admit, I can't define music, let alone idenity or taste. Is taste an acquired uniform?

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you for your perceptive comment. Did you know that Ravel said he wanted to die listening to Debussy's L'apres Mini D'un Faun?

[@knudsandbknielsen1612]

@@themusicprofessor No, I did not! But I share his sentiment, although there are many alternatives, some of which you have discussed! Thanks!

[@MrInterestingthings]

My gawd he knows Gershwin rehearsal,Jaeger and Elgar letters about Nimrod.VWilliamsSymph5,6!!!Rach hasalot to sayto allthe generations but MozartandBackconcerti are timeless.Rachs harmony too purple for me.Glass ,ArvoPart are popular in21st century. Tia Leon should be moreso.WyntonMarsalis violin concerto should be as popular as Beyonce!!!

[@peterjohnson3757]

What a profoundly British exercise this is. Considering the vast landscape of classical music, the British contribution actually pales into insignificant mediocrity. There is a world of music awaiting, if only one could remove the Imperial headphones.

[@themusicprofessor]

I agree that the poll is weirdly skewed towards British music at the end (but also skewed towards several film scores in a no less bizarre way). In the "vast landscape of classical music" I completely agree that there is "a world of music awaiting" although it doesn't really make sense to talk about mediocrity: the British tradition is a bit patchy but contains plenty of amazing music.

[@peterjohnson3757]

@@themusicprofessor Perhaps 'mediocrity' was too strong a word, as I too appreciate the music listed. So, I pondered my definition of mediocrity and came up with the idea that it refers to a composer whose music is rarely/infrequently performed outside of their native country/audience. Of course that doesn't make it bad music, but it compares poorly with the truly international canon transcending borders/ethnicities to attain universal appeal. Anyway, our very human predilection for listing things always amazes me. Umberto Eco wrote an interesting book about it.

[@themusicprofessor]

I'd be interested to read Umberto Eco's book. Which one is it?

[@peterjohnson3757]

@@themusicprofessor It's 'An Infinity of Lists', a sequel to 'A History of Beauty' and 'On Ugliness', the latter two in my view definitive works on European aesthetics. So, none of them about music per se, but referencing the historical antecedents of what we find beautiful or ugly, and our propensity to catalog these things.

[@keithparker1346]

Im guessing this video is someone getting uppity over a list which is just a matter of taste

[@jitsukerr]

The idea that The Planets is not considered a masterpiece of orchestration by musicians is, frankly, laughable. And it's Neptune, the Mystic that has the wordless female chorus, not Mercury. While the list from Classic FM is not much more than a popularity contest, and is always going to be heavily skewed towards more accessible, immediately attractive pieces, I think the Professor is in danger of rating a composer's work as better based on how complex or original it might be. Which is a valid stance, of course -- but it would be nice to admit that, or to make clear what criteria are being used to make such judgements. Saying that Sibelius wrote lots of "better" pieces than Finlandia really begs the question! And given that Elgar himself said of his Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 that it was "A tune that comes once in a lifetime," if we judge pieces on how appropriate they are for the uses they were intended, it can hardly be said that Elgar wrote _anything_ better. As far as Tchaikovsky goes, I think he suffers from competition with himself. Listening over Easter weekend, Classic FM play the entire Hall of Fame (300 pieces), and Tchaikovsky has lots and lots of entries outside the top 100 in addition to those covered in the top 100.

[@lettersquash]

Hall of Fame /= Best Pieces

[@jefflpanther]

The piece by Debbie Wiseman is a perfectly nice piece along the lines of Vaughan Williams or Holst. I personally wouldn't rated her as highly as those composers but of course that's just my subjective opinion. I take issue with you dismissing her out of hand though. You should have gone to the trouble of listening to her stuff. Aren't you curious about the highest ranking living composer on the list?

[@themusicprofessor]

Not dismissing her at all - I will listen to it.

[@TreasaLynch]

Karl Jenkins at 5 is the highest ranking living composer.

[@Soffity]

Beethovens 5th piano concerto 2nd movement is one of my favourites. I have many more, We are all individuals as Monty Python sort of said so what appeals to one may well be a ho hum to the next. I hate to say it but maybe ring tone downloads for phones could be a good measure of the fan base. I’m cringing as I say that. Love your channel and I’m so glad I found you, ❤️🌈🦘cheers from rural Australia. Addit or PS I live in a very bucolic farming, dairy cattle, sugar cane growing area and to have a fellow who was camping in a field in the adjacent paddock to my house with no electricity, running water, cooking facilities or creature comforts to tell me hearing me play the piano late at night was the high light of his life brought home to me how powerful music can be and it doesn’t have to be the worlds most popular tune to touch some one who has never heard live music before and takes the time out to tell you how your playing made him feel. Thanks for your great channel. 🌈🦘

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you so much! That's wonderful, and somehow inspiring to know that the channel is being listened to in rural Australia. BTW - Percy Grainger (born near Melbourne) is one of my favourite composers. I've just played his 'Blithe Bells' in a concert (You can hear Grainger playing it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ape4q5-YnsyCobM)

[@Soffity]

@@themusicprofessor yes, I’m a fan of Percy Granger. In fact I was playing Country Gardens just yesterday. The copy I have has the words Violently Wrenched written as an instruction on how to play the arpeggiated chords in the left hand. I’ve always thought what an interesting instruction. Quite different from cantabile or what ever. All the best to you and your dog. I’ve a rescue dog who is nearly 18 and he likes to sit under the piano when I practise.

[@themusicprofessor]

"Violently wrenched" is fairly typical. He had an eccentric preference for Australian/english terms in preference to Italian ones. But he was such a wonderful original in every way, and his folksong arrangements are completely masterful.

[@Soffity]

@@themusicprofessor thanks for the info, yes, he uses English. I’ve noticed a lot of American composers who write for students today also use English terms. Call me old fashioned but I like the Italian or French terms as I’ve grown up with them and I think it’s sad that when things get damped down. They also call a crochet a quarter note etc. Learn both terms other wise there is going to be a lot of music you’re not going to understand. Those who think theory and scales etc are a waste of time will never be good sight readers or have a good understanding of how a piece is put together. Just my opinion, I’m sure there will be many who disagree. My dad (now 95) has an AmusA on the piano and an LTCL on the pipe organ and technical work was drummed into me from the very beginning.

[@themusicprofessor]

I like Italian terms too. But I respect Grainger's weird English expression markings because they're so expressive and interesting

[@andyashford6945]

Warning to consumers: may contain nothing whatsoever to challenge the ear. Fifty shades of Prozac imho.

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

Music must be beautiful, not something that disturbs the ears. Normal people are not masochists.

[@andyashford6945]

@@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks Is it normal to find life so unsatisfactory that you need an endless supply of saccharine sweetness to escape from it? If you weren't so pompously self-righteous I might have felt sorry for you. You miss out on so much that positively affirms the value of our lives.

[@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks]

@@andyashford6945 I was not speaking of sweetnees. The Piano Concerto No. 20 of Mozart is not sweet, but it's a masterpiece, as well as the requiem. Perhaps it's my error to use the word "beautiful": as I'm not a native English speaker I might not fully understand the connotation of the word, but with "beautiful music" I don't mean "sweet music", but music with a good aesthetic and which transmits powerful emotions. If you want to listen to music that sounds like poop and/or is extremely boring, it's your legit choice: I have nothing against it. However, since you were the one who criticized people who don't want to listen to music that sounds like poop, I have the right to tell you that you should made your own buisness and stop launching judgements towards Classic FM and its public.

[@andyashford6945]

@@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks Spare me your childish insults - you haven't the faintest idea what my musical tastes are. Suffice to say, they were formed in the '70s when BBC Radio 3 aired the entire classical repertoire over the season without prejudice, so I was exposed to a much broader range then than is offered by current channels. When people just like you decided that was a bad thing, and replaced the comprehensive restaurant menu of the old Radio 3 with that of the burger franchise that is Classic FM, you made it my business. I'm not particularly drawn to the works of Richrd Strauss for example, but I would never have the audacity to describe his output as 'poop', and may even recommend him to someone who seemed to like music in a similar vein. You, on the other hand, would clearly be quite happy to deny him airtime and condemn him to oblivion regardless of his true aesthetic merit. That is a bad thing and I will call you out on it whether you like it or not. Btw I listened to Andras Schiff playing Mozart's 20th at your suggestion. My ears pricked up a bit for the central section of the Romanza but otherwise I was mainly counting the line cliches,. I can understand its appeal to some I think, but like much music of the late 18th century, I found it mannered, restrained and predictable. Not for me.

[@andyashford6945]

@@ClassicalMusicAndSoundtracks btw I had a quick listen to Andras Schiff playing Mozart's 20th. Paused counting the line cliches briefly for the central section of the Romance which caught my ear. I can understand its appeal to some but like much late 18th century music, I found it too mannered, restrained and predictable to get anything out of a second hearing. As Harry Secombe once said "Brahms, for the love of Allah!"

[@caterscarrots3407]

Beethoven 9 isn’t my absolute favorite, but it’s very close. My Beethoven symphony ranking list is: 1. Fifth 2. Ninth 3. Third 4. Sixth 5. Seventh 6. Eighth 7. Fourth 8. Second 9. First Reason for the First Symphony being at the bottom? It just doesn’t really sound much like Beethoven to me, not until the finale that is. It’s a good piece, definitely as good as a Mozart or Haydn symphony, but the relative lack of drama and other things characteristic of a lot of Beethoven’s other works, even his other early period works, is why it’s at the bottom of my list.

[@themusicprofessor]

Fans of Beethoven symphonies tend to either prefer the odd or even-numbered symphonies. You're in the odd-numbered crowd!

[@waffleman-]

Classic FM is a joke, these lists prove it

[@maiaka_]

Wasn’t it the premier of Rachmaninoff’s 1st symphony that made him depressed?

[@themusicprofessor]

Yes. It was a disaster. He couldn't compose for a couple of years afterwards. He then had hypnotherapy with Dr Dahl and then composed the 2nd concerto (which was dedicated to Dr Dahl).

[@maiaka_]

@@themusicprofessor yeah though so. 😅 I think you misspoke and said piano concerto instead of symphony. If I recall correctly his first piano concerto was a great success. Very inspired by Grieg’s concerto, which again was inspired by Schumann’s concerto that Greig heard while studying in Leipzig. I think… haha haven’t read about it in a while so I might be wrong 😅

[@themusicprofessor]

I think I say Symphony. It's at 20:14.

[@maiaka_]

@@themusicprofessor yeah, I probably have miss heard 🤭 Great video anyways!

[@Zurvan101]

Im glad to see Sergie at the top of the liszt [sic] once again, as he is my undisputed favorite composer. However I feel compelled to say that in my humble opinion, Rach 3 is far superior. Not as beautiful as Rach 2 (were all here for the adagio sostenuto lets be honest). However musically, the entirety of rach 3 is much better, it's tour de force and an absolute master work. Honourable mentions would also include his 2nd symphony, Rap Pag and his cello sonata.

[@themusicprofessor]

Yes - and while you're at it the 3rd symphony, the symphonic dances, the etudes tableaux, the 2nd piano sonata and the wonderful Corelli Variations (less famous but as good as the Rap Pag). Lets be honest: everything he wrote was utterly fab, even his arrangements of Fritz Kreisler. Oh - and the Isle of the Dead, the Bells, the 2nd suite for 2 pianos, the Vespers...etc.

[@Zurvan101]

@@themusicprofessor agreed. I simply couldn't include all of his great works as it would just have been a list of his works. Isle of rhe dead is so good, such a dramatic build up, followed by more dramatic building up, slow and not for everyone but a master work nonetheless. That said, personal favourite of mine from his shorter works would be op.21 no. 7, often called "how fair this spot" . The original is a song of course but unfortunately I don't speak a word of Russian so it's lost on me. Sheku and Isata kanneh- Mason did it wonderfully as a piano and cello duet. As did Arcadi Volodos with his own piano solo arrangement. Gets me every time 😍

[@darekkong7198]

Any thoughts on why these pieces are popular? The influence, role etc of Classic FM? More broadly cultural outlets for ‘classical’ music and other dusty, irrelevant old things?

[@themusicprofessor]

Yes. A bit complicated for a reply here but these things will be discussed on the channel, I promise!

[@darekkong7198]

Super

[@tonybennett4159]

To be frank a lot of the stuff on Classic FM are musical bonbons. Nothing wrong with that but the listeners appear to be those who like hearing undemanding stuff while they are about their chores, and I had one gripe with Classic FM when I used to listen a long time ago. They would play the Adagio from the Moonlight Sonata and then say "That was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata". Why not say "That was the first movement from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata"? Not everyone is well versed in the structure of sonatas, symphonies etc, so why not provide this tiny bit of information? Maybe they've changed in recent times. Hope so.

[@themusicprofessor]

As you say, the station exists essentially to 'soothe' its audience with 'relaxing' or familiar music, which can just be there in the background... fine (as you say) but of limited musical value. It's not an educational channel, and so there isn't really the desire to explain or contextualise pieces of music.