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!)

[@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.

[@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.

[@stephenkristan853]

@@themusicprofessor Maybe a gymnopedie by Satie

[@DrdaantjeGaming]

John Cage - 4'33

[@Gwailo54]

Webern Symphony. That is beautiful.

[@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

[@frankwales]

@@Zurvan101 Andrew Preview has left the chat

[@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!

[@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.

[@N____er]

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

[@des4993]

yes

[@keithparker1346]

I think you need to get out more

[@davidrobinson7684]

Not a single piece by Bach on that list. Very telling.

[@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.

[@cliffhughes6010]

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

[@johannschneider6372]

Professor, I abuse the possibility I have here to ask you about your opinion on the first symphony ("Gothic") of Havergal Brian - I stumbled over it a few months ago and I am simply stunned by the whole work, but I realised that it is not very well known ...

[@themusicprofessor]

I barely know it (I am ashamed to say) but your comment will spur me to check it out.

[@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?

[@josemiguelmaciasvocar2690]

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

[@waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3]

Ikr, pathetique is my favourite symphony ever

[@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.

[@bobmeyers186]

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

[@SlicedZucchini]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

That's wonderful. Thank you for listening.

[@waffleman-]

Classic FM is a joke, these lists prove it

[@inotmark]

Has to have been a British radio station.

[@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.

[@BrentLeVasseur]

If I had to pick just one I’d say Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe. It’s the pinnacle of orchestration and everything cool about classical music.

[@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! 😀😀

[@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).

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@gabbleratchet1890]

The Chaconne is one of the greatest human achievements in the arts. It is life itself.

[@davidrobinson7684]

Karl Jenkins on the list, but not Bach. That tells you all you need to know about Classic FM.

[@LeGrandJohnson]

Nothing in the to 50 from Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Wagner, and on and on. Nothing from any of their output beats out Gabriel's Oboe? Your video and commentary are really great. This list is bad!

[@Stephenjamesbutler]

I suspect ClassicFM don’t play the Rite of Spring very frequently.

[@Gwailo54]

Or Pierrot Lunaire. I can still recite the opening few bars. Memory isn’t what it was. Mary Thomas with the Fires of London was amazing live, but what ever happened to the Cleo Laine recording? I know it was in English but come on. Cleo sprechgesangs Schoenberg should be available for ever. And ever. Hallelujah!

[@JimCullen]

The clarinet concerto wasn't just written late in his life, it was in fact the _last_ piece he completed before his death.

[@themusicprofessor]

Yes! I guess I undersold how late it was.

[@whiteshaix]

I'm pretty sure Schindler's List theme was played by Perlman.

[@shootingamerica3646]

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

[@bobbarclay316]

Rhapsody in Blue is as much a tribute to jazz culture as anything else. The glissando was used by lots of jazz woodwinds to indicate a sort of sexy 'swing'. Other parts represent smoky jazz clubs and downtown cities. It ends with a celebration of music itself, weaving the jazz components into a very basic melody Its one of my favorites. Properly understood, its quite an expert level composition.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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"! 😢

[@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.

[@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.

[@MrJhonbaker]

Beethoven's Kreutzer was always my favorite piece of music

[@cbbcbb6803]

Someone once asked Isaac Asimov who was the greater artist, Ludwig van Beethoven or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Asimov said it was Beethoven because Goethe required a translation. The 1812 does not require a translation nor an explanation nor a justification.

[@thereyougoagain1280]

The 1812 overture was composed by Tchaikovsky, not Beethoven

[@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

[@notmyworld44]

(1) In my nearly 40 years of symphony performance, Elgar's NIMROD variation (double-bass, Fort Smith [Arkansas] Symphony Orchestra) provided the most intensely emotional moment I ever experienced on-stage. (2) What? No Delius? His "Florida Suite" is the most heart-tugging beautiful piece ever written, and "In a Summer Garden" ain't bad either.

[@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'.

[@sli6541]

No Bach? Sacrilegious.

[@nigelfelton9824]

Beyond bizarre clearly Bach is not used in enough TV adverts

[@aaronleadley8245]

My old uni theory lecturer once loudly declared he wished someone would shoot the blasted lark out of the sky. (It's been at the top of the chart for over a decade.)

[@robinhillyard6187]

The more I listen to the Enigma Variations, the more I realize what a masterpiece it is.

[@themusicprofessor]

It is a masterpiece. And not Elgar's only one!

[@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.

[@jamesscottvideos]

Having listened to probably every great work (except opera) several times, if not many times, I've decided my favourite work is Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, especially performed by the Vienna State Symphony under Heinz Wallberg, from 1966. Does not suffer the flaws of the 9th, and just as monumental and powerful.

[@themusicprofessor]

Beethoven thought it was his finest piece. It's a marvellous but challenging and complex work.

[@larsolsen7698]

@@themusicprofessor Sang the Missa Solemnis in the choir at the antique theatre in Orange conducted by John Nelson a couple of years ago. Horrendously difficult fugue in "Et vitam venturi" but absolutely amazing work to be part of. Strange list, lots of Vaughan Williams - whom I love but not those pieces - but where is Bach, Schubert, Wagner, Brahms?

[@SittaCarolinensis]

Classical music divides into two periods - before Beethoven, and after Beethoven!

[@feraudyh]

In a way yes, but you can also divide it into before Schoenberg and after Schoenberg.

[@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.

[@robinhillyard6187]

Indeed it’s the slow movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto that is featured in Out of Africa. Robert Redford and Meryl Streep “dance” to it on their mini Safari.

[@TheMotherOfBambi]

2:55 was so funny and relatable as a reaction

[@tedvendlegard9776]

Not a chance that four pieces by Englishmen are in the top 5. Nobody in the entire world outside the UK would ever rank them that high. Not all four of them at least. Overall a pretty biased list in favour of the anglosphere.

[@bhami]

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

[@TreasaLynch]

I tend to agree. The Sea Symphony is underloved.

[@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.

[@richarddunbar4065]

To appreciate the greatness of Grieg’s piano concerto, by Grieg, you have to listen to the performance by Eric Morecambe, conducted by Andrew Preview. The one where Morecambe plays all the right notes, though not necessarily in the right order.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@biancapeterek3858]

I discovered Nimrod thanks to your waxing lyrical about how amazing it is on this vid. I've even started to learn the Percy Granger piano arrangement so I can have it whenever I like and it's all because of how you were when it was played. Thanks for starting me down obsession avenue.

[@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.

[@pocoapoco2]

Walter Hartley, Concerto for 23 Winds is an easy No. 1.

[@leoendo4159]

My no 1 stays forever: Ravel Adagio Assai 😢

[@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.

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

Yes. This is obviously a list for people who don't know classical music.

[@lettersquash]

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

[@robertmueller2023]

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

[@RickGraham]

Tales Of The Unexpected too

[@nigelfelton9824]

Grainger composed the Dr Who theme, but Delia Derbyshire turned into a masterpiece!

[@jonswanson7766]

How can anyone criticize someone's list of music they prefer. My list would consist of the first twenty by Vivaldi followed by Mozart and Prokofiev.. You can argue all day about the greatest composer, only one person decides who is my favorite.

[@peterwimmer1259]

Yes, the taste of people, and their insight... As you said: Tchaikowsky Pathétique! Sibelius 4th symphony! Beethoven Quartet c sharp minor! But any of the mentioned pieces are of simpler and more on the surface rather than the real "best pieces". I find such a selection a bit frustrating. But it reflects the choice of mainstream concerts.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?)

[@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

[@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”

[@Gwailo54]

Elgar’s Serenade and Introduction and Allegro are two of my favourites. The opening viola figure alone in the Serenade is better than any of the film scores listed.

[@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'

[@gretareinarsson7461]

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

[@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

[@davidannderson9796]

In my list, all the top slots would be Bach and late-period Beethoven, save only for Handel's Messiah. Especially if part of the criteria was what can keep me interested for long periods of time and many listens. That said, my list is specifically 'western' Classical music, that is, art music of the western European tradition beginning with the Baroque, because if you make it any broader than that the task is hopeless! As far as I am concerned, Messiah and the better pieces of Bach are the finest creations of western and central European civilization between the death of Michelangelo and the career of Coleridge at least, and outside of America, which draws upon many roots besides European ones, with few equals in western European-derived civilization since an earlier phase of European civilization ended in 1350. Make the scope of the list any broader than this, and the task simply becomes hopeless for me!

[@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

[@StudentDad-mc3pu]

Sibelius violin concerto. Or possibly Debusy Nuages.

[@themusicprofessor]

Both wonderful

[@nigelfelton9824]

ClassicFM the classical radio station for people who dont like classical music

[@themusicprofessor]

I think it's for people who like their classical music to function as gentle background music, like aural wallpaper.

[@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.

[@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!

[@georgelite2494]

^THIS! That coda is a work of beauty. The way the tension builds up and then explodes triumphantly in the tonic gets me every time. I have to shush the kids whenever I hear it on the radio so I can take it in. The frenetic energy of the finale also makes me happy every time.

[@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.

[@Fl4ppers]

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

[@gabbleratchet1890]

I'll speak up for Adagio for Strings. It is better in its original setting as the second movement of a string quartet. The larger orchestral arrangement just amps up the schmaltz too much, but it is very effective when it is in the more restrained setting of a quartet.

[@nigelfelton9824]

Yes,the quartet is great. My favourite Barber is his violin concerto.

[@Gwailo54]

Barber’s three Essays and two Symphonies are infinitely better.

[@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.

[@ThalesF75]

What a great Professor, but what a stupid list.

[@themusicprofessor]

lol

[@ericastier1646]

Do you like digital pianos ? I see you playing on one when demonstrating tunes. Is there something convenient about it ?

[@themusicprofessor]

It's near the screen!

[@StudentDad-mc3pu]

How can you stand the noise comming out of that keyboard?

[@ericastier1646]

From this whole list i only have to say Edward Elgar is a genius.

[@R08Tam]

Wot, no Delius?

[@jpiccone1]

My piano teacher hated Rachmaninoff - we had a fight about it. She said "It all sounds like film music." I thought that was outrageous from someone who had a music degree. "No, all film music sounds like Rachmaninoiff." (That was in the 80s. It was true then.)

[@ABC_Guest]

The thing about Rachmaninoff's first symphony is that it was actually pretty good... just take a listen. Unfortunately the premiere was a disaster due to under-rehearsal & poor conducting (sorry Glazunov!), and it's sad that Rach took that to heart. On the bright side, I'm not sure we would've had a Piano Concerto #2 if not for the poor reception of the symphony.

[@fingerhorn4]

Love your channel, but surely you can afford to upgrade the ancient Yamaha keyboard you demonstrate things with, which sounds horrible. They do some really lovely sounding digital pianos/keyboards nowadays with some very beautiful samples. You can buy one for as little as a few hundred quid! As for the popular pieces and the ghastly hall of fame at Classic FM, I could scream whenever I hear Vivaldi's seasons for the hundredth time, but it's not Vivaldi's fault that it is a ridiculously popular piece.

[@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"!

[@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