 |
||
|
|
|
By Vivien Schweitzer
18 Apr 2006
 |
|
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major has been voted Britain's most popular classical work in a Classic FM poll. The birthday boy beat out stiff competition from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, the winner for the past five years, in the radio station's annual Hall of Fame.
It's the first time Mozart has topped the Classic FM chart. He also had a total of 24 entries in the top 300 pieces, more than any other composer.
Rachmaninoff's ever-popular Piano Concerto No. 2 dropped to second place in the chart, with Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending in third place. Elgar proved the most popular British composer, with nine entries. Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man, at number 10, was the favorite work by a living composer. The two most popular operas were Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, which came in at number 26, and Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at number 38.
Composers with just one entry in the top 300 included Liszt, Franck, Philip Glass, Paganini, and Monteverdi. Howard Shore's soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings was voted the most popular film music.
Before Rachmaninoff's five-year run at number one, Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor occupied the top spot for five years.
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2010 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
