Ultimate Classic FM Hall of Fame 2020
1 January 2021, 18:42 | Updated: 2 January 2021, 9:24
We count down the top 300 most voted-for pieces in the Classic FM Hall of Fame’s 25-year history.
The Classic FM Hall of Fame began in 1996 and has been a staple on Classic FM ever since.
This year, it was the 25th countdown in the chart’s history, and to mark this milestone we’re broadcasting a ‘chart-of-charts’ over the festive period.
Below we reveal a new Ultimate Classic FM Hall of Fame top 300, which reflects the last quarter-of-a-century of the UK’s classical music tastes.
Listen to the Ultimate Classic FM Hall of Fame on Classic FM from Monday 28 December to Friday 1 January, 10am-7pm.
The Ultimate Classic FM Hall of Fame 2020 – full list
300. Bruch: Adagio Appassionato
299. Gershwin: Piano Concerto
298. Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
297. Lehar: The Merry Widow
296. Williams: Indiana Jones
295. Elgar: Coronation Ode (Land of Hope and Glory)
294. Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu
293. Delibes: Coppélia
292. Preisner: Requiem for My Friend
291. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5
290. Dvořák: Slavonic Dances
289. Binge: The Watermill
288. Mahler: Symphony No. 4
287. Elgar: Sea Pictures
286. Franck: Panis Angelicus
285. Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
284. Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in Eb major
283. Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 2
282. Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
281. Beethoven: Fidelio
280. Gounod: St. Cecilia Mass
279. Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate
278. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2
277. Satie: 6 Gnossiennes
276. Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
275. Tavener: Song for Athene
274. Rossini: The Barber of Seville
273. Delius: Koanga
272. Jenkins: Requiem
271. Mitchell: Seven Wonders Suite
270. Lord: Durham Concerto
269. Kirkhope: Banjo Kazooie
268. Binge: Sailing By
267. Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto in D
266. Hess: Piano Concerto
265. Shimomura: Kingdom Hearts
264. Schubert: Impromptus Opus 90
263. Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
262. Marquez: Conga del Fuego
261. Bach: Cantata No. 140
260. Verdi: Rigoletto
259. Sibelius: Andante Festivo
258. Soule: The Elder Scrolls
257. Wagner: Götterdammerung
256. Stanley: Trumpet Voluntary
255. Elgar: Serenade for Strings
254. Piazzolla: Libertango
253. Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610
252. Britten: Peter Grimes
251. Rachmaninov: Vespers (All-Night Vigil)
250. Rutter: A Gaelic Blessing
249. Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (‘Symphony of a Thousand’)
248. Delius: A Village Romeo and Juliet
247. Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies
246. Brahms: Symphony No. 3
245. Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
244. Beethoven: Triple Concerto
243. Hawes: Quanta Qualia
242. Elgar: Salut d’Amour
241. Vaughan Williams: The Wasps
240. Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
239. Badelt: Pirates of the Caribbean
238. Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus
237. Prokofiev: Symphony No.1 ('Classical')
236. Parry: I Was Glad
235. Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1
234. Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremburg
233. Albinoni: Oboe Concerto in D minor
232. Schubert: Ave Maria
231. Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain
230. Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
229. Wagner: Siegfried
228. Parry: Jerusalem
227. Márquez: Danzón No. 2
226. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
225. Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite
224. Brahms: Symphony No. 1
223. Binge: Elizabethan Serenade
222. Rutter: Requiem
221. Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
220. Vivaldi: Motet in E major
219. Gluck: Orfeo and Euridice
218. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1
217. Schubert: Symphony No. 8 (‘Unfinished’)
216. Bellini: Norma
215. Grieg: Lyric Pieces
214. Bach: Cantata No. 208
213. Wagner: Lohengrin
212. Borodin: String Quartet No. 2
211. Stravinsky: The Firebird
210. Brahms: Symphony No. 4
209. Bruch: Kol Nidrei
208. Haydn: The Creation
207. Elgar: Introduction & Allegro for Strings
206. Walton: Crown Imperial
205. Shostakovich: The Unforgettable Year 1919
204. Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
203. Elgar: Violin Concerto
202. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
201. Armstrong: Romeo and Juliet
200. Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerto in C major
199. Uematsu: Final Fantasy
198. Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
197. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1
196. Saint-Saëns: Samson and Delila
195. Elgar: Symphony No.1
194. Barry: Out of Africa
193. Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4
192. Litolff: Concerto Symphonique No. 4
191. Elgar: Chanson de Matin
190. Williams: Jurassic Park
189. Schubert: Symphony No. 5
188. Chopin: Nocturne in E flat major, Opus 9 No. 2
187. Beethoven: Choral Fantasia
186. Jenkins: Palladio
185. Mozart: Symphony No. 41 (‘Jupiter’)
184. Johann Strauss: Radetsky March
183. Schumann: Piano Concerto
182. Tarrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra
181. Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (‘Titan’)
180. Debussy: Prélude a l’après midi d’un faune
179. Rossini: The Thieving Magpie
178. Puccini: Turandot
177. Hess: Ladies in Lavender
176. Maxwell Davies: Farewell to Stromness
175. Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne
174. MacCunn: The Land of the Mountain and the Flood
173. Zipoli: Elevazione
172. Handel: Xerses
171. Glass: Violin Concerto
170. Handel: Sarabande
169. Barry: Dances with Wolves
168. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3
167. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
166. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.23
165.Williams: Saving Private Ryan
164. Puccini: Gianni Schicchi
163. Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No. 1
162. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (‘Italian’)
161. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
160. Finzi: Eclogue
159. Einaudi: I Giorni
158. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
157. Mozart: Don Giovanni
156. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
155. Dvořák: Rusalka
154. Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
153. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
152. Barber: Violin Concerto
151. Gounod: Mors et Vita
150. Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (‘Great’)
149. Vivaldi: Gloria in D major
148. Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
147. Bruch: Scottish Fantasy
146. Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
145. Beethoven: Romance No. 2
144. Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
143. Bach: Goldberg Variations
142. Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
141. Mozart: Symphony No. 40
140. Beethoven: Bagatelle No. 25 (‘Für Elise’)
139. Addinsell: Dangerous Moonlight
138. Zimmer: Gladiator
137. Vaughan Williams: English Folksongs Suite
136. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
135. Puccini: Tosca
134. Rossini: William Tell
133. Williams: Harry Potter
132. Beethoven: Egmont Overture
131. Grieg: Holberg Suite
130. Jenkins: Adiemus
129. Copland: Appalachian Spring
128. Bach: Cantata No. 147
127. Borodin: Prince Igor
126. Verdi: Aida
125. Einaudi: Le Onde
124. Schubert: String Quintet D.956
123. Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves
122. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 (‘Pathétique’)
121. Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty
120. Shostakovich: Jazz Suite No. 2
119. Williams: Star Wars
118. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet
117. The Mission (includes ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’)
116. Fauré: Pavane
115. Satie: 3 Gymnopédies
114. Wagner: Tristan and Isolde
113. Dvořák: Cello Concerto
112. Bizet: Carmen
111. Bach: Cello Suites
110. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
109. Brahms: Violin Concerto
108. Handel: Water Music Suites
107. Brahms: A German Requiem
106. Delibes: Lakmé (includes ‘Flower Duet’)
105. Mozart: Così fan Tutte
104. Tallis: Spem in Alium
103. Verdi: La Traviata
102. Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
101. Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
100. Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
99. Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel
98. Saint-Säens: Carnival of the Animals
97. Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
96. Saint-Säens: Danse Macabre
95. Schubert: Piano Quintet (‘Trout’)
94. Sibelius: Violin Concerto
93. Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow
92. Bach: Mass in B minor
91. Mozart: Solemn Vespers
90. Gorecki: Symphony No.3 (‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’)
89. Ravel: Boléro
88. Williams: Schindler’s List
87. Mozart: Flute and Harp Concerto
86. Shore: The Lord of the Rings
85. Massenet: Thaïs
84. Wagner: Die Walküre
83. Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
82. Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches
81. Wagner: Tannhäuser
80. Bach: St. Matthew Passion
79. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
78: Verdi: Requiem
77. Johann Strauss: By the Beautiful Blue Danube
76. Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs
75. Jenkins: The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace
74. Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (‘Resurrection’)
73. Puccini: Madame Butterfly
72. Puccini: La Bohème
71. Khachaturian: Spartacus
70. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
69. Orff: Carmina Burana
68. Handel: Solomon
67. Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
66. Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2
65. Ungar: The Ashokan Farewell
64. Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
63. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
62. Verdi: Nabucco
61. Beethoven: Symphony No.3 (‘Eroica’)
60. Sibelius: Karelia Suite
59. Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
58. Widor: Organ Symphony No. 5
57. Shostakovich: The Gadfly
56. Mozart: The Magic Flute
55. Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
54. Bizet: The Pearl Fishers
53. Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture
52. Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine
51. Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
50. Beethoven: Violin Concerto
49. Albinoni: Adagio in G minor
48. Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
47. Handel: Coronation Anthems
46. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
45. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 (‘Pathétique’)
44. Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor
43. Smetana: Má Vlast (includes ‘Vltava’)
42. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
41. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
40. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
39. Mahler: Symphony No. 5
38. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor
37. Bach: Concerto in D minor for 2 Violins
36. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
35. Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2
34. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3
33. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
32. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 (‘Moonlight’)
31. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21
30. Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
29. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
28. Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
27. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
26. Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2
25. Vivaldi: Four Seasons
24. Fauré: Requiem
23. Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
22. Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
21. Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
20. Sibelius: Finlandia
19. Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 (‘From the New World’)
18. Mozart: Requiem
17. Handel: Messiah
16. Saint-Säens: Symphony No. 3 (‘Organ’)
15. Grieg: Piano Concerto
14. Allegri: Miserere
13. Holst: The Planets
12. Pachelbel: Canon in D major
11. Barber: Adagio for Strings
10. Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
9. Beethoven: Symphony No.9 (‘Choral’)
8. Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1
7. Elgar: Cello Concerto
6. Beethoven: Symphony No.6 (‘Pastoral’)
5. Elgar: Enigma Variations
4. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (‘Emperor’)
3. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
2. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
1. Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, on Global Player on your smart speaker (“play Classic FM”), iOS or Android device, and at ClassicFM.com.