What are you listening to now?

[Chris]

Bach - Oster-Oratorium (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249

The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir
Ton Koopman

This work was written in Leipzig for Easter Sunday in 1725. It is based on a secular cantata known as the Shepherd Cantata, which is now sadly lost. A wonderfully festive work from the Baroque master.

[Michael]

I'm following the yearly "Hall of Fame" on Classic FM. I don't know why - because it always annoys me in some way.

http://halloffame.classicfm.com/2014

[AeolianHarp]

I'm following the yearly "Hall of Fame" on Classic FM. I don't know why - because it always annoys me in some way.

http://halloffame.classicfm.com/2014

Well Beethoven had better be their no 1 or I will be annoyed as well!

[AeolianHarp]

Numbers 50-1 are not released yet.
Here are Ludwig's entries so far:

270-Corolian Overture
241- Missa Solemnis
233-Romance in F major
208-Piano Concerto no 1
176- Piano Concerto no 4
166-Piano Concerto no 3
131- Piano Sonata No 8-Pathetique
116- Violin Concerto in D major
108- Bagatelle No 25: Fur Elise
93- Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor
79-Egmont Overture

[Michael]

Well Beethoven had better be their no 1 or I will be annoyed as well!

He has never made No. 1, but over the years he has had more entries in the 300 than anyone else except Mozart. And he always had about three works in the Top Ten but I've a feeling one or two of them will drop this time, because since last year, the higher positions have been taken over by soundtrack music - and I don't mean film music - but video game music.

It's not MIDI or anything like that; it is orchestral - and even choral - and quite nice but there is a concerted effort by its fans to get votes. Personally, I don't think it belongs in a "classical" music chart.

Have a look at last year's Top Ten (Numbers 3 and 5) and you will see what I mean.

http://halloffame.classicfm.com/2013.../#pieces-50-41







.

[AeolianHarp]

Disgraceful- how can they be higher than classical composers and especially Beethoven! Classical music chart entries should be just that! Rachmaninov is a worthy winner- I saw that he'd won last year, but Beethoven should have won at least once!

[hal9000]

It's all a bit of fun really. It's like taking IMDB's top 250 films as a paragon for the best films ever made. Take that list above, anyone who knows anything about Beethoven's music knows that the Missa Solemnis is the best on that list but it ranks below Fur Elise of all pieces, and by 133 spots! It's a popularity contest, nothing more. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen a Beethoven late string quartet on their lists.

That said, anything but Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto.

[Peter]

Disgraceful- how can they be higher than classical composers and especially Beethoven! Classical music chart entries should be just that! Rachmaninov is a worthy winner- I saw that he'd won last year, but Beethoven should have won at least once!

Try Radio 3 instead!

[hal9000]

Ok, Viva Pinata just beat The Eroica - pitchforks at the ready.

[Michael]

It's all a bit of fun really. It's like taking IMDB's top 250 films as a paragon for the best films ever made. Take that list above, anyone who knows anything about Beethoven's music knows that the Missa Solemnis is the best on that list but it ranks below Fur Elise of all pieces, and by 133 spots! It's a popularity contest, nothing more. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen a Beethoven late string quartet on their lists.

That said, anything but Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto.

I've never seen a single Beethoven string quartet in all the years this "poll" has been running. The Missa Solemnis has only appeared in the last couple of years, due mainly to John Suchet, Classic FM's main presenter.
It's a nice station to tune into for a couple of pieces, and I follow the Hall of Fame every year out of a terrible sense of compulsion, but as Peter said above, Radio Three is your best bet.

[Harvey]

Dublin Version of Handel's Messiah by the Dunedin Consort. The clarity of the vocals is unsurpassed. CD is discussed here, and clips can be sampled here. The choir is a total of 12 voices including the soloists.

[AeolianHarp]

It's all a bit of fun really. It's like taking IMDB's top 250 films as a paragon for the best films ever made. Take that list above, anyone who knows anything about Beethoven's music knows that the Missa Solemnis is the best on that list but it ranks below Fur Elise of all pieces, and by 133 spots! It's a popularity contest, nothing more. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen a Beethoven late string quartet on their lists.

When you have something called Banjo Kazooie at no 50 and Missa Solemnis at 241 then summat is wrong!
Video game music shouldn't be on this list at all! It's not classical music.

And yes why none of Beethoven's late string quartets?! They are so amazing, especially Op 131.

That said, anything but Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto.

What's wrong with Rachmaninov?! The man was a genius and a virtuoso pianist.

[AeolianHarp]

Ok, Viva Pinata just beat The Eroica - pitchforks at the ready.

I didn't see the Eroica there?

[AeolianHarp]

The last 50 and Ludwig's entries:


55-Eroica
45- Symphony no 5
31 Piano sonata no 14 in C minor
19- Symphony no 7
10-Symphony no 9
8- Symphony no 6
4-Piano Concerto no 5

LUDWIG DIDN'T WIN AGAIN!

OK he dominated the top ten, having more entries than anyone else (3) but come on! he should have had the top spot with one of these: The Ninth, the Seventh, Missa Solemnis, The Hammerklavier Sonata or one of the late string quartets.

Rachmaninov was second with his winning entry from last year- his piano concerto no 2, and the winner Ralph Vaughan Williams with The Lark Ascending. I like the music but not as much as something of Ludwig's.

I suppose I ought to be patriotic and glad a British composer won, but I wanted Ludwig to win!

I expect it is patriotism why Vaughan Williams won:

http://www.classicfm.com/composers/v...ghan-williams/

A good egg and good enough composer but in the league of Beethoven...I don't think so.

Funny, last year it was Vaughan Williams at no 2 with the same entry and Rachmaninov at no 1 with the same entry.
Good composers but don't people listen to anything else?

I expect most of Classic FM listeners don't know much beyond what they hear played on this station. Time for me to innudate Jamie Crick in his requests programme to play Hammerklavier, the late string quartets, the Kyrie from MS, The Grosse Fugue, The Cello sonatas....

Not keen on Radio 3 - doesn't play much classical music- has far too many plays on it.

Beethoven Only is my fave radio station.

[hal9000]

I didn't see the Eroica there?

Fittingly (as in opus number), it's at 55.

When you have something called Banjo Kazooie at no 50 and Missa Solemnis at 241 then summat is wrong!

Hey, what do you have against Banjo Kazooie?! It's a general public vote and unfortunately the Missa Solemnis isn't one of Beethoven's most well known pieces. It should be, but it isn't. You could make the same case for Fur Elise being 133 spots higher than the Missa Solemnis, but as you can see here, Fur Elise is far more popular and more well known to those who haven't really delved deep into Beethoven's oeuvre. It's also easier listening than the Missa Solemnis, and as such fewer people are as willing to sit down and listen to a one hour twenty minute plus piece of music than a piece that lasts only a few minutes.

Video game music shouldn't be on this list at all! It's not classical music.

Well, I think it can be. Whether it is good classical music is another thing entirely. I don't agree that Uematsu's Final Fantasy music is better music than the Missa Solemnis, but I wouldn't say it isn't classical music. Why put limitations on art music like that? Why is Fur Elise any more classical than this? (other than the obvious )

What's wrong with Rachmaninov?! The man was a genius and a virtuoso pianist.

If we all liked the same things the world wouldn't be a very interesting place.