WETA Classical Countdown

[susanwen]

Every year, Washington DC-area classical music station WETA has a classical countdown. Every year, Beethoven wins handily, taking 10-15 slots in the top 90, including #1 every year for the Ninth Symphony.

This year, they decided to completely omit Beethoven, and just give him his own countdown on his birthday. I did not vote this year, in protest of this decision. So the "top five" classical music for 2020 was 5. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, 4. Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2, 3. Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 "Organ" 2. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, and 1. Dvorak: Symphony #9 "From the New World." In my mind, this "top five" is meaningless.
- Susan

[Chris]

Yes, this was a bit strange. I guess they figured the big Beethoven year was a good excuse to give some other composers a chance and give Beethoven some special attention too. Well, it's been a strange year, so why not?

[Hollywood]

Well, if they're using this 2020 Beethoven year as a reason not to include Beethoven, then he better be back on the list for 2021. Am I right? Do I hear an AMEN!!!!

[Peter]

Beethoven is above popularity contests!! He'd probably have been horrified to have come out at no.1. All those works in the top 5 list worry me, none are the best that those composers produced. What they all have in common is a good tune and that's probably how Beethoven 9 got there, simply on the strength of that tune, doubt it would have made it on the other 3 movements which tells us all we need to know about the meaningless of these polls.