You can view the whole selection here; below are the top ten.
10. Canon in D, Pachelbel – one of the most popular choices for wedding music, whose chord progression was copied in the Pet Shop Boys’ Go West.
9. Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Ode to Joy), Beethoven – popular with Eurocrats as well as classic FM listeners, this was adopted as the Council of Europe’s anthem in 1972.
8. Enigma Variations, Elgar – the composer sought to depicts his friends through this theme and 14 variations.
7. Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Beethoven – one of the composer’s few programmatic works in five rather than the usual four movements.
6. Piano Concerto No. 5 in Eb (Emperor), Beethoven – Beethoven’s final piano concerto was named the ‘Emperor’ by its English publisher.
5. Cello Concerto in E minor, Elgar – the composer’s last notable work, composed in the aftermath of the First World War.
4. The Lark Ascending, Vaughan Williams – written in 1914, the composition was inspired by a poem of the same name about a sky lark, by George Meredith.
3. First Violin Concerto, Max Bruch – sadly for Bruch, he was known as a one-hit wonder, as the rest of his work failed to match this piece’s popularity.
2. Clarinet Concerto, Moxart – this poignant piece was written in the last few months of Mozart’s life and completed in just over a week.
1. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Rachmaninov – an enduringly popular work, which was first performed in 1900 and later used to great dramatic effect in the film Brief Encounter.
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