Classic 100 Symphony (ABC)
Encyclopedia
During 2009, the Australian ABC Classic FM
radio station conducted a survey of listeners' favourite symphonies. Participants were permitted to vote for their three preferred symphonies. The survey closed at the end of June 2009.
The works were broadcast (from number 100 to number 1) from 12–19 September 2009.
Only one movement from symphonies 5 to 2 was played during the live concert on day 8 (all other works were played in their entirety).
The complete performances of symphonies 5 to 2 were played on the day following the conclusion of the countdown (see here for programming details).
The countdown contained approximately 72 hours and 35 minutes of music (this total includes works 2 to 5 played in their entirety).
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
radio station conducted a survey of listeners' favourite symphonies. Participants were permitted to vote for their three preferred symphonies. The survey closed at the end of June 2009.
The works were broadcast (from number 100 to number 1) from 12–19 September 2009.
Survey summary
Rank | Composer | Work | Key | Opus | Completed | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 | Haydn | Symphony No. 100 Military Symphony No. 100 (Haydn) The Symphony No. 100 in G major, Hoboken I/100, is the eighth of the twelve so-called London Symphonies written by Joseph Haydn and completed in 1793 or 1794. It is popularly known as the Military Symphony.-Nickname :... |
G major | Hob. I/100 | 1794 | 25 |
99 | Glass | Symphony No. 4 Heroes | 1996 | 44 | ||
98 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Dvorák) The Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76, B. 54 is a classical composition by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.-The work:Dvořák composed his fifth symphony in the summer months in June and July 1875. The opus number isn't actually correct, the autograph was marked with number 24, but the publisher... |
F major | Op. 76, B. 54 | 1875 | 37 |
97 | Schumann | Symphony No. 1 Spring Symphony No. 1 (Schumann) Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 was the first symphonic work composed by Robert Schumann. Although Schumann made some "symphonic attempts" in the autumn of 1840 soon after he married his beloved Clara Wieck, he did not compose his First Symphony until early 1841... |
B flat major | Op. 38 | 1841 | 33 |
96 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 6 Symphony No. 6 (Dvorák) Czech composer Antonín Dvořák composed his Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B. 112, in 1880. It is dedicated to Hans Richter, who was the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. With a performance time of approximately 40 minutes, the four-movement piece was one of the first of... |
D major | Op. 60, B. 112 | 1880 | 43 |
95 | Rachmaninoff | The Bells, choral symphony The Bells (Rachmaninoff) The Bells , Op. 35, is a choral symphony by Sergei Rachmaninoff, written in 1913. The words are from the poem The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe, very freely translated into Russian by the symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont. The traditional Gregorian melody Dies Irae is used frequently throughout the work... |
Op. 35 | 1913 | 37 | |
94 | Stravinsky | Symphony of Psalms Symphony of Psalms The Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky was written in 1930 and was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This piece is a three-movement choral symphony and was composed during Stravinsky's neoclassical period. The symphony derives... |
1930 | 21 | ||
93 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 6 Symphony No. 6 (Sibelius) Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104, was completed in 1923. Although the symphony is usually described as being "in D minor" the score does not contain a key attribution. Much of the symphony is in fact in the Dorian mode.... |
D minor | Op. 104 | 1923 | 25 |
92 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Shostakovich) Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Opus 43, between September 1935 and May 1936, after abandoning some preliminary sketch material... |
C minor | Op. 43 | 1936 | 68 |
91 | Nielsen | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Nielsen) Symphony No. 5, Op. 50, FS 97 is a symphony composed by Carl Nielsen in Denmark between 1920 and 1922. It was first performed in Copenhagen on 24 January 1922 with the composer conducting. It is one of the two of Nielsen's six symphonies lacking a subtitle.... |
Op. 50 | 1922 | 35 | |
90 | Nielsen | Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable Symphony No. 4 (Nielsen) Symphony No. 4 "The Inextinguishable", Op. 29, FS 76, by Danish composer Carl Nielsen, was completed in 1916. Composed against the backdrop of the First World War, this symphony is among the most dramatic that Nielsen wrote, featuring a "battle" between two sets of timpani.-Origin:Danish Composer... |
Op. 29 | 1916 | 34 | |
89 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 2 Song of Praise Symphony No. 2 (Mendelssohn) The Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, op. 52, called the "Lobgesang" Symphony, was composed by Felix Mendelssohn. It was written in 1840 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the invention of printing, along with the less-known Festgesang "Gutenberg Cantata".The composer's description of the work... |
B flat major | Op. 52 | 1840 | 65 |
88 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 2 Little Russian Symphony No. 2 (Tchaikovsky) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 in 1872. One of Tchaikovsky's very joyous compositions, it was successful upon its premiere; it also won the favor of the group of nationalistic Russian composers known as "The Five", led by Mily Balakirev... |
C minor | Op. 17 | 1872 | 33 |
87 | Berlioz | Harold in Italy, symphony for viola and orchestra | Op. 16 | 1834 | 44 | |
86 | Prokofiev | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Prokofiev) Sergei Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major in Soviet Russia in one month in the summer of 1944.-Background:Fourteen years had passed since Prokofiev's last symphony.... |
B flat major | Op. 100 | 1944 | 42 |
85 | Haydn | Symphony No. 45 Farewell Symphony No. 45 (Haydn) Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, known as the "Farewell" Symphony , was composed by Joseph Haydn in 1772.... |
F sharp minor | Hob. I/45 | 1772 | 25 |
84 | Mahler | The Song of the Earth Das Lied von der Erde Das Lied von der Erde is a large-scale work for two vocal soloists and orchestra by the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler... |
1909 | 64 | ||
83 | O'Boyle, Sean | River Symphony Sean O'Boyle (composer) Sean O'Boyle is an Australian composer and conductor.His River Symphony was performed by the Queensland Orchestra and released on ABC Classics in 2007 on a CD that also included Concerto for Didgeridoo composed with and recorded by William Barton... |
1999 | 24 | ||
82 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Rachmaninoff) Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13, is a music piece by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, written at Ivanovka, an estate near Tambov, Russia, between January and October 1895... |
D minor | Op. 13 | 1895 | 47 |
81 | Bračanin, Philip | Symphony No. 2 Choral Philip Bračanin Philip Bračanin is an Australian composer and musicologist. He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1962 with bachelors degrees in mathematics and music. He pursued graduate studies at the same school in musicology and composition, earning an MA in 1968 and a PhD in 1970... |
1995 | 39 | ||
80 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Sibelius) The Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63, is one of seven completed symphonies composed by Jean Sibelius. Written between 1910 and 1911, it was premiered in Helsinki on 3 April 1911 by the Philharmonia Society, with Sibelius conducting.... |
A minor | Op. 63 | 1911 | 33 |
79 | Haydn | Symphony No. 104 London Symphony No. 104 (Haydn) The Symphony No. 104 in D major is Joseph Haydn's final symphony. It is the last of the twelve so-called London Symphonies, and is known as the London Symphony.... |
D major | Hob. I/104 | 1795 | 28 |
78 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 5 Reformation Symphony No. 5 (Mendelssohn) The Symphony No. 5 in D major/D minor, Op. 107, called the Reformation Symphony, was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1830 in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. This Confession was a key document of Lutheranism and its Presentation to Emperor Charles V in... |
D major/D minor | Op. 107 | 1832 | 29 |
77 | Walton | Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Walton) The Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor by the English composer William Walton was commissioned by Sir Hamilton Harty, and completed in 1935.-Structure:The work is in four movements.# Allegro assai# Scherzo: Presto con malizia... |
B flat minor | 1935 | 44 | |
76 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 7 Sinfonia Antartica | 1952 | 42 | ||
75 | Tchaikovsky | Manfred Symphony Manfred Symphony The Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817... |
Op. 58 | 1885 | 48 | |
74 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 1 Winter Daydreams Symphony No. 1 (Tchaikovsky) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Winter Daydreams , Op. 13, in 1866, just after he accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory: it is the composer's earliest notable work. The composer's brother Modest claimed this work cost Tchaikovsky more labor and suffering... |
G minor | Op. 13 | 1866 | 44 |
73 | Schumann | Symphony No. 3 Rhenish Symphony No. 3 (Schumann) Composed from November 2 to December 9, 1850, the Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish” in E flat major, Op. 97, is the last symphony that Robert Schumann composed, although it was not the last symphony that he published... |
E flat major | Op. 97 | 1850 | 30 |
72 | Mozart | Symphony No. 36 Linz Symphony No. 36 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 36 in C major, KV 425, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during a stopover in the Austrian town of Linz on his and his wife's way back home to Vienna from Salzburg in late 1783. The entire symphony was written in four days to accommodate the local count's announcement, upon... |
C major | K. 425 | 1783 | 26 |
71 | Borodin | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Borodin) Symphony No. 2 in B minor by Alexander Borodin was composed intermittently between 1869 and 1876. It consists of four movements and is considered the most important large-scale work completed by the composer himself... |
B minor | 1876 | 25 | |
70 | Mozart | Symphony No. 35 Haffner Symphony No. 35 (Mozart) Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1782 and is also called the Haffner Symphony. It was commissioned by the Haffners, a prominent Salzburg family, for the occasion of Sigmund Haffner's ennoblement... |
D major | K. 385 | 1782 | 23 |
69 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 9 Symphony No. 9 (Bruckner) Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 in D minor is the last Symphony upon which he worked, leaving the last movement incomplete at the time of his death in 1896. The symphony was premiered under Ferdinand Löwe in Vienna in 1903, after Bruckner's death... |
D minor | 1896 | 59 | |
68 | Mozart | Symphony No. 25 Symphony No. 25 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183/173dB, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in October 1773, shortly after the success of his opera seria Lucio Silla. It was supposedly completed October 5, a mere two days after the completion of his Symphony No. 24, although this remains unsubstantiated... |
G minor | K. 183 | 1773 | 26 |
67 | Edwards, Ross | Symphony No. 1 Da pacem Domine Ross Edwards (composer) Ross Edwards is an Australian composer of a wide variety of music including orchestral and chamber music, choral music, children's music, opera and film music. He is not to be confused with a British up and coming singer-songwriter of the same name.-Life:Ross Edwards was born in Sydney... |
1991 | 29 | ||
66 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 7 Symphony No. 7 (Bruckner) Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 in E major is one of his best-known symphonies. It was written between 1881 and 1883 and was revised in 1885. It is dedicated to Ludwig II of Bavaria. The premiere, given under Arthur Nikisch and the Gewandhaus Orchestra in the opera house at Leipzig on 30... |
E major | 1883 | 62 | |
65 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 2 A London Symphony A London Symphony A London Symphony is the second symphony composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The work is sometimes referred to as the Symphony No. 2, though it was not designated as such by the composer... |
G major | 1913 | 61 | |
64 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 3 Symphony No. 3 (Rachmaninoff) Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 between 1935 and 1936. The Third Symphony is considered a transitional work in Rachmaninoff's output. In melodic outline and rhythm it is his most expressively Russian symphony, particularly in the dance rhythms of the finale... |
A minor | Op. 44 | 1936 | 41 |
63 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Beethoven) Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 in D major was written between 1801 and 1802 and is dedicated to Prince Lichnowsky.-Background:... |
D major | Op. 36 | 1802 | 33 |
62 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 1 A Sea Symphony | 1909 | 66 | ||
61 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 7 Symphony No. 7 (Dvorák) Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B. 141, by Antonín Dvořák was first performed in London on April 22, 1885 shortly after the piece was completed on March 17, 1885.-Compositional structure:Allegro maestosoPoco adagio... |
D minor | Op. 70, B. 141 | 1885 | 37 |
60 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Beethoven) Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major , is a symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, written in the summer of 1806. It was premiered in March of 1807 at a private concert of the home of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz... |
B flat major | Op. 60 | 1806 | 32 |
59 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 3 A Pastoral Symphony | 1921 | 34 | ||
58 | Haydn | Symphony No. 101 The Clock Symphony No. 101 (Haydn) The Symphony No. 101 in D major is the ninth of the twelve so-called London Symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as The Clock because of the "ticking" rhythm throughout the second movement.... |
D major | Hob. I/101 | 1794 | 29 |
57 | Elgar | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Elgar) Sir Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 2 in E major, Op. 63, was completed on 28 February 1911 and was premiered at the London Musical Festival at the Queen's Hall by the Queen's Hall Orchestra on 24 May 1911 with the composer conducting... |
E flat major | Op. 63 | 1911 | 56 |
56 | Messiaen | Turangalîla-Symphonie Turangalîla-Symphonie The Turangalîla-Symphonie is a large-scale piece of orchestral music by Olivier Messiaen. It was written from 1946 to 1948, on a commission by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The premiere was given by that orchestra on December 2, 1949, conducted by Leonard Bernstein in Boston... |
1948 | 73 | ||
55 | Mozart | Symphony No. 29 Symphony No. 29 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201/186a, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 6 April 1774. It is, along with Symphony No. 25, one of his better known early symphonies. Stanley Sadie characterizes it as "a landmark ..... |
A major | K. 201 | 1774 | 29 |
54 | Mahler | Symphony No. 6 Tragic Symphony No. 6 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 6 in A minor by Gustav Mahler, sometimes referred to as the Tragische , was composed between 1903 and 1904 . The work's first performance was in Essen, on May 27, 1906, conducted by the composer.The tragic, even nihilistic ending of No... |
A minor | 1904 | 87 | |
53 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 7 Symphony No. 7 (Sibelius) The Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105, was the final published symphony of Jean Sibelius. Completed in 1924, the Seventh is notable for being a one-movement symphony, in contrast to the standard symphonic formula of four movements... |
C major | Op. 105 | 1924 | 21 |
52 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 8 Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner) Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor is the last Symphony the composer completed. It exists in two major versions of 1887 and 1890. It was premiered under conductor Hans Richter in 1892 in Vienna... |
C minor | 1890 | 76 | |
51 | Mozart | Symphony No. 38 Prague Symphony No. 38 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in late 1786. It was premiered in Prague on January 19, 1787, a few weeks after Le nozze di Figaro opened there. It is popularly known as the Prague Symphony... |
D major | K. 504 | 1786 | 25 |
50 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 11 The Year 1905 Symphony No. 11 (Shostakovich) The Symphony No. 11 in G minor by Dmitri Shostakovich was written in 1957 and premiered by the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Natan Rakhlin on 30 October 1957... |
G minor | Op. 103 | 1957 | 64 |
49 | Strauss, R. | An Alpine Symphony | Op. 64 | 1915 | 48 | |
48 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Sibelius) Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 was written in 1898, when Sibelius was 33. The work was first performed on 26 April 1899 by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in an original version which has not survived. After the premiere, Sibelius made some... |
E minor | Op. 39 | 1900 | 37 |
47 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 10 Symphony No. 10 (Shostakovich) The Symphony No. 10 in E minor by Dmitri Shostakovich was premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky on 17 December 1953, following the death of Joseph Stalin in March that year... |
E minor | Op. 93 | 1953 | 51 |
46 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 4 Romantic Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner) Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major is one of the composer's most popular works. It was written in 1874 and revised several times through 1888. It was dedicated to Prince Konstantin of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. It was premiered in 1881 by Hans Richter in Vienna with great success... |
E flat major | 1888 | 64 | |
45 | Haydn | Symphony No. 94 The Surprise Symphony No. 94 (Haydn) The Symphony No. 94 in G major is the second of the twelve so-called London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is usually called by its nickname, the Surprise Symphony, although in German it is more often referred to as the Symphony "mit dem Paukenschlag" .-Date of composition:Haydn wrote... |
G major | Hob. I/94 | 1791 | 24 |
44 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Vaughan Williams) Symphony No. 5 by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was written between 1938 and 1943. In style it represents a shift away from the violent dissonance of the Fourth Symphony, and a return to the more romantic style of the earlier Pastoral Symphony... |
D major | 1943 | 40 | |
43 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 3 Symphony No. 3 (Sibelius) The Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52, by Jean Sibelius is a symphony in three movements composed in 1907. Coming between the romantic intensity of Sibelius's first two symphonies and the more austere complexity of his later symphonies, it is a good-natured, triumphal, and deceptively... |
C major | Op. 52 | 1907 | 29 |
42 | Franck | Symphony in D minor Symphony in D minor (Franck) The Symphony in D minor is the most famous orchestral work and the only symphony written by the 19th-century Belgian composer César Franck. After two years of work, the symphony was completed 22 August 1888. It was premiered at the Paris Conservatory on 17 February 1889 under the direction of ... |
D minor | 1888 | 39 | |
41 | Mahler | Symphony No. 9 Symphony No. 9 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1909 and 1910, and was the last symphony that he completed.Though the work is often described as being in the key of D major, the tonal scheme of the symphony as whole is progressive... |
D major | 1909 | 81 | |
40 | Schubert | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Schubert) The Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D.485, written in 1816 by Franz Schubert is a work in four movements:#Allegro in B, in divided cut time.#Andante con moto in E, in 6:8 time.#Menuetto... |
B flat major | D. 485 | 1816 | 27 |
39 | Mahler | Symphony No. 3 Symphony No. 3 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896. It is his longest piece and is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, with a typical performance lasting around ninety to one hundred minutes.- Structure :... |
D minor | 1896 | 93 | |
38 | Mozart | Symphony No. 39 Symphony No. 39 (Mozart) The Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 543, was completed on 26 June 1788.-Composition and premiere:The 39th Symphony is the first of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 on 10... |
E flat major | K. 543 | 1788 | 30 |
37 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 8 Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven) Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Beethoven fondly referred to it as "my little Symphony in F," distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F.... |
F major | Op. 93 | 1812 | 25 |
36 | Mahler | Symphony No. 8 Symphony of a Thousand Symphony No. 8 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is often performed with fewer than a... |
E flat major | 1907 | 80 | |
35 | Brahms | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Brahms) The Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, was composed by Johannes Brahms in the summer of 1877 during a visit to Pörtschach am Wörthersee, a town in the Austrian province of Carinthia. Its composition was brief in comparison with the fifteen years it took Brahms to complete his First Symphony... |
D major | Op. 73 | 1877 | 41 |
34 | Bizet | Symphony in C Symphony in C (Bizet) The Symphony in C is an early work by the French composer Georges Bizet. According to Grove's Dictionary, the symphony "reveals an extraordinarily accomplished talent for an 17-year-old student, in melodic invention, thematic handling and orchestration." Bizet started work on the symphony on 29... |
C major | 1855 | 28 | |
33 | Mahler | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 4 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1899 and 1901, though it incorporates a song originally written in 1892. The song, "Das himmlische Leben", presents a child's vision of Heaven. It is sung by a soprano in the work's fourth and last movement... |
G major | 1901 | 58 | |
32 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 8 Symphony No. 8 (Dvorák) The Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163, was composed and orchestrated by Antonín Dvořák within the two-and-a-half-month period from August 26 to November 8 1889 in Vysoká u Příbrami, Bohemia... |
G major | Op. 88, B. 163 | 1890 | 36 |
31 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 7 Leningrad Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich) Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 dedicated to the city of Leningrad was completed on 27 December 1941. In its time, the symphony was extremely popular in both Russia and the West as a symbol of resistance and defiance to Nazi totalitarianism and militarism... |
C major | Op. 60 | 1941 | 85 |
30 | Elgar | Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Elgar) Sir Edward Elgar's Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 55 is one of his two completed symphonies. The first performance was given by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter in Manchester, England, on 3 December 1908. It was widely known that Elgar had been planning a symphony for more than... |
A flat major | Op. 55 | 1908 | 53 |
29 | Brahms | Symphony No. 3 Symphony No. 3 (Brahms) The Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. The work was written in the summer of 1883 at Wiesbaden, nearly six years after he completed his Second Symphony... |
F major | Op. 90 | 1883 | 37 |
28 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written between 1877 and 1878. The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in Saint Petersburg on February 10 /February 22 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor.- Form :The symphony is in four... |
F minor | Op. 36 | 1878 | 44 |
27 | Prokofiev | Symphony No. 1 Classical Symphony No. 1 (Prokofiev) Sergei Prokofiev began work on his Symphony No. 1 in D major in 1916, but wrote most of it in 1917, finishing work on September 10. It is written in loose imitation of the style of Haydn , and is widely known as the Classical Symphony, a name given to it by the composer... |
D major | Op. 25 | 1917 | 14 |
26 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich) The Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, by Dmitri Shostakovich is a work for orchestra composed between April and July 1937. Its first performance was on November 21, 1937, in Leningrad by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky... |
D minor | Op. 47 | 1937 | 48 |
25 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Sibelius) Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82 is a major work for orchestra in three movements by Jean Sibelius.-History:Sibelius was commissioned to write this symphony by the Finnish government in honor of his 50th birthday, which had been declared a national holiday. The symphony was originally... |
E flat major | Op. 82 | 1919 | 30 |
24 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 3 Scottish Symphony No. 3 (Mendelssohn) The Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, known as the Scottish Symphony, is a work by Felix Mendelssohn. It is thought that a painting on a Scottish trip made by Mendelssohn had inspired the 33-year-old composer, especially the opening theme of the first movement.The emotional scope of the work is... |
A minor | Op. 56 | 1842 | 34 |
23 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 4 Italian Symphony No. 4 (Mendelssohn) The Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, commonly known as the Italian, is an orchestral symphony written by German composer Felix Mendelssohn .... |
A major | Op. 90 | 1833 | 27 |
22 | Brahms | Symphony No. 1 Symphony No. 1 (Brahms) The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that the symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years, from 1855 to 1876... |
C minor | Op. 68 | 1876 | 44 |
21 | Mahler | Symphony No. 1 Titan Symphony No. 1 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 1 in D major by Gustav Mahler was mainly composed between late 1887 and March 1888, though it incorporates music Mahler had composed for previous works. It was composed while Mahler was second conductor at the Leipzig Opera, Germany... |
D major | 1894 | 54 | |
20 | Brahms | Symphony No. 4 Symphony No. 4 (Brahms) The Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms is the last of his symphonies. Brahms began working on the piece in 1884, just a year after completing his Symphony No... |
E minor | Op. 98 | 1885 | 40 |
19 | Schubert | Symphony No. 8 Unfinished Symphony No. 8 (Schubert) Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor , commonly known as the "Unfinished Symphony" , D.759, was started in 1822 but left with only two movements known to be complete, even though Schubert would live for another six years. A scherzo, nearly completed in piano score but with only two pages... |
B minor | D. 759 | 1822 | 27 |
18 | Mahler | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the funereal trumpet solo that opens the work and the frequently performed Adagietto.The musical canvas and... |
C sharp minor | 1902 | 71 | |
17 | Górecki | Symphony No. 3 Symphony of Sorrowful Songs Symphony No. 3 (Górecki) The Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs , is a symphony in three movements composed by Henryk Górecki in Katowice, Poland, between October and December 1976. The work is indicative of the transition between Górecki's dissonant earlier manner and his more tonal... |
Op. 36 | 1976 | 56 | |
16 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Rachmaninoff) Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 is a music piece by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, created in 1906–07. The premiere was conducted by the composer himself in St. Petersburg on 8 February 1908. Its duration is approximately 60 minutes when performed uncut; cut performances can be as... |
E minor | Op. 27 | 1907 | 59 |
15 | Berlioz | Symphonie fantastique Symphonie Fantastique Symphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences... |
Op. 14 | 1830 | 56 | |
14 | Mahler | Symphony No. 2 Resurrection Symphony No. 2 (Mahler) The Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler, known as the Resurrection, was written between 1888 and 1894, and first performed in 1895. Apart from the Eighth Symphony, this symphony was Mahler's most popular and successful work during his lifetime. It is his first major work that would eventually mark his... |
C minor | 1894 | 84 | |
13 | Mozart | Symphony No. 40 Symphony No. 40 (Mozart) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550, in 1788. It is sometimes referred to as the "Great G minor symphony," to distinguish it from the "Little G minor symphony," No. 25. The two are the only minor key symphonies Mozart wrote.... |
G minor | K. 550 | 1788 | 35 |
12 | Mozart | Symphony No. 41 Jupiter Symphony No. 41 (Mozart) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, on 10 August 1788. It was the last symphony that he composed.The work is nicknamed the Jupiter Symphony... |
C major | K. 551 | 1788 | 27 |
11 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky) The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.-Structure:A typical... |
E minor | Op. 64 | 1888 | 46 |
10 | Schubert | Symphony No. 9 Great Symphony No. 9 (Schubert) The Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, known as the Great , is the final symphony completed by Franz Schubert. Nicknamed The Great C major originally to distinguish it from his Symphony No... |
C major | D. 944 | 1826 | 60 |
9 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2 (Sibelius) Jean Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 43 was started in Winter 1900 in Rapallo, Italy, and finished in 1902 in Finland. It was first performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society on 8 March 1902, with the composer conducting... |
D major | Op. 43 | 1902 | 44 |
8 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 3 Eroica Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major , also known as the Eroica , is a landmark musical work marking the full arrival of the composer's "middle-period," a series of unprecedented large scale works of emotional depth and structural rigor.The symphony is widely regarded as a mature... |
E flat major | Op. 55 | 1804 | 45 |
7 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 6 Pathétique Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky) The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October of that year, nine days before his death... |
B minor | Op. 74 | 1893 | 45 |
6 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast... |
C minor | Op. 67 | 1808 | 32 |
5 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 7 Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven) Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, was the seventh of his nine symphonies. He worked on it while staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.At its debut,... |
A major | Op. 92 | 1812 | 39 |
4 | Saint-Saëns | Symphony No. 3 Organ Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns) The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, was completed by Camille Saint-Saëns in 1886 at what was probably the artistic zenith of his career. It is also popularly known as the "Organ Symphony", even though it is not a true symphony for organ, but simply an orchestral symphony where two sections out... |
C minor | Op. 78 | 1886 | 35 |
3 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 6 Pastoral Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven) Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony , is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, and was completed in 1808... |
F major | Op. 68 | 1808 | 45 |
2 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 9 Choral Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem... |
D minor | Op. 125 | 1824 | 67 |
1 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 9 From the New World Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák) The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire... |
E minor | Op. 95, B. 178 | 1893 | 43 |
Programming
For more details about the works broadcast, see ABC Classic FM's programming notes:- Day 1: Numbers 100 to 86
- Day 2: Numbers 85 to 71
- Day 3: Numbers 70 to 58
- Day 4: Numbers 57 to 47
- Day 5: Numbers 46 to 34
- Day 6: Numbers 33 to 23
- Day 7: Numbers 22 to 13
- Day 8: Numbers 12 to 1 (including a live concert featuring symphonies 5 to 1)
Only one movement from symphonies 5 to 2 was played during the live concert on day 8 (all other works were played in their entirety).
The complete performances of symphonies 5 to 2 were played on the day following the conclusion of the countdown (see here for programming details).
The countdown contained approximately 72 hours and 35 minutes of music (this total includes works 2 to 5 played in their entirety).
By Composer
The following 32 composers were featured in the Classic 100 Symphony countdown:Composer | Symphonies |
---|---|
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of... |
8 |
Berlioz Hector Berlioz Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a... |
2 |
Bizet Georges Bizet Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a... |
1 |
Borodin Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music... |
1 |
Bračanin, Philip Philip Bračanin Philip Bračanin is an Australian composer and musicologist. He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1962 with bachelors degrees in mathematics and music. He pursued graduate studies at the same school in musicology and composition, earning an MA in 1968 and a PhD in 1970... |
1 |
Brahms Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene... |
4 |
Bruckner Anton Bruckner Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length... |
4 |
Dvořák Antonín Dvorák Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many... |
5 |
Edwards, Ross Ross Edwards (composer) Ross Edwards is an Australian composer of a wide variety of music including orchestral and chamber music, choral music, children's music, opera and film music. He is not to be confused with a British up and coming singer-songwriter of the same name.-Life:Ross Edwards was born in Sydney... |
1 |
Elgar Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos... |
2 |
Franck César Franck César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life.... |
1 |
Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with... |
1 |
Górecki Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during... |
1 |
Haydn Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms... |
5 |
Mahler Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic... |
9 |
Mendelssohn Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text... |
4 |
Messiaen Olivier Messiaen Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations... |
1 |
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music... |
8 |
Nielsen Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age... |
2 |
O'Boyle, Sean Sean O'Boyle (composer) Sean O'Boyle is an Australian composer and conductor.His River Symphony was performed by the Queensland Orchestra and released on ABC Classics in 2007 on a CD that also included Concerto for Didgeridoo composed with and recorded by William Barton... |
1 |
Prokofiev Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century... |
2 |
Rachmaninoff Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music... |
4 |
Schubert Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music... |
3 |
Saint-Saëns Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony... |
1 |
Schumann Robert Schumann Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era.... |
2 |
Shostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century.... |
5 |
Sibelius Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."... |
7 |
Strauss, Richard Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till... |
1 |
Stravinsky Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor.... |
1 |
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"... |
6 |
Walton William Walton Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera... |
1 |
Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many... |
5 |