The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music

Last updated
The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music
The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music.jpg
Studio album by
Released2009
Recorded Abbey Road Studios
Royal Festival Hall
Henry Wood Hall
Genre Classical
Label X5 Music Group
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music is a compilation of classical works recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor David Parry. [2] Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Royal Festival Hall and Henry Wood Hall in London, the compilation was released in digital formats in November, 2009 and as a 4-CD set in 2011. [3] The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music has sold over 200,000 copies and spent over three days as one of the top 10 classical albums on iTunes. [4]

Contents

Track listing

  1. Edvard GriegPeer Gynt Suite No. 1 op. 46: Morning Mood
  2. Ludwig van BeethovenSymphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67, "Fate": I. Allegro con brio
  3. Antonio VivaldiThe Four Seasons, op. 8, "Spring": Allegro
  4. Samuel BarberAdagio for Strings
  5. Richard WagnerThe Valkyrie: Ride of the Valkyries
  6. Frédéric ChopinNocturne No. 2 in E-Flat major, op. 9
  7. Johann PachelbelCanon in D Major
  8. Carl OrffCarmina Burana: O fortuna
  9. Johann Sebastian BachOrchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Air
  10. Gustav HolstThe Planets, op. 32: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
  11. Claude DebussySuite bergamasque, L 75: Clair de lune
  12. Giuseppe VerdiNabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate)
  13. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartPiano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467: II. Andante
  14. Johann Sebastian BachBrandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048: Allegro
  15. Jules MassenetThaïs: Meditation
  16. Antonín DvořákSymphony No. 9 in E minor, op. 95, "From the New World": II. Largo
  17. Johann Strauss IIOn the Beautiful Blue Danube, op. 314
  18. Johannes BrahmsHungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor
  19. Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskySwan Lake Suite, op. 20: Scène
  20. Erik SatieGymnopédie No. 1
  21. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartRequiem, K. 626: Lacrimosa dies illa
  22. Ludwig van BeethovenBagatelle in A minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise"
  23. Edward ElgarPomp and Circumstance, op. 39: Land of Hope and Glory
  24. Georges BizetCarmen Suite No. 2: Habanera
  25. Ludwig van BeethovenSymphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125, "Choral": Ode an die Freude
  26. Jacques OffenbachThe Tales of Hoffmann: Barcarolle
  27. Remo GiazottoAdagio in G minor for Strings and Organ (after T. Albinoni)
  28. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartSerenade No. 13 in G major, K. 525, "Eine kleine Nachtmusik": I. Allegro
  29. Gioachino RossiniThe Barber of Seville: Overture
  30. Ludwig van BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, op. 27:2, "Moonlight Sonata": Adagio sostenuto
  31. Bedřich SmetanaMá vlast (My Fatherland): Vltava (The Moldau River)
  32. Luigi BoccheriniString Quintet in E major, op. 13: Minuet (mislabeled – should be op. 11, No. 5 (G. 275): Minuet)
  33. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartSymphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550: I. Allegro molto
  34. Antonín DvořákSlavonic Dance No. 2, op. 72
  35. Charles GounodAve Maria (after J.S. Bach)
  36. Jean SibeliusFinlandia, op. 26
  37. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartPiano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331: Rondo alla turca
  38. Wolfgang Amadeus MozartThe Magic Flute, K. 620: Overture
  39. George Frideric HandelThe Messiah, HWV 56: Hallelujah Chorus
  40. Edvard GriegPeer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46: In the Hall of the Mountain King
  41. Gabriel FauréPavane
  42. Johann Sebastian BachDouble Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, BWV 1043: Vivace
  43. Georges BizetL'Arlésienne Suite No. 1: Prelude
  44. Johann Strauss IRadetzky March, op. 228
  45. Ludwig van BeethovenEgmont, op. 84: Overture
  46. Stanley MyersCavatina
  47. Arcangelo CorelliConcerto Grosso No. 8 in G minor, op. 6: "Christmas Concerto": Allegro
  48. Sergei RachmaninoffVocalise, op. 34
  49. Giuseppe VerdiMessa da Requiem: Dies irae - Tuba mirum
  50. Gustav MahlerSymphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor: Adagietto

Charts

Chart (2010–16)Peak
position
Australian Catalogue Albums (ARIA) [5] 36
Belgian Classical Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [6] 16
French Albums (SNEP) [6] 70
Italian Albums (FIMI)71
UK Albums (OCC) [7] 90
UK Classical Artist Albums (OCC) [8] 1
US Billboard 200 [9] 136
US Classical Albums ( Billboard ) [10] 1
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [11] 21

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [12] Gold50,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [13] Gold100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Perahia</span> American pianist and conductor

Murray David Perahia is an American pianist and conductor. He has been considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Known as a leading interpreter of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann, among other composers, Perahia has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards from a total of 18 nominations, and 9 Gramophone Awards in addition to its first and only "Piano Award".

James Ehnes, is a Canadian concert violinist and violist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Levin (musicologist)</span> American classical pianist, musicologist and composer

Robert David Levin is an American classical pianist, musicologist, and composer. He was a professor of music at Harvard University from 1994 to 2014 and the artistic director of the Sarasota Music Festival from 2007 to 2017.

C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Geringas</span> Lithuanian cellist and conductor

David Geringas is a Lithuanian cellist and conductor who studied under Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1970 he won the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. He also plays the baryton, a rare instrument associated with music of Joseph Haydn.

D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps.

F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor.

G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major.

D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major.

E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.

B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.

F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp minor, has six single sharps and the double sharp F, which makes it impractical to use.

Discography for the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Laszlo Varga was a Hungarian-born American cellist who had a worldwide status as a soloist, recording artist, and authoritative cello teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piotr Anderszewski</span> Polish pianist and composer (born 1969)

Piotr Anderszewski is a Polish pianist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yona Ettlinger</span> German clarinetist (1924–1981)

Yona Ettlinger was a clarinetist who played and taught in Israel, France and England. Ettlinger is considered a prominent classical clarinetist of his generation, and one of Israel's notable instrumentalists. His musicianship and unique sound influenced the art of clarinet playing in Israel and Europe in the second half of the 20th century. Many clarinet soloists and orchestra players of different countries were among his students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermann Ritter</span> German violist, composer and music historian (1849 - 1926)

Hermann Ritter was a German viola player, composer and music historian.

<i>Hooked on Classics</i> 1981 studio album by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Hooked on Classics is a classical crossover album recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Louis Clark, released in 1981 by K-tel and distributed by RCA Records, part of the Hooked on Classics series. It was produced by Jeff Jarratt and Don Reedman.

<i>Hooked on Classics 2: Cant Stop the Classics</i> 1982 studio album by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Hooked on Classics 2: Can't Stop the Classics is an album by Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, published in 1982 by K-tel, part of the Hooked on Classics series.

References

  1. The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music at AllMusic. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  2. Sanderson, Blair (November 23, 2009). "The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-01-12.
  3. "CD: 50 Greatest Classics | LPO". www.lpo.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-05-24.
  4. "Searching search engines for the sound of music". 23 February 2012.
  5. "ARIA Catalogue Albums Chart". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 "The London Philharmonic Orchestra – The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  7. "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2011". zobbel.de. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  8. "Official Classical Artist Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company Classical Artist Albums Chart. 27 July 2018 – 2 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  9. "London Philharmonic Orchestra Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  10. "London Philharmonic Orchestra The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music Chart History". Billboard Top Classical Albums. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  11. "London Philharmonic Orchestra The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music Chart History". Billboard Independent Albums. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  12. "French album certifications – London Philharmonic Orchestra – The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  13. "British album certifications – London Philharmonic Orchestra – The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved February 21, 2024.

[Classical Beast]