Top 100 of the twentieth century

[KeithW]

The Australian classical radio station, ABC Classic FM is running its annual Top 100 event - this year they are focussing on twentieth century music.  In short, listeners voted for their choices some weeks ago, and during this week, the Top 100 are being played.  Programmes can be listened to off-air from http://www.abc.net.au/classic/program/classic100/

In the lead-up to the event, the station broadcast an excellent ten-part series (15 hours in total and also available for listening) called Illegal Harmonies - on the history of 20th century music - http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2011/09/18/3328672.htm

At the time of posting, the countdown has reached (starting at 100) number 41.  here's the list so far:

100, ADAMS - Nixon in China

99, RAMIREZ - Misa Criolla

98, PROKOFIEV - Lieutenant Kije Suite

97, ADDINSELL - Warsaw Concerto

96, SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony No.10 in E minor Op.93

95, TAVENER - Song for Athene

94, SIBELIUS - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105

93, ELGAR - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61

92, BRITTEN - Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings

91, LLOYD WEBBER - A Requiem: Pie Jesu

90, SHORE - Lord of the Rings

89, LEHAR - The Merry Widow

88, ELGAR - Dream of Gerontius

87, O'BOYLE - Concerto for Didgeridoo

86, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - Fantasia on Greensleeves

85, WEILL - The Threepenny Opera: Prologue and Act 1

84, VILLA LOBOS - Bachianas Brazileiras No.5

83, RAVEL - Daphnis and Chloe

82, GLASS - Akhnaten

81, MESSIAEN - Turangalila-Symphonie

80, GRAINGER - Irish Tune from County Derry

79, BARBER - Violin Concerto Op.14

78, ELGAR - Symphony No.1 in A-flat Op.55

77, GERSHWIN - Piano Concerto in F

76, BERNSTEIN - Candide

75, STRAUSS - An Alpine Symphony Op 64

74, KORNGOLD - Violin Concerto in D, Op35

73, MAHLER - Symphony No 6 in A Minor

72, GERSHWIN - An American in Paris

71, BRITTEN - A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

70, BRITTEN - A Ceremony of Carols

69, RACHMANINOFF - Vespers Op. 37 (All Night Vigil)

68, JENKINS - The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace

67, DEBUSSY - Preludes

66, MAHLER - Symphony No.9 in D

65, PARRY - Jerusalem

64, RESPIGHI - Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome)

63, SCHOENBERG - Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) for string sextet Op.4

62, RAVEL - Piano Concerto in G

61, MAHLER - Symphony No.4 in G

60, SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony No.7 in C Op.60, 'Leningrad'

59, BRITTEN - War Requiem

58, MAHLER - Symphony No.8 in E-flat, 'Symphony of a Thousand'

57, PROKOFIEV - Symphony No.1 in D Op.25, 'Classical'

56, PART - Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten

55, CANTELOUBE - Chants d'Auvergne (Songs of the Auvergne)

54, RAVEL - Pavane pour une infante defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)

53, RESPIGHI - Ancient Airs and Dances

52, PUCCINI - Turandot

51, SCULTHORPE - Kakadu

50, BRITTEN - Peter Grimes

49, EDWARDS - Dawn Mantras

48, SHOSTAKOVICH - Gadfly Suite

47, STRAVINSKY - Petrushka

46, SCULTHORPE - Small Town

45, EDWARDS - Violin Concerto 'Maninyas'

44, RACHMANINOFF - Symphony No.2 in e minor Op.27

43, GLASS - Violin Concerto No.1

42, BARTOK - Concerto for Orchestra

41, MESSIAEN - Quatuor Pour Le Fin Du Temps

[Karl Henning]

63, SCHOENBERG - Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) for string sextet Op.4

But . . . this sextet was written in 1899, solidly a 19^th-c. piece.

[KeithW]

But . . . this sextet was written in 1899, solidly a 19^th-c. piece.

Probably something to do with the International Date Line 

[Brian]

96, SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony No.10 in E minor Op.93

Wow. My vote for #1 went off the board fast. Something tells me a few of my other top twenty votes - Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra, Sibelius 4 and 5, Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues - don't have a snowball's chance.

They might yet agree with me about West Side Story, though!

[some guy]

Sad.

Australia has produced more than its share of new music people.

And more than its share of anti-modernists who frequent classical music discussion boards, too. (No names; no pack drill.)

And about the usual amount of radio listeners who choose the usual suspects with alarming consistency!

[Brian]

Australia has produced more than its share of new music people.

I did find it interesting that Ross Edwards and Peter Sculthorpe came up, and someone named "O'Boyle".

[DavidRoss]

I'm pleasantly surprised to see Glass's first violin concerto on the list. And I'd like to hear a concerto for digeridoo.

[Wendell_E]

But . . . this sextet was written in 1899, solidly a 19^th-c. piece.

But not unleased upon the public until 1902, so let's cut it a little slack.  As I hope they'll do for Pelléas et Mélisande. 

[Karl Henning]

Cut it some slack? As if we couldn't find 100 great 20th-c. pieces without Verklärte Nacht?

[Mirror Image]

83, RAVEL - Daphnis and Chloe

46, SCULTHORPE - Small Town

WTF? Sculthorpe's Small Town number 46 and Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe number 83? This is one of most idiotic lists I've ever seen.

[TheGSMoeller]

100, ADAMS - Nixon in China

99, RAMIREZ - Misa Criolla

98, PROKOFIEV - Lieutenant Kije Suite

97, ADDINSELL - Warsaw Concerto

96, SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony No.10 in E minor Op.93

94, SIBELIUS - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105

93, ELGAR - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61

92, BRITTEN - Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings

91, LLOYD WEBBER - A Requiem: Pie Jesu

I stopped reading the list after #91 showed up.

[Mirror Image]

I stopped reading the list after #91 showed up.

Yeah, I gave whenever I saw the placement of Sculthorpe over Ravel. I mean this is just ignorant.

[Mirror Image]

Oh and Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings film score over Shostakovich's 10th? WTF?!?!?!? This is just ridiculous...

I give up...I don't have time for this kind of stupidity.

[mc ukrneal]

It's just a popularity contest or a vote for a piece you want to hear on the radio. You can take any list like this and shread it to pieces if you really want to, but why bother getting all hot and bothered? It's just a bit of fun.

And I agree about the Shostakovich. How it got on the list at all is beyond me.... 

[Wendell_E]

Cut it some slack? As if we couldn't find 100 great 20th-c. pieces without Verklärte Nacht?

Considering that the list so far includes The Warsaw Concerto, Lloyd-Webber's Pie Jesu, Shore's Lord of the Rings score, and The Merry Widow , it looks like the answer to that question is "NO!!!!"

[Karl Henning]

I stopped reading the list after #91 showed up.

Now, for me, you see, that gauged the list . . . but I was not going to deprive myself of the entertainment value of reading on ; )

[chasmaniac]

Has anyone ever listed the top 100 top 100 lists? Then read them all on the radio? 

[not edward]

Has anyone ever listed the top 100 top 100 lists? Then read them all on the radio? 

Maybe we could have Top 100 Radio for this.

[KeithW]

This has clearly prompted some exasperation.  Perhaps I should post the Top 100 results of their polls over the past few years - 100 best symphonies; concertos; Mozart etc.

Here's the latest batch - Morricone disappointingly low 

40, STRAUSS - Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59

39, KATS-CHERNIN - Wild Swans

38, PROKOFIEV - Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67

37, RAVEL - String Quartet in F

36, MORRICONE - The Mission

35, STRAVINSKY - L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird)

34, DEBUSSY - La Mer

33, MAHLER - Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)

32, COPLAND - Fanfare for the Common Man

31, SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony No.5 in d minor Op.47

30, SIBELIUS - Symphony No. 5

29, WESTLAKE - Antarctica Suite

[Mirror Image]

It's just a popularity contest or a vote for a piece you want to hear on the radio. You can take any list like this and shread it to pieces if you really want to, but why bother getting all hot and bothered? It's just a bit of fun.

And I agree about the Shostakovich. How it got on the list at all is beyond me.... 

There's nothing fun about this list, Neal. If anything, it's depressing and pathetic.