As part of Minnesota Public Radio's 50th-anniversary celebration, we asked you to select the pieces of music you think are essential to an appreciation of classical music. We've tallied your votes, and from Tuesday, Feb. 28, to Thursday, March 2, starting each day at 10 a.m. and continuing into the 7 p.m. hour, we'll count down the Top 50 Classical Favorites — as voted by you.
Follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #classicalTop50.
Countdown Summary
Aired Tuesday, Feb. 28
50. Peter Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto | Buy
49. Peter Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake Ballet Suite | Buy
48. Aaron Copland - Rodeo | Buy
47. Peter Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique' | Buy
46. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Magic Flute | Buy
45. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 | Buy
44. Gabriel Fauré - Requiem | Buy
43. Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor' | Buy
42. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherezade | Buy
Aired Wednesday, March 1
41. Johann Sebastian Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring | Buy
40. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Marriage of Figaro | Buy
39. Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune) | Buy
38. Bedrich Smetana - Ma vlast (My Country): Vltava (The Moldau) | Buy
37. Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique | Buy
36. George Frideric Handel - Water Music Suite No. 2 | Buy
35. Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise | Buy
34. Johannes Brahms - German Requiem: Wie lieblich (How lovely are thy dwelling places) | Buy
33. Dmitri Shostakovich - Festive Overture | Buy
32. Carl Orff - Carmina Burana | Buy
31. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' | Buy
30. Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending | Buy
29. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral' | Buy
28. Erik Satie - Gymnopédies Buy
27. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 40 | Buy
26. Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man | Buy
25. Peter Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture | Buy
24. Johann Pachelbel - Canon | Buy
23. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Eine kleine Nachtmusik | Buy
22. Ralph Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis | Buy
21. Claude Debussy - Suite Bergamasque | Buy
20. Jean Sibelius - Finlandia | Buy
Aired Thursday, March 2
19. Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations | Buy
18. Maurice Ravel - Bolero | Buy
17. Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 'Moonlight' | Buy
16. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' | Buy
15. Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique' | Buy
14. Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring | Buy
13. George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue | Buy
12. George Frideric Handel - Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus | Buy
11. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | Buy
10. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 | Buy
9. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 | Buy
8. Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring | Buy
7. Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor
6. Gustav Holst - The Planets | Buy
5. Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons | Buy
4. Antonin Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 'From the New World' | Buy
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem | Buy
2. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 | Buy
1. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 'Choral' | Buy
How well do you know the Top 50 pieces? Try the quiz!
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