Building a Classical Music Collection: The Top 250 Works
Welcome back, and thank you for your readership. It occurred to me as I was working on the Desert Island Classics that I may have “taken my eye off the ball” a bit when it comes to the goal of this newsletter. The goal is to cover the greatest classical works in the repertoire, and to review the most recommended recordings for those works. The Desert Island Classics series does not do that, at least not directly.
Therefore, in an effort to get back to the original purpose of the column, a more systematic approach to the greatest classical works is needed. I have determined that in order to really “build” a collection, it makes sense to go through those works individually, and pick out the best recordings.
The question is, what are the greatest classical works of all-time, and who actually decides the works chosen? Ultimately, for our purposes, I am the selector for the list of greatest classical works. However, I have had a LOT of help in compiling this list from various sources. In looking at both print and online resources, there is a fair amount of consensus about the greatest classical works My approach was to look at about 10 sources, or lists, and then to cross-reference them with each other to see which works were agreed upon, along with where the experts ranked each work. Finally, I used my own judgment to make the final decision whether a particular work should go on the list.
But how many works should be on the list? Regardless of how many you choose to include, there is of course a fair amount of subjectivity and there will always be outstanding works left off the list. Is 50 enough? 100? 200? Is 500 too many? It may feel a bit arbitrary, but I have landed on the number 250. So the plan is I will be going through the list of the top 250 classical works of all-time, and recommending the best recordings for each.
But how to proceed through the list? Alphabetically? No. Chronologically? No. Perhaps jump around randomly? That didn’t seem right either. What I have attempted to do is to rank the top 250 classical works from top to bottom based upon an average of where the work appeared when cross-referencing all sources together. Naturally there is still a great deal of subjectivity, and the further we progress down the list, the less agreement there will be about rankings. I have used my own experience and judgment to place works where I believe they belong on the list, but ultimately where each work lands on the list is less important than making the list at all.
While 250 works sounds like a lot, there are still truly great works left off the list. The long-range goal is to get to those works eventually, but only after we have covered the top 250. The list also contains some biases of course, both my own and those of the experts I have consulted to come up with the list. The Germanic masters are perhaps over-represented at the expense of others, and 20th Century and Modern classical works are probably under-represented. But when the goal is building a collection, the list contains the vast majority of works that we simply cannot ignore or skip over if you want to have a great classical music collection.
As for Desert Island Classics, that series will continue, albeit at a somewhat slower pace due to the work on Building a Collection. Also we will inevitably arrive at works I have already written about, and where I have already reviewed the best recordings. In those cases, you will hopefully forgive me if I use much of the same information again. But it is also very possible I will update those posts with new information, or with new recordings that have come to my attention or have been released more recently.
So, without further ado, below are the 250 greatest classical works of all-time in the order I have ranked them. It is an ambitious list, but fear not. Each of these works will be covered individually, and the best recordings will be recommended. Don’t focus too much on the ranking. I realize there may be quibbles about specific works being ranked ahead of, or after, other works. Again, the specific ranking is not as important as just being on the list. That is not to say anything about the popularity, genius, or influence of specific works, but the ranking per se will not be the focus. Also, if some of your favorites are not in the top 250, don’t despair. It is not any sort of negative judgement about those pieces, and I hope to eventually review your favorites as well.
See you next week when we will begin Building a Collection!
Wagner The Ring
Beethoven Symphony no. 9 "Choral"
Beethoven Symphony no. 5
Bach The Brandenburg Concertos
Handel Messiah
Bach Mass in B Minor
Mozart Symphony no. 41 "Jupiter"
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 6 "Pathetique"
Stravinsky Le Sacre du Printemps
Mozart Die Zauberflote
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Mahler Symphony no. 5
Verdi Requiem
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Dvorak Symphony no. 9 "From the New World"
Beethoven Symphony no. 3 "Eroica"
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2
Mahler Symphony no. 9
Mozart Requiem
Bach Goldberg Variations
Wagner Tristan und Isolde
Bach St. Matthew Passion
Brahms Symphony no. 4
Schubert String Quintet in C major
Mozart Piano Concerto no. 20
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 23 "Appassionata"
Copland Appalachian Spring
Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier
Haydn The Creation
Handel Water Music
Mozart Don Giovanni
Mahler Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection"
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro
Brahms A German Requiem
Debussy Clair de Lune
Mendelssohn Symphony no. 3 "Scottish"
Elgar Enigma Variations
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 3
Holst The Planets
Puccini Tosca
Schubert Symphony no. 9 "Great"
Sibelius Symphony no. 2
Mozart Symphony no. 40
Verdi Rigoletto
Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5 "Emperor"
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Schumann Piano Concerto
Ravel Daphnis et Chloe
Beethoven Symphony no. 7
Debussy La Mer
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Orff Carmina Burana
Puccini La Boheme
Mahler Das Lied Von Der Erde
Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker
Chopin 24 Preludes
Strauss, Richard Also Sprach Zarathustra
Bruckner Symphony no. 9
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Gorecki Symphony no. 3
Verdi La Traviata
Stravinsky Petrouchka
Grieg Piano Concerto
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Brahms Symphony no. 1
Mozart Serenade no. 13 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"
Rossini The Barber of Seville
Liszt Sonata in B minor
Chopin Ballade no. 1
Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez
Saint-Saens Symphony no. 3 "Organ"
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 1
Bach Cello Suites
Beethoven Cello Suites 1-5 and Variations for Cello and Piano
Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor
Dvorak Cello Concerto
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine (Verspers of 1610)
Pachelbel Canon
Respighi Roman Trilogy (Pines, Fountains, and Festivals)
Smetana Ma Vlast
Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2
Brahms Violin Concerto
Faure Requiem
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Schubert Piano Quintet "Trout"
Barber Adagio for Strings
Beethoven Missa Solemnis
Verdi Otello
Elgar Cello Concerto
Wagner Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 14 "Moonlight"
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto no. 1
Schubert Symphony no. 8 "Unfinished"
Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1
Strauss, Richard Till Eulenspiegel
Bruckner Symphony no. 7
Bach Orchestral Suites 1-4
Shostakovich Symphony no. 5
Beethoven Symphony no. 6 "Pastoral"
Mozart Clarinet Quintet
Strauss, Johann jr. Die Fledermaus
Wagner Parsifal
Sibelius Finlandia
Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 4
Strauss, Richard Der Rosenkavalier
Bruch Violin Concerto no. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 4
Stravinsky The Firebird
Schubert Winterreise
Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks
Rossini Overtures
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Mendelssohn Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream
Brahms Symphony no. 3
Strauss, Richard Eine Alpensinfonie
Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet
Haydn Symphony no. 104 "London"
Debussy Preludes
Verdi Aida
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
Reich Music for 18 Musicians
Strauss, Richard Ein Heldenleben
Brahms Piano Concerto no. 2
Beethoven String Quartet no. 14
Schoenberg Verklarte Nacht
Liszt Les Preludes
Schubert String Quartet no. 14 "Death and the Maiden"
Debussy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Grofe Grand Canyon Suite
Gershwin An American in Paris
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5
Dvorak Symphony no. 7
Grieg Peer Gynt
Bizet Carmen
Brahms Symphony no. 2
Ravel Bolero
Josquin Missa Pange Lingua
Mendelssohn Symphony no. 4 "Italian"
Strauss, Johann jr. On the Blue Danube Waltz
Britten Peter Grimes
Copland Rodeo
Bernstein West Side Story Suite
Barber Violin Concerto
Prokofiev Symphony no. 5
Dvorak Symphony no. 8
Bruckner Symphony no. 4
Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 1
Wagner Lohengrin
Puccini Madame Butterfly
Mozart Cosi Fan Tutte
Mussorgsky Boris Godunov
Mozart Piano Sonata no. 29 "Hammerklavier"
Tchaikovsky The Sleeping Beauty
Britten War Requiem
Elgar Symphony no. 1
Franck Violin Sonata
Elgar Violin Concerto
Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
Sibelius Symphony no. 5
Borodin Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor
Schubert Piano Sonata no. 21
Satie Gymnopedies
Mozart Piano Concerto no. 23
Beethoven String Quartet no. 15
Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 3
Mozart Symphony no. 38 "Prague"
Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings
Mahler Symphony no. 1 "Titan"
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Schumann Carnaval
Schubert "Wanderer" Fantasy
Dvorak Slavonic Dances
Mussorgsky A Night on Bare Mountain
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 8 "Pathetique"
Schumann Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood)
Brahms Piano Trio no. 1
Schumann Symphony no. 1 "Spring"
Dvorak String Quartet no. 12 "American"
Beethoven Piano Trio "Archduke"
Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 5 "Spring"
Byrd Masses for 5, 4, and 3 Voices
Bach Concerto for Two Violins 1043
Bruch Scottish Fantasy
Mendelssohn Octet
Beethoven Choral Fantasy
Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste
Charpentier Te Deum
Janacek Jenufa
Verdi Il Trovatore
Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
Franck Symphonie in D
Glazunov The Seasons
Janacek Glagolitic Mass
Hindemith Mathis der Maler
Chopin Etudes
Berlioz Grande Messe Des Morts
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 32
Haydn Trumpet Concerto
Grieg Holberg Suite
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Overture
Verdi Don Carlos
Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin
Haydn Cello Concerto no. 1
Hovhaness Symphony no. 2 "Mysterious Mountain"
Lalo Symphonie Espagnole
Lutoslawski Paganini Variations
Mahler Symphony no. 6
Bellini Norma
Mendelssohn Elijah
Mozart Solemn Vespers of the Confessor
Walton Belshazzar's Feast
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms
Bach The Art of the Fugue
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 21 "Waldstein"
Verdi Falstaff
Purcell Dido and Aeneas
Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture
Shostakovich Symphony no. 10
Mozart Serenade no. 10 "Gran Partita"
Haydn Symphony no. 101 "Clock"
Nielsen Symphony no. 5
Paganini 24 Caprices
Pergolesi Stabat Mater
Ives Three Places in New England
Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Festival Overture
Khachaturian Masquerade Suite
Schubert Impromptus
Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Schumann Kreisleriana
Scriabin Le Poeme d'Extase
Smetana Overture to The Bartered Bride
Strauss, Richard Don Juan
Vivaldi L'Estro Armonico
Mahler Symphony no. 4
Beethoven Triple Concerto
Price, Florence Symphony no. 1
Donizetti L’elisir d’amore
Messiaen Saint Francois d'Assise
Handel Giulio Cesare
Norgard Symphony no. 3
Rameau Une symphonie imaginaire
Monteverdi L’Orfeo
Strauss, Richard Four Last Songs
Ysaye Sonatas for Solo Violin
Gershwin Porgy and Bess
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Notes:
https://beckchris.com/music-lists/best-classical-music-of-all-time-the-critics-picks/
https://classicamerica.net/top-200-classical-works/
https://classicalmusiconly.com/lists/top/works
https://theclassicalstation.org/playlists/
https://discoverclassical.org/top100.htm
Goulding, Phil G. Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1000 Greatest Works. Fawcett Books. New York. 1992.
Mahler, David. https://classicamerica.net/the-100-greatest-pieces-of-classical-music-david-mahler/