Beethoven now UK’s favourite composer

BRITAIN has appeared immovable on the subject of its favourite composer, with Mozart being crowned king of classical music year after year.

But Beethoven has taken the spoils in the Classic FM poll for the first time, with three of his works featuring in the top ten most popular pieces.

The German composer had a total of 19 pieces in the top 300, with his increased popularity being linked to his music featuring in Hollywood films. Unlike in previous years, Austrian child prodigy Mozart had only one composition in the top ten – his Clarinet Concerto – and 16 in the chart.

Classic FM presenter John Suchet pointed to film scores as a possible explanation for Beethoven’s rise. ‘Ever since we launched the first Classic FM Hall Of Fame in 1996, Mozart has taken precedence,’ he said.

‘I think that Beethoven’s new position as the most popular composer has to do with films such as the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech, which famously used his 7th Symphony, but his music is so universally popular. If you land on any street in any town in any country of the world, someone will know Beethoven’s work.’

Indeed, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 5 (Emperor), Symphony No 6 (Pastoral) and Symphony No 9 (Choral) all received a considerable portion of the 170,000 votes cast in the Hall of Fame survey, putting them in the top ten. A British composition was voted the nation’s favourite piece of classical music, with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending taking the top spot for the seventh time since 1996.

Cinema has a big influence on the chart. John Williams’ Star Wars theme climbed 38 places to 44th following last year’s release of a new film. He has five other entries in the chart, including Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park. Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings is the UK’s favourite film score, at number 28.