Top 100 Classical Works
by 
poppmusic 
Classical music presents a perennial challenge for a site like this. The main complication is that, without a "definitive recording", there are few classical recordings that qualify as "best album."* I have therefore devoted this genre to its own list. I avoided taking into account the quality of the recording of the work, and I have instead tried to independently rate my favorite 100 classical (long-form) works. The album chosen is somewhat arbitrary- I went with an option provided by the site if there was one, otherwise I inputted my favorite recording.
Please note that far from a comprehensive survey of classical music went into this, and much reflects a bias on the part of being a longtime orchestral french horn player (for instance, I have severely underrepresented works for piano).
*If I included classical albums, incorporating quality of recording, on my overall chart, the only two with enough independent merit that come to mind are the Solti/Vienna Ring Cycle and the Zubin Mehta/Joan Sutherland/Luciano Pavarotti recording of Turandot.
- Chart updated: 09/30/2016 16:15
- (Created: 08/20/2016 20:52).
- Chart size: 99 albums.
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Wagner, 'Die Walkure' (opera)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank in 2011:
None
Rank in 2010s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Puccini, 'Madama Butterfly' (opera)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
Year of Release:
1975
Appears in:
Rank in 1975:
None
Rank in 1970s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Holst, 'The Planets' (tone poem)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
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Puccini, 'Turandot' (opera)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
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Shostakovich, 'Symphony No. 5' (symphony)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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Tchaikovsky, 'The Nutcracker' (ballet)
[First added to this chart: 08/29/2016]
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Prokofiev, "Romeo and Juliet" (ballet)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
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Stravinksy, "The Rite of Spring" (ballet)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
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Dvorak, "Symphony No. 9, From the New World" (symphony)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
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Mozart, "The Marriage of Figaro" (opera)
[First added to this chart: 08/20/2016]
Total albums: 99. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Classical Works composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 14 | 14% | |
| 1960s | 12 | 12% | |
| 1970s | 17 | 17% | |
| 1980s | 13 | 13% | |
| 1990s | 22 | 22% | |
| 2000s | 14 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 7 | 7% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
31 | 31% | |
 |
21 | 21% | |
 |
16 | 16% | |
 |
12 | 12% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Classical Works chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 100th to 99th Romantic Music For Brass by Center City Brass Quintet |
| Up 1 from 99th to 98th Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden; Sadko; Mlada; Le Coq D'or by Gerard Schwarz / The Seattle Symphony |
| Up 1 from 98th to 97th Hindemith / Ligeti / Nielsen by Quintett.Wien |
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| Soundtracks | zonrod | Custom chart | 2014 |  |
| Top 16 Music Albums of 1992 | Coconut | 1992 year chart | 2016 | |
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Other custom charts by poppmusic
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Classical Works | poppmusic | Custom chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Songs | poppmusic | Custom chart | 2017 | |
Top 100 Classical Works ratings
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From 
salahshoori 10/31/2019 05:06 | #244294
salahshoori 10/31/2019 05:06 | #244294
Great list, it's exactly what I need right now!
Personally don't agree with the low places J.S. Bach and F.Liszt have in the list, and why there's no Rachmaninov at all? Anyway, this list is a great reference, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
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