Classical Countdown

An annual WETA Classical tradition. Listeners vote for their favorite classical music pieces and we play back the top 100 pieces during Thanksgiving week.

A Thanksgiving Tradition on WETA Classical

It's that time of year again! Limber up your voting fingers and get ready to take part in WETA Classical's annual listeners' choice competition — which lets YOU determine the most popular classical pieces in the DC area. 

Classical Countdown voting is open November 7 through November 13, and we’ll play back the top 100 picks during Thanksgiving week, counting down to the top piece, which will air on Thanksgiving night.  

The 2022 Classical Countdown

  • The Four Seasons

    Antonio Vivaldi

    #1

    Fabio Biondi (violin) | Europa Galante

    Virgin Classics 4546 (Vivaldi: Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione)

  • Symphony #9 "Choral"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #2

    Philippe Herreweghe (conductor) | Orchestre des Champs Elysees | Melanie Diener (soprano) | Petra Lang (mezzo-soprano) | Endrik Wottrich (tenor) | Dietrich Henschel (baritone) | Collegium Vocale La Chapelle Royale

    Harmonia Mundi 90.1687 (Beethoven: Symphony No. 9)

  • Symphony #9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World"

    Antonin Dvorák

    #3

    National Symphony Orchestra | Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)

    NSO 0001 (Dvorak Symphony No. 9, Copland Billy the Kid; Noseda/NSO)

  • Piano Concerto #2 in C Minor, Op. 18

    Sergei Rachmaninoff

    #4

    Yuja Wang (piano) | Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Claudio Abbado (conductor)

    DG 0015338 (Rachmaninoff: Paganini Rhapsody, Piano Concerto No. 2)

  • Symphony #7 in A Major, Op. 92

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #5

    Vienna Philharmonic | Andris Nelsons (conductor)

    DG 483.7071 (Beethoven Complete Symphonies)

  • Rhapsody in Blue

    George Gershwin

    #6

    Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano) | Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | Marin Alsop (conductor)

    Decca 0014091 (Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue & Piano Concerto)

  • Scheherazade

    Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

    #7

    Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam | Kirill Kondrashin (conductor)

    Philips 400.021 (Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade)

  • Symphony #3 "Organ"

    Camille Saint-Saëns

    #8

    Orchestra of the Bastille | Michael Matthes (organ) | Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

    DG 435.854 (Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 "Organ" - Messiaen: L'Ascension)

  • Pictures at an Exhibition

    Modest Mussorgsky

    #9

    Oslo Philharmonic | Mariss Jansons (conductor)

    EMI 49797 (Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, etc.)

  • Appalachian Spring

    Aaron Copland

    #10

    St. Paul Chamber Orchestra | Hugh Wolff (conductor)

    Teldec 2292-46314 (Copland: Appalachian Spring, Music for the Theatre)

  • Symphony #6 "Pastoral"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #11

    Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique | John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

    Archiv 439.900 (Beethoven: 9 Symphonies)

  • The Lark Ascending

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    #12

    Anne Akiko Meyers (violin) | Philharmonia Orchestra | Andrew Litton (conductor)

    RCA 61700 (Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Dvorák: Romance - Vaughn Williams: The lark Ascending - Massenet: Meditation from Thaïs)

  • Symphony #5 in C Minor, Op. 67

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #13

    Le Concert des Nations | Jordi Savall (conductor)

    Alia Vox 9937 (Beethoven: Revolution. Symphonies Nos. 1 a 5)

  • Nutcracker Suite

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #14

    Boston Pops | John Williams (conductor)

    Philips 412.556 (Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf)

  • Piano Concerto #5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #15

    Stewart Goodyear (piano) | BBC National Orchestra of Wales | Andrew Constantine (conductor)

    Orchid 100127 (Beethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos)

  • Adagio for Strings

    Samuel Barber

    #16

    St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin (conductor)

    EMI 49463 (Samuel Barber)

  • Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16

    Edvard Grieg

    #17

    Howard Shelley (piano) | Orchestra of Opera North | Howard Shelley (conductor)

    Chandos 10509 (Schumann, Grieg & Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos)

  • The Planets

    Gustav Holst

    #18

    Boston Symphony Orchestra | New England Conservatory Chorus | William Steinberg (conductor)

    DG 463.627 (Gustav Holst: The Planets)

  • 1812 Overture

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #19

    Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Sir Georg Solti (conductor)

    London 417.400 (Tchaikovsky: 1812, Romeo & Juliet, etc.)

  • Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104

    Antonín Dvorák

    #20

    Gautier Capuçon (cello) | Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra | Paavo Järvi (conductor)

    Virgin Classics 519035 (Dvorák & Herbert: Cello Concertos)

  • Canon and Gigue

    Johann Pachelbel

    #21

    Academy of St. Martin in the Fields | Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)

    Philips 416.386 (Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Pachelbel: Canon)

  • Ma Vlast: The Moldau

    Bedrich Smetana

    #22

    Oslo Philharmonic | Mariss Jansons (conductor)

    EMI 49860 (Dvorák: Symphonie No. 9 - Smetana: The Moldau)

  • Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata #147)

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #23

    Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

    DG 429.390 (Albinoni: Adagio - Pachelbel: Canon, etc.)

  • Toccata and Fugue D Minor (BWV 565)

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #24

    Boston Symphony Orchestra | Seiji Ozawa (conductor)

    Philips 432.092 (20th Century Bach)

  • Water Music

    George Frideric Handel

    #25

    L'Arte dell'Arco | Federico Guglielmo (conductor)

    CPO 777.312 (Händel: Water Music, Royal Fireworks)

  • Clarinet Concerto A Major (K. 622)

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #26

    Paul Meyer (clarinet) | English Chamber Orchestra | David Zinman (conductor)

    Denon 75289 (Mozart, Busoni & Copland: Clarinet Concertos)

  • Bolero

    Maurice Ravel

    #27

    French National Orchestra | Lorin Maazel (conductor)

    CBS 44781 (Holst: The Planets - Ravel: Bolero)

  • Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    #28

    St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin (conductor)

    Telarc 80059 (Vaughn Williams, Barber, Grainger, Faure & Satie)

  • Piano Concerto #1

    Frédéric Chopin

    #29

    Martha Argerich (piano) | London Symphony Orchestra | Claudio Abbado (conductor)

    DG 415.061 (Chopin & Liszt: Piano Concertos)

  • Symphony #2 in E Minor, Op. 27

    Sergei Rachmaninoff

    #30

    Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) | BBC Philharmonic

    Chandos 10589 (Rachmaninoff)

  • Clair de Lune

    Claude Debussy

    #31

    Boston Pops | John Williams (conductor)

    Philips 416.361 (Pops in Love)

  • Brandenburg Concerto #5

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #32

    Berlin Academy for Old Music

    Harmonia Mundi 90.1634/5 (Bach: Brandenburgische Konzerte)

  • Fanfare for the Common Man

    Aaron Copland

    #33

    London Symphony Orchestra | Aaron Copland (conductor)

    CBS 42430 (Copland: Appalachian Spring)

  • Gaîté parisienne: #9-15

    Jacques Offenbach

    #34

    Cincinnati Pops Orchestra | Erich Kunzel (conductor)

    Telarc 80294 (Offenbach: Gaîté Parisienne - Ibert: Divertissement)

  • Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries

    Richard Wagner

    #35

    Cleveland Orchestra | Franz Welser-Möst (conductor)

    DG 477.8773 (Wagner: Preludes & Overtures)

  • Swan Lake Suite

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #36

    Israel Philharmonic | Zubin Mehta (conductor)

    London 410.551 (Tchaikovsky: Suites from Swan Lake)

  • Symphony #1 in E Minor

    Florence Price

    #37

    Philadelphia Orchestra | Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)

    DG 486.2029 (Florence Price)

  • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

    Sergei Rachmaninoff

    #38

    Daniil Trifonov (piano) | Philadelphia Orchestra | Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)

    DG 479.4970 (Rachmaninov Variations: Trifonov)

  • Enigma Variations: Nimrod

    Sir Edward Elgar

    #39

    London Philharmonic | Leonard Slatkin (conductor)

    RCA 60073 (Elgar: Enigma Variatios, Cockaigne & Froissart Overtures)

  • Violin Concerto

    Felix Mendelssohn

    #40

    Maxim Vengerov (violin) | Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra | Kurt Masur (conductor)

    Teldec 4509-90875 (Bruch & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos)

  • The Bells of St. Geneviève

    Marin Marais

    #41

    Munich Pro Arte Orchestra | Kurt Redel (conductor)

    Peters International PLE 044 (Marais: Bells of St. Geneviève)

  • Symphony #5

    Gustav Mahler

    #42

    San Francisco Symphony | Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)

    San Francisco Symphony 60012 (Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor)

  • Piano Concerto #3 in D Minor, Op. 30

    Sergei Rachmaninoff

    #43

    Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) | London Symphony Orchestra | Antonio Pappano (conductor)

    EMI 40516 (Sergei Rachmaninov)

  • Symphony #3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #44

    Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra | Riccardo Chailly (conductor)

    Decca 478.2721 (Beethoven: The Symphonies)

  • Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

    Claude Debussy

    #45

    Los Angeles Philharmonic | Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)

    Sony 62599 (Debussy: Images. Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, La Mer)

  • String Quintet in C Major

    Franz Schubert

    #46

    Emerson String Quartet | Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)

    DG 431.792 (Schubert: String Quintet D 956)

  • Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #47

    Ray Chen (violin) | Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra | Daniel Harding (conductor)

    Sony 798410 (Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos)

  • Violin Concerto #1: III

    Max Bruch

    #48

    Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin) | Berlin Philharmonic | Herbert von Karajan (conductor)

    DG 400.031 (Mendelssohn & Bruch: Violin Concertos)

  • Sheep May Safely Graze (from Cantata #208)

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #49

    Academy of St. Martin in the Fields | Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)

    EMI 47027 (The Academy - By Request)

  • Symphony #5 in E Minor, Op 64: IV. Finale. Andante maestoso; Allegro vivace; Moderato assai e molto maestoso; Presto; Molto meno mosso

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #50

    London Symphony Orchestra | Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)

    LSO 0858 (Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5)

  • Peer Gynt Suite #1: Morning Mood

    Edvard Grieg

    #51

    Berlin Philharmonic | Herbert von Karajan (conductor)

    DG 0000352 (Karajan Forever, The Greatest Classical Hits)

  • Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights

    Sergei Prokofiev

    #52

    San Francisco Symphony | Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)

    RCA 68288 (Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet)

  • Violin Concerto

    Jean Sibelius

    #53

    Gil Shaham (violin) | Philharmonia Orchestra | Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor)

    DG 437.540 (Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto)

  • Piano Sonata #14 in C-sharp Major, Op. 27 #2 "Moonlight"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #54

    Alessio Bax (piano)

    Signum Classics 397 (Alessio Bax Plays Beethoven)

  • Concerto, BWV 1043

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #55

    Hilary Hahn (violin) | Margaret Batjer (violin) | Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra | Jeffrey Kahane (conductor)

    DG 0000986 (Bach: Concertos)

  • Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, Op. 22

    Frédéric Chopin

    #56

    Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)

    Decca 478.5334 (Dances)

  • Symphony #40 in G Minor, K. 550

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #57

    Mozart Akadamie Amsterdam | Jaap ter Linden (conductor)

    Brilliant 92540 (Mozart: Complete Works)

  • Warsaw Concerto

    Richard Addinsell

    #58

    Santiago Rodriguez (piano) | Fairfax Symphony Orchestra | William Hudson (conductor)

    Elan 82268 (Piano in Hollywood)

  • Music for the Royal Fireworks

    George Frideric Handel

    #59

    English Baroque Soloists | John Eliot Gardiner (conductor)

    Philips 411.122 (Händel: Music for the Royal Fireworks)

  • Piano Concerto #1

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #60

    Mikhail Pletnev (piano) | The Philharmonia | Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor)

    Virgin Classics 91190 (Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Concert Fantasy)

  • Carmen Suite

    Georges Bizet

    #61

    Orchestra of the Bastille | Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

    DG 431.778 (Bizet: Carmen Suite, L'Arsésienne Suites, Etc.)

  • Polonaise A-flat Major "Heroic" (Op. 53)

    Frédéric Chopin

    #62

    Olga Kern (piano)

    Harmonia Mundi 90.7402 (Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1)

  • Violin Concerto

    Johannes Brahms

    #63

    Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (violin) | Minnesota Orchestra | Edo de Waart (conductor)

    EMI 49429 (Brahms & Bruch: Violin Concertos)

  • Symphony #41 in C Major, K 551 "Jupiter"

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #64

    Tafelmusik | Bruno Weil (conductor)

    Analekta 9834 (Mozart: Symphones Nos. 40 & 41)

  • Symphony #2 "Resurrection"

    Gustav Mahler

    #65

    Budapest Festival Orchestra | Iván Fischer (conductor) | Hungarian Radio Choir | Lisa Milne (soprano) | Birgit Remmert (contralto)

    Channel 23506

  • Triple Concerto

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #66

    Beaux Arts Trio | Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra | Kurt Masur (conductor)

    Philips 438.005 (Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Choral Fantasy)

  • Symphony #1

    Johannes Brahms

    #67

    Berlin Philharmonic | Herbert von Karajan (conductor)

    DG 423.141 (Brahms: Symphony No. 1)

  • Finlandia

    Jean Sibelius

    #68

    Oslo Philharmonic | Mariss Jansons (conductor)

    EMI 54273 (Sibelius: Symphony No. 1, Finlandia & Karelia)

  • Carnival of the Animals

    Camille Saint-Saëns

    #69

    The Kanneh-Masons

    Decca 485.1156 (Carnival of the Animals)

  • Tannhauser: Overture

    Richard Wagner

    #70

    Philharmonia Orchestra | Lorin Maazel (conductor)

    CBS 36699 (Wagner: Overtures)

  • Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #71

    Academy of St. Martin in the Fields | Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)

    Philips 416.386 (Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Pachelbel: Canon)

  • Brandenburg Concerto #4

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #72

    Taverner Players | Andrew Parrott (conductor)

    EMI 49806 (Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos, etc.)

  • Violin Concerto: III

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #73

    Vadim Repin (violin) | Vienna Philharmonic | Riccardo Muti (conductor)

    DG 0009663 (Beethoven: Violin Concerto, "Kreutzer" Sonata)

  • Symphony #1 "Titan"

    Gustav Mahler

    #74

    Cleveland Orchestra | Christoph von Dohnányi (conductor)

    London 425.718 (Mahler: Symphony No. 1)

  • Adagio (after Tomaso Albinoni)

    Remo Giazotto

    #75

    Gautier Capuçon (cello) | Chamber Orchestra of Paris | Adrien Perruchon (conductor)

    Erato 521413 (Gautier Capucon: Emotions)

  • Piano Concerto #21

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #76

    Alfred Brendel (piano) | Academy of St. Martin in the Fields | Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)

    London 460.621 (Mozart: Piano Concertos 21 & 23)

  • Symphony #4: IV

    Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    #77

    Chicago Symphony Orchestra | Sir Georg Solti (conductor)

    London 414.192 (Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4)

  • Piano Sonata #21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein"

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #78

    Igor Levit (piano)

    Sony 584318 (Igor Levit: Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas)

  • Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: #1. Non allegro

    Sergei Rachmaninoff

    #79

    Philadelphia Orchestra | Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)

    DG 483.9839 (Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1; Symphonic Dances)

  • Brandenburg Concerto #3

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    #80

    Musica Antiqua Köln | Reinhard Goebel (conductor)

    Archiv 0001413 (Charpentier: Musique sacrée)

  • The Pines of Rome

    Ottorino Respighi

    #81

    San Francisco Symphony | Edo de Waart (conductor)

    Philips 411.419 (Respighi: Pini di Roma, Fontane di Roma, Gli Uccelli)

  • Symphony #8 in B Minor "Unfinished", D 759

    Franz Schubert

    #82

    Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Örebro | Thomas Dausgaard (conductor)

    BIS 1656 (Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9)

  • Piano Concerto #2

    Frédéric Chopin

    #83

    Murray Perahia (piano) | Israel Philharmonic | Zubin Mehta (conductor)

    Sony Classical 44922 (Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2)

  • William Tell: Overture

    Gioachino Rossini

    #84

    Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma | Antonio Pappano (conductor)

    Warner Classics 624344 (Rossini: Overtures)

  • Symphony #3 "Scottish"

    Felix Mendelssohn

    #85

    Cleveland Orchestra | Christoph von Dohnányi (conductor)

    Telarc 80184 (Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, "Scottish")

  • Symphony #8

    Antonín Dvorák

    #86

    Budapest Festival Orchestra | Iván Fischer (conductor)

    Quintana 90.3017 (Dvorák: Symphonie No. 8)

  • Für Elise

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #87

    Paul Lewis (piano)

    Harmonia Mundi 90.2416 (Beethoven: Fur Elise; Bagatelles)

  • Symphony #7 in D Minor, Op. 70

    Antonín Dvorák

    #88

    Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | Marin Alsop (conductor)

    Naxos 572.112 (Dvorák: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8)

  • Pavane

    Gabriel Fauré

    #89

    San Francisco Symphony | Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)

    SFS 60 (Masterpieces in Miniature)

  • String Quartet #12 "American"

    Antonín Dvorák

    #90

    Cleveland Quartet

    Telarc 80283 (Dvorák: Quartet No. 14, Quartet No. 12 "American")

  • Symphony #9 "Great"

    Franz Schubert

    #91

    Cleveland Orchestra | Christoph von Dohnányi (conductor)

    Telarc 80110 (Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C, "The Great")

  • Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod

    Richard Wagner

    #92

    Philadelphia Orchestra | Christian Thielemann (conductor)

    DG 453.485 (Wagner: Preludes & Orchestra Music)

  • Fantasie-Impromptu C-sharp Minor

    Frédéric Chopin

    #93

    Bella Davidovich (piano)

    Philips 411.427 (Chopin: Ballades, Impromputs)

  • Symphony #1

    Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov

    #94

    Scottish National Orchestra | Neeme Järvi (conductor)

    Chandos 8611 (Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 1, etc.)

  • Piano Concerto #4 in G Major, Op. 58

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    #95

    Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) | Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Leif Ove Andsnes (conductor)

    Sony 370548 (Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4)

  • The Marriage of Figaro: Overture

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    #96

    MusicAeterna | Teodor Currentzis (conductor)

    Sony 370926 (Le nozze di Figaro)

  • Holberg Suite

    Edvard Grieg

    #97

    Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | Neeme Järvi (conductor)

    DG 437.520 (Grieg: Works for String Orchestra)

  • Scottish Fantasy: IV-Finale

    Max Bruch

    #98

    Rachel Barton Pine (violin) | Scottish Chamber Orchestra | Alexander Platt (conductor)

    Cedille 90000.083 (Scottish Fantasies for Violin & Orchestra)

  • Blue Danube

    Johann Strauss II

    #99

    Vienna Philharmonic | Mariss Jansons (conductor)

    DG 477.5566 (New Year's Concert 2006)

  • Symphony #3 in C Minor

    Florence Price

    #100

    Philadelphia Orchestra | Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)

    DG 486.2029 (Florence Price)