The BBC and PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd) - the UK music copyright collecting society (CCS) that now promotes itself as "a music service company" - have announced a list of what has variously been characterised as the thirty "most listened to" classical works, "most played recordings", "most played classical music" or "most widely heard" classics over the past 70 years.
The list, alas not described in much detail on the PPL site, is "compiled ... from songs played on TV, radio, online streaming and in public places such as shops". The compilation includes works other than songs. It is apparently restricted to the UK and covers phonographic performances, ie playing tapes or disks rather than renditions by a live orchestra, band, choir or soloist.
What are the works that the guardians of the airwaves and coffee shop operators think that we should hear (or that we want to hear). Overall, a somewhat syruppy collection that offers a perspective on the 'most borrowed' list highlighted here -
1. Orff - 'O Fortuna' from Carmina BuranaMultiple appearance of particular works apparently reflects the popularity of specific performances (eg Charles Mackerras's Scheherazade is number 3, Seiji Ozawa's is number 28). There is no indication of context - did we hear yet another 'bang the saucepans' jingle from Orff as background noise in a coffee, chocolate or condom ad? - and no indication of whether consumption patterns have changed (eg Vaughan Williams was big in the sixties and seventies but is now way down the list in contemporary rankings?).
2. Vaughan Williams - Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
3. Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
4. Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty
5. Schumann - Romance In F Sharp Major Op.28/2
6. Delibes - Sylvia
7. Rachmaninov - Symphony No.2
8. Holst - The Planets
9. Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty
10. Schubert - Symphony No.5
11. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2
12. Bizet - Carmen
13. Holst - The Planets
14. Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
15. Zipoli - Elevazione For Cello And Oboe
16. Beethoven - Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral')
17. Grieg - Piano Concerto
18. Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake
19. Litolff - 'Scherzo' from Concerto Symphonique No.4
20. Holst - The Planets
21. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
22. Rodrigo - Concierto De Aranjuez
23. Saint-Saens - Symphony No.3 ('Organ')
24. Elgar - Cello Concerto
25. Bruch - Violin Concerto No.1
26. Mendelssohn - Symphony No.4 in A Major ('Italian')
27. Orff - 'O Fortuna' from Carmina Burana
28. Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
29. Holst - The Planets
30. Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream
