Classic 100 Symphony
# Classic 100 Symphony

During 2009, the Australian ABC Classic FM radio station conducted a survey of listeners' favourite symphonies. Participants were permitted to vote for their three preferred symphonies. The survey closed at the end of June 2009.

The works were broadcast (from number 100 to number 1) from 12–19 September 2009.

## Survey summary

| Rank | Composer | Work | Key | Opus | Completed | Length (minutes) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 100 | Haydn | Symphony No. 100 Military | G major | Hob. I/100 | 1794 | 25 |
| 99 | Glass | Symphony No. 4 Heroes | | | 1996 | 44 |
| 98 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 5 | F major | Op. 76, B. 54 | 1875 | 37 |
| 97 | Schumann | Symphony No. 1 Spring | B flat major | Op. 38 | 1841 | 33 |
| 96 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 6 | D major | Op. 60, B. 112 | 1880 | 43 |
| 95 | Rachmaninoff | The Bells, choral symphony | | Op. 35 | 1913 | 37 |
| 94 | Stravinsky | Symphony of Psalms | | | 1930 | 21 |
| 93 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 6 | D minor | Op. 104 | 1923 | 25 |
| 92 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 4 | C minor | Op. 43 | 1936 | 68 |
| 91 | Nielsen | Symphony No. 5 | | Op. 50 | 1922 | 35 |
| 90 | Nielsen | Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable | | Op. 29 | 1916 | 34 |
| 89 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 2 Song of Praise | B flat major | Op. 52 | 1840 | 65 |
| 88 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 2 Little Russian | C minor | Op. 17 | 1872 | 33 |
| 87 | Berlioz | Harold in Italy, symphony for viola and orchestra | | Op. 16 | 1834 | 44 |
| 86 | Prokofiev | Symphony No. 5 | B flat major | Op. 100 | 1944 | 42 |
| 85 | Haydn | Symphony No. 45 Farewell | F sharp minor | Hob. I/45 | 1772 | 25 |
| 84 | Mahler | The Song of the Earth | | | 1909 | 64 |
| 83 | O'Boyle, Sean | River Symphony | | | 1999 | 24 |
| 82 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 1 | D minor | Op. 13 | 1895 | 47 |
| 81 | Bračanin, Philip | Symphony No. 2 Choral | | | 1995 | 39 |
| 80 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 4 | A minor | Op. 63 | 1911 | 33 |
| 79 | Haydn | Symphony No. 104 London | D major | Hob. I/104 | 1795 | 28 |
| 78 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 5 Reformation | D major/D minor | Op. 107 | 1832 | 29 |
| 77 | Walton | Symphony No. 1 | B flat minor | | 1935 | 44 |
| 76 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 7 Sinfonia Antartica | | | 1952 | 42 |
| 75 | Tchaikovsky | Manfred Symphony | B minor | Op. 58 | 1885 | 48 |
| 74 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 1 Winter Daydreams | G minor | Op. 13 | 1866 | 44 |
| 73 | Schumann | Symphony No. 3 Rhenish | E flat major | Op. 97 | 1850 | 30 |
| 72 | Mozart | Symphony No. 36 Linz | C major | K. 425 | 1783 | 26 |
| 71 | Borodin | Symphony No. 2 | B minor | | 1876 | 25 |
| 70 | Mozart | Symphony No. 35 Haffner | D major | K. 385 | 1782 | 23 |
| 69 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 9 | D minor | | 1896 | 59 |
| 68 | Mozart | Symphony No. 25 | G minor | K. 183 | 1773 | 26 |
| 67 | Edwards, Ross | Symphony No. 1 Da pacem Domine | | | 1991 | 29 |
| 66 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 7 | E major | | 1883 | 62 |
| 65 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 2 A London Symphony | G major | | 1913 | 43 |
| 64 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 3 | A minor | Op. 44 | 1936 | 41 |
| 63 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 2 | D major | Op. 36 | 1802 | 33 |
| 62 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 1 A Sea Symphony | | | 1909 | 66 |
| 61 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 7 | D minor | Op. 70, B. 141 | 1885 | 37 |
| 60 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 4 | B flat major | Op. 60 | 1806 | 32 |
| 59 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 3 A Pastoral Symphony | | | 1921 | 34 |
| 58 | Haydn | Symphony No. 101 The Clock | D major | Hob. I/101 | 1794 | 29 |
| 57 | Elgar | Symphony No. 2 | E flat major | Op. 63 | 1911 | 56 |
| 56 | Messiaen | Turangalîla-Symphonie | | | 1948 | 73 |
| 55 | Mozart | Symphony No. 29 | A major | K. 201 | 1774 | 29 |
| 54 | Mahler | Symphony No. 6 Tragic | A minor | | 1904 | 87 |
| 53 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 7 | C major | Op. 105 | 1924 | 21 |
| 52 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 8 | C minor | | 1890 | 76 |
| 51 | Mozart | Symphony No. 38 Prague | D major | K. 504 | 1786 | 25 |
| 50 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 11 The Year 1905 | G minor | Op. 103 | 1957 | 64 |
| 49 | Strauss, R. | An Alpine Symphony | | Op. 64 | 1915 | 48 |
| 48 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 1 | E minor | Op. 39 | 1900 | 37 |
| 47 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 10 | E minor | Op. 93 | 1953 | 51 |
| 46 | Bruckner | Symphony No. 4 Romantic | E flat major | | 1888 | 64 |
| 45 | Haydn | Symphony No. 94 The Surprise | G major | Hob. I/94 | 1791 | 24 |
| 44 | Vaughan Williams | Symphony No. 5 | D major | | 1943 | 40 |
| 43 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 3 | C major | Op. 52 | 1907 | 29 |
| 42 | Franck | Symphony in D minor | D minor | | 1888 | 39 |
| 41 | Mahler | Symphony No. 9 | D major | | 1909 | 81 |
| 40 | Schubert | Symphony No. 5 | B flat major | D. 485 | 1816 | 27 |
| 39 | Mahler | Symphony No. 3 | D minor | | 1896 | 93 |
| 38 | Mozart | Symphony No. 39 | E flat major | K. 543 | 1788 | 30 |
| 37 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 8 | F major | Op. 93 | 1812 | 25 |
| 36 | Mahler | Symphony No. 8 Symphony of a Thousand | E flat major | | 1907 | 80 |
| 35 | Brahms | Symphony No. 2 | D major | Op. 73 | 1877 | 41 |
| 34 | Bizet | Symphony in C | C major | | 1855 | 28 |
| 33 | Mahler | Symphony No. 4 | G major | | 1901 | 58 |
| 32 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 8 | G major | Op. 88, B. 163 | 1890 | 36 |
| 31 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 7 Leningrad | C major | Op. 60 | 1941 | 85 |
| 30 | Elgar | Symphony No. 1 | A flat major | Op. 55 | 1908 | 53 |
| 29 | Brahms | Symphony No. 3 | F major | Op. 90 | 1883 | 37 |
| 28 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 4 | F minor | Op. 36 | 1878 | 44 |
| 27 | Prokofiev | Symphony No. 1 Classical | D major | Op. 25 | 1917 | 14 |
| 26 | Shostakovich | Symphony No. 5 | D minor | Op. 47 | 1937 | 48 |
| 25 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 5 | E flat major | Op. 82 | 1919 | 30 |
| 24 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 3 Scottish | A minor | Op. 56 | 1842 | 34 |
| 23 | Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 4 Italian | A major | Op. 90 | 1833 | 27 |
| 22 | Brahms | Symphony No. 1 | C minor | Op. 68 | 1876 | 44 |
| 21 | Mahler | Symphony No. 1 Titan | D major | | 1894 | 54 |
| 20 | Brahms | Symphony No. 4 | E minor | Op. 98 | 1885 | 40 |
| 19 | Schubert | Symphony No. 8 Unfinished | B minor | D. 759 | 1822 | 27 |
| 18 | Mahler | Symphony No. 5 | C sharp minor | | 1902 | 71 |
| 17 | Górecki | Symphony No. 3 Symphony of Sorrowful Songs | | Op. 36 | 1976 | 56 |
| 16 | Rachmaninoff | Symphony No. 2 | E minor | Op. 27 | 1907 | 59 |
| 15 | Berlioz | Symphonie fantastique | | Op. 14 | 1830 | 56 |
| 14 | Mahler | Symphony No. 2 Resurrection | C minor | | 1894 | 84 |
| 13 | Mozart | Symphony No. 40 | G minor | K. 550 | 1788 | 35 |
| 12 | Mozart | Symphony No. 41 Jupiter | C major | K. 551 | 1788 | 27 |
| 11 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 5 | E minor | Op. 64 | 1888 | 46 |
| 10 | Schubert | Symphony No. 9 Great | C major | D. 944 | 1826 | 60 |
| 9 | Sibelius | Symphony No. 2 | D major | Op. 43 | 1902 | 44 |
| 8 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 3 Eroica | E flat major | Op. 55 | 1804 | 45 |
| 7 | Tchaikovsky | Symphony No. 6 Pathétique | B minor | Op. 74 | 1893 | 45 |
| 6 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 5 | C minor | Op. 67 | 1808 | 32 |
| 5 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 7 | A major | Op. 92 | 1812 | 39 |
| 4 | Saint-Saëns | Symphony No. 3 Organ | C minor | Op. 78 | 1886 | 35 |
| 3 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 6 Pastoral | F major | Op. 68 | 1808 | 45 |
| 2 | Beethoven | Symphony No. 9 Choral | D minor | Op. 125 | 1824 | 67 |
| 1 | Dvořák | Symphony No. 9 From the New World | E minor | Op. 95, B. 178 | 1893 | 43 |

## Programming

For more details about the works broadcast, see ABC Classic FM's programming notes:

* Day 1: Numbers 100 to 86
* Day 2: Numbers 85 to 71
* Day 3: Numbers 70 to 58
* Day 4: Numbers 57 to 47
* Day 5: Numbers 46 to 34
* Day 6: Numbers 33 to 23
* Day 7: Numbers 22 to 13
* Day 8: Numbers 12 to 1 (including a live concert featuring symphonies 5 to 1)

Only one movement from symphonies 5 to 2 was played during the live concert on day 8 (all other works were played in their entirety).

The complete performances of symphonies 5 to 2 were played on the day following the conclusion of the countdown (see here for programming details).

The countdown contained approximately 72 hours and 35 minutes of music (this total includes works 2 to 5 played in their entirety).

## By Composer

The following 32 composers were featured in the Classic 100 Symphony countdown:

| Composer | Symphonies |
| - | - |
| Beethoven | 8 |
| Berlioz | 2 |
| Bizet | 1 |
| Borodin | 1 |
| Bračanin, Philip | 1 |
| Brahms | 4 |
| Bruckner | 4 |
| Dvořák | 5 |
| Edwards, Ross | 1 |
| Elgar | 2 |
| Franck | 1 |
| Glass | 1 |
| Górecki | 1 |
| Haydn | 5 |
| Mahler | 9 |
| Mendelssohn | 4 |
| Messiaen | 1 |
| Mozart | 8 |
| Nielsen | 2 |
| O'Boyle, Sean | 1 |
| Prokofiev | 2 |
| Rachmaninoff | 4 |
| Schubert | 3 |
| Saint-Saëns | 1 |
| Schumann | 2 |
| Shostakovich | 5 |
| Sibelius | 7 |
| Strauss, Richard | 1 |
| Stravinsky | 1 |
| Tchaikovsky | 6 |
| Walton | 1 |
| Vaughan Williams | 5 |
