Beethoven again the winner in the ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time

“Beethoven’s Ninth coming in at #1 is no surprise. This is music of togetherness. It’s about rising up against destruction and division to prove that joy, love and the bond of humanity is and always will be, the antidote.”

So said ABC Classic breakfast presenter Megan Burslem on announcing the top song voted by listeners in this year’s countdown of the Greatest of All Time.

That Beethoven composed this celebratory piece while deaf is extraordinary. The story of it’s performance to a standing ovation, which Megan tells above, heartwarming.

Beethoven’s Ninth (which includes the famous Ode To Joy finale) got the top honour for the fifth time in the history of the ABC Classic countdowns showing how much it continues to resonate across generations. Beethoven had eight entries in the top 100 in total with his Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’ in second place. Rounding out the top three was Gustav Holst’s The Planets.

Marking ABC Classic’s 50th anniversary, the ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time had 187,000 votes which included 10 entries from Australian composers including Peter Sculthorpe, Elena Kats-Chernin, Nigel Westlake & Lior and First Nations artists William Barton and Gurrumul.

John Williams had five entries, placing him just behind Mozart (6 entries) and Beethoven. There were 17 Soundtracks, 9 Operas, 6 Ballets, and 1 Musical. The span of time between the oldest piece featured and the newest piece written is over 860 years.

Megan Burslem added:

“In this ABC Classic 100, we saw the depth and breadth of the classical music audience in this country. We have great taste in our little corner of the world, but I’m especially proud of the new Australian classical music in the mix. We heard from listeners who have just discovered one or two classical music pieces, to voters who have adored classical music for a lifetime. That in itself shows that great art, art that tells our stories, will always be great no matter if it was created yesterday or in the 12th century.”

The live ABC Classic 100 premieres Saturday, 27 June at 7.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. Hosted by Megan and Jeremy Fernandez, the event will feature highlights from the Greatest of All Time countdown performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Northey. Award-winning pianist Andrea Lam – and host of ABC’s The Piano – joins an acclaimed lineup including Nina Korbe, CJ Jones (from ABC’s The Piano), Natalie Chee, Warren Trevelyn-Jones and the MSO Chorus.

The full list pf the ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time is here.

The top ten is below.

#1 – Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ‘Choral’ (includes “Ode to Joy”) 

#2 – Beethoven, Ludwig van: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, ‘Emperor’ 

#3 – Holst, Gustav: The Planets Op. 32 

#4 – Vaughan Williams: Ralph, The Lark Ascending 

#5 – Handel, George Frideric: Messiah, HWV56 (includes “Hallelujah Chorus”) 

#6 – Jenkins, Karl: The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (includes “Benedictus”) 

#7 – Gershwin, George: Rhapsody in Blue 

#8 – Bach, Johann Sebastian: Cello Suites, BWV1007-1012 

#9 – Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Requiem in D minor, K626 

#10 – Barber, Samuel: Adagio for Strings / Agnus Dei