‘Brief Encounter’ theme is UK’s favourite classic
April 26th, 2011 - 1:53 pm ICT by ANILondon, April 26 (ANI): Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2, known to many as the ‘Brief Encounter’ theme, has been voted the favourite piece of classical music in the UK.
The tune, featured throughout the 1945 David Lean’s tale of lost love starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, came top in the poll of Classic FM listeners, reports the Telegraph.
It knocked Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’ from the top spot in the annual poll to second place for the first time in four years.
Mozart was declared the nation’s favourite composer with 20 entries in the top 300.
More than 180,000 people voted in the poll, which saw Williams take third place as well with his ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’.
Here is the top 10:
1. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 2
2. Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
3. Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
4. Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 (”Emperor”)
5. Mozart - Clarinet Concerto
6. Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (”Pastoral”)
7. Elgar - Enigma Variations
8. Elgar - Cello Concerto
9. Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1
10. Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 (”Choral”).
“The Classic FM Hall of Fame proves that music written hundreds of years ago is very much alive today. It is fantastic to see the British public voting in their thousands and championing their favourite classical music,” said the station’s managing director Darren Henley. (ANI)
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Tags: beethoven piano concerto, beethoven symphony, brief encounter, bruch violin concerto, celia johnson, david lean, elgar cello concerto, elgar enigma variations, fantasia on a theme, fantasia on a theme by thomas tallis, fm listeners, hall of fame, hundreds of years, lark, mozart clarinet concerto, rachmaninov, symphony no 6, symphony no 9, trevor howard, vaughan williams