[remiquaver]

So over the past few days, I personally have been tuning in and out of the Classic FM hall of fame countdown and I was wondering what your thoughts are. Do you think that Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto Number 2 should have been at the top? What is your favourite piece of music.

I'll start off and say that I prefer Grieg's Piano Concerto to the Rach. I do love Rach though, but it wouldn't have been my number one. When I voted, mine was Elgar's Enigma Variations. I know it's quite a generic response but I have recently played it with my university orchestra and I absolutely loved all of the movements. I've always loved Nimrod and it makes me cry every time! What do you think?

[Scubar]

I didn't get a chance to listen to it over the weekend (stupid job), but I was pleased to see Skyrim and Aerith's theme in there, it's about time music from games started getting some recognition

my favourite piece in the hall of fame though, is probably the pastoral symphony, can listen to that all day

[atheistwithfaith]

My 'favorite of all time' is such an ephemeral label. At the moment, it probably is Rach. 2, but before that it was Mozart's Lacrimosa from his Requiem mass and before that it was the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

I think the situation in which I hear the music can change my impression of it a lot. I never much cared for Mozart's Requiem (I never gave it much of a chance) but then I watched the film Amadeus and I got a whole new appreciation of the power behind it.

[ApresAlkan]

Classic FM is rightfully renowned for playing music which doesn't need exposure, and all this Hall of Fame has done is enhance that. Computer games' soundtracks (which whilst fufilling their purpose well, are rarely worthwhile pieces of music beyond melodic invention) getting recognition whilst Liszt has only one entry--for the Hungarian Rhapsodies of all pieces--and Alkan, Moscheles, Thalberg, Lyupanov, Scriabin, Rzewski, Hamelin, Zimmerman, Bartok, Buxtehude none. All of these composers are masterful--yet for some of them, it was impossible to vote! The only time Alkan and Scriabin are ever played on that station is when they run programmes about people with 'funny deaths', and Alkan only because of a false rumour!
I would have voted for Alkan's minor-key etudes (crassly summarised by their system as 'Le Festin d'Esope, one of twelve) and the Liszt B-minor piano sonata, along with whatever else by either of those composers I might have been allowed.