What are the greatest pieces of music ever composed? 'The Classic FM Hall of Fame' celebrates classical music's unique ability to stir the emotions of a listener - whether it's the haunting melodies of Gorecki's 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs' or Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas'; the passionately charged opening bars of Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 5'; dramatic operas such as Puccini's 'La boheme'; the moving sounds of Rachmaninov's 'Piano Concerto No. 2' and Mozart's 'Clarinet Concerto'; beautiful ballet scores from Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky; or blockbuster film soundtracks composed by John Williams and Howard Shore. Based in fifteen years of selections by Classic FM's millions of listeners for the radio station's annual countdown of the nation's 300 favourite works, this definitive collection encompasses a rich variety of classical greats, contemporary masters, lesser-known treasures and great British composers to provide a fascinating insight into our relationship with the music we love. Darren Henley, Sam Jackson and Tim Lihoreau guide us through the world of classical music and the people responsible for creating and performing it.
Combining fascinating histories and biographies, recommended recordings and the ranking of the 300 pieces themselves, this book is as relevant to a new listener discovering the joys of classical music as it is to long-time lovers of the genre. 'The Classic FM Hall of Fame' is a beautifully illustrated testament to the enduring power of classical music to inspire, entertain, relax and invigorate us.