Classic 100 Swoon

In 2015, the Australian radio station ABC Classic FM held the thirteenth of its annual Classic Music countdowns, during which the public votes for 100 favourite pieces. The chosen theme was "Swoon", which refers to a fainting and in this context is used to mean "little parcel of [musical] rapture" or music "that makes [the listeners'] world stand still." The Classic 100 Swoon countdown was broadcast in reverse order from 5 June to 8 June.

Countdown results

The results of the countdown are as follows:

Rank	Composer	Work	Date
1	Vaughan Williams, Ralph	The Lark Ascending	1920
2	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 (Adagio)	1791
3	Barber, Samuel	Adagio for Strings (orchestral and vocal versions)	1936
4	Pärt, Arvo	Spiegel im Spiegel	1978
5	Allegri, Gregorio	Miserere	1630s
6	Massenet, Jules	"Méditation" from Thaïs	1894
7	Elgar, Edward	Enigma Variations Op. 36 (includes Variation 9, Nimrod)	1898–99
8	Morricone, Ennio	The Mission (Includes Gabriel's Oboe original version)	1986
9	Fauré, Gabriel	Requiem Op.48 (includes Introit and Kyrie, Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei et Lux Aeterna, In Paradisum)	1887-90
10	Albinoni, Tomaso	Adagio in G minor
11	Satie, Erik	Gymnopédies	1888
12	Elgar, Edward	Cello Concerto in E minor (includes Adagio)	1919
13	Rachmaninoff, Sergei	Piano Concerto No. 2 (includes Adagio sostenuto)	1900–01
14	Mahler, Gustav	Symphony No. 5 (includes Adagietto)	1901–02
15	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major	1809–11
16	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Ave verum corpus, K. 618	1791
17	Bizet, Georges	The Pearl Fishers (Includes "Au fond du temple saint", "Je crois entendre encore")	1863
18	Vaughan Williams, Ralph	Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis	1910
19	Strauss, Richard	Four Last Songs	1948
20	Shostakovich, Dmitri	The Gadfly Suite	1955
21	Khachaturan, Aram	Spartacus (Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia)	1954
22	Puccini, Giacomo	Madama Butterfly (includes "One Fine Day", "Humming Chorus")	1904
23	Rodrigo, Joaquín	Concierto de Aranjuez	1939
24	Bruch, Max	Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor	1866
25	Bach, Johann Sebastian	St Matthew Passion BWV 244	1727
26	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Requiem in D minor K.626	1791
27	Pachelbel, Johann	Canon in D
28	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Cello Suite No. 1 in G major BWV 1007 (includes Prelude)
29	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major K.467 (Includes Andante)	1785
30	Purcell, Henry	Dido and Aeneas (includes "Dido's Lament")	1688
31	Mascagni, Pietro	Cavalleria rusticana	1890
32	Delibes, Léo	Lakmé	1881–81
33	Saint-Saëns, Camille	The Carnival of the Animals (includes "Aquarium", "The Swan")	1886
34	Rachmaninoff, Sergei	Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini	1934
35	Dvořák, Antonín	"O silver moon" from Rusalka	1901
36	Westlake, Nigel	Antarctica Suite	1991
37	Verdi, Giuseppe	Nabucco	1841
38	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Concerto for two violins in D minor BWV 1043 (includes Allegro ma non tanto)	1717–23
39	Grieg, Edvard	Peer Gynt	1875
40	Debussy, Claude	Suite Bergamasque (includes "Clair de Lune"; "Passepied")	1905
41	Holst, Gustav	The Planets Op.32	1914–16
42	Handel, George Frideric	Messiah HWV 56 (includes "Comfort Ye"; "I Know that my Redeemer Liveth")	1741
43	Tallis, Thomas	Spem in alium	c1570
44	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Così fan tutte K.588 (includes soave sia il vento)	1790
45	Dvořák, Antonín	Symphony No. 9 Op. 45 "From the New World" (includes largo)	1893
46	Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich	The Nutcracker Suite (Includes "Waltz of the Snowflakes"; "Danse Arabe"; "Waltz of the Flowers")	1892
47	Jenkins, Karl	The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace	1999
48	Canteloube, Joseph	Songs of the Auvergne (includes Baïlèro)	1923-30
49	Kats-Chernin, Elena	Wild Swans suite (includes Eliza's Aria and Green Leaf Prelude)	2003
50	Wagner, Richard	Tristan and Isolde (includes Prelude and Liebestod)	1857–59
51	Williams, John	Schindler's List (Main Theme)	1993
52	Edwards, Ross	Dawn Mantras
53	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 Moonlight (includes I. Adagio sostenuto)	1801
54	Handel, George Frideric	Xerxes, HWV 40 (includes "Ombra Mai Fu" – Largo)	1738
55	Debussy, Claude	Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun	1894
56	Sculthorpe, Peter	Small Town	1976
57	Pärt, Arvo	Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten	1977
58	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (includes II. Larghetto)	1806
59	Mendelssohn, Felix	The Hebrides' Overture, Op. 26 (Fingal's Cave)	1830
60	Rachmaninoff, Sergei	Vespers, Op. 37 (All-Night Vigil)	1915
61	Mendelssohn, Felix	Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (includes II. Andante)	1845
62	Bach, JS/Hess, Myra	Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring	1926
63	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Für Elise	1810
64	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Choral (includes III. Adagio molto e cantabile)	1824
65	Ravel, Maurice	Pavane for a Dead Princess	1899
66	Mendelssohn, Felix	A Midsummer Night's Dream	1826, 1842
67	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Symphony No. 7 in A major (includes II. Allegretto)	1811–12
68	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Cantata, BWV 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (includes "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring")	1716, 1723
69	Gluck, Christoph Willibald	Orpheus and Euridice (includes "Dance of the Blessed Spirits")	1762
70	Morricone, Ennio	Cinema Paradiso (includes Main Theme; Love Theme for Nata)	1988
71	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (includes Aria)	1741
72	Schubert, Franz	Impromptu in G-flat major	1827
73	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Mass in B minor, BWV 232	1749
74	Lloyd Webber, Andrew	Requiem (includes "Pie Jesu")	1984–85
75	Fauré, Gabriel	Cantique de Jean Racine	1864–65
76	Handel, George Frideric	Rinaldo (includes "Lascia ch'io pianga")	1711
77	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major (includes II. Adagio)	1786
78	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Clarinet Quintet, K581 (includes II. Larghetto)	1789
79	Brahms, Johannes	A German Requiem, Op. 45	1868
80	Górecki, Henryk	Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)	1976
81	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050	1721
82	Saint-Saëns, Camille	Samson and Delilah (includes "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix")	1877
83	Fauré, Gabriel	Pavane, Op. 50	1887
84	Gershwin, George	Porgy and Bess (includes "Summertime")	1934
85	Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra, K. 299	1778
86	Korngold, Erich Wolfgang	Die tote Stadt (includes "Glück das mir verblieb")	1920
87	Satie, Erik	Gnossiennes	1890s
88	Beethoven, Ludwig van	Symphony No. 6, Op. 68 (Pastoral)	1808
89	Chopin, Frédéric	Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11	1830
90	Schubert, Franz	Ave Maria	1825
91	Sculthorpe, Peter	Little Suite	1983
92	Dvořák, Antonín	Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104	1894–95
93	Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista	Stabat Mater	1736
94	Tavener, John	Song for Athene	1997
95	Albinoni, Tomaso	Oboe Concerto in D minor, Op. 9, No. 2	1722
96	Bellini, Vincenzo	Norma (includes "Casta diva")	1831
97	Strauss, Richard	Morgen!	1894
98	Bach, JS/Gounod, Charles	Ave Maria	1853
99	Bach, Johann Sebastian	Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 (includes Air on a G string)	1730
100	Puccini, Giacomo	"O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi	1917–1918

By composer

The following composers were featured in the countdown:

Composer	Nationality	Works
Albinoni	Italian	2
Allegri	Italian	1
JS Bach	German	9
Barber	American	1
Beethoven	German	7
Bellini	Italian	1
Bizet	French	1
Brahms	German	1
Bruch	German	1
Canteloube	French	1
Chopin	Polish	1
Debussy	French	2
Delibes	French	1
Dvořák	Czech	3
Edwards	Australian	1
Elgar	English	2
Fauré	French	3
Gershwin	American	1
Gluck	German	1
Gorecki	Polish	1
Gounod	French	1
Grieg	Norwegian	1
Handel	German-British	3
Hess	British	1
Holst	English	1
Jenkins	Welsh	1
Kats-Chernin	Australian	1
Khachaturian	Armenian	1
Korngold	Czech	1
Lloyd Webber	English	1
Mahler	Austrian	1
Mascagni	Italian	1
Massenet	French	1
Mendelssohn	German	3
Morricone	Italian	2
Mozart	Austrian	8
Pachelbel	German	1
Pergolesi	Italian	1
Puccini	Italian	2
Purcell	English	1
Pärt	Estonian	2
Rachmaninoff	Russian	3
Ravel	French	1
Rodrigo	Spanish	1
Saint-Saëns	French	2
Satie	French	2
Schubert	Austrian	2
Sculthorpe	Australian	2
Shostakovich	Russian	1
Strauss	German	2
Tallis	English	1
Tavener	British	1
Tchaikovsky	Russian	1
Vaughan Williams	English	2
Verdi	Italian	1
Wagner	German	1
Westlake	Australian	1
Williams	American	1

Note: Bach had 10 entries on the countdown, including Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring as part of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben and as a separate entry.

See also

• Classic 100 Countdowns (ABC)
• List of classical music composers by era