Rachmaninov and video games triumph in Classic FM Hall of Fame

2 April 2013, 10:05 | Updated: 16 December 2016, 16:09

Scores to video games have pushed Mozart and Beethoven out of the top 5 of the 2013 Classic FM Hall of Fame, while Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 holds firm at no. 1.

The Classic FM Hall of Fame 2013 has been topped, for the third year in a row, by Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2. The top 5 and the chart in general is notable for the significant presence of video games scores - video game soundtracks hold the no. 3 and no. 5 spots on the chart, pushing Beethoven out of the top 5.

Nobuo Uematsu's music from the Final Fantasy series of video games placed at no. 3 in the chart, while Jeremy Soule's soundtrack to The Elder Scrolls propped up the top 5. The second and fourth spots in the chart were held by Hall of Fame regular Ralph Vaughan Williams, with The Lark Ascending at no. 2 and the Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis at no. 4.

Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto dropped to no. 6, its lowest placing since 2003, while Mozart's Clarinet Concerto crashed to its lowest position in the chart's history, no. 8. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out by Allegri's Miserere, which climbed to its highest ever position at no. 10.

Mark Robins, a video games music enthusiast, commented: "I think it’s really important to remember we have some incredible contemporary composers, producing fantastic music for movies, TV shows and video games... The Classic FM Hall of Fame is the world’s largest poll of classical music tastes and for many millions of people this is “their” classical music. On those grounds, I think the chart is totally representative of what people are listening to and, crucially, enjoying today."

Elsewhere, video games also made their impact felt with Grant Kirkhope's music for Viva Piñata coming in at no. 174. Reaction to the increased prominence of video games music has  divided classical music lovers and video games enthusiasts, sparking fierce online debate. 

Do you have an opinion on video game music? Is it classical music? Should it be in the Hall of Fame? Have your say in the Classic FM Conversation