‘The Lark Ascending’ tops the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2022 in Vaughan Williams’ 150th birthday year
18 April 2022, 20:45 | Updated: 19 April 2022, 19:14
2022 was also a record year for film themes, with a surge in votes for the music of Hans Zimmer, John Williams and John Barry.
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Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending has been voted No.1 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2022, the beloved English composer’s 150th birthday year.
Inspired by a poem about a skylark and epitomising a sense of freedom, The Lark Ascending has now topped the chart a record 12 times.
Almost 152,000 votes were cast in this year’s chart, the world’s biggest annual poll of classical music tastes – which also honours music from the film, TV, and gaming worlds.
It was a record year for movie music with 35 film scores in the Top 300, representing 12 percent of the total music. Climbing six places to No.10, the most popular film score for a fifth consecutive year is John Williams’ powerful soundtrack to Schindler’s List, marking the highest ever position for both the work and the movie maestro.
Williams, who celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year and has composed some of film’s most memorable themes including Star Wars (No.34), Harry Potter (39), Jurassic Park (52), and Indiana Jones (102), has nine entries in the chart – equal to last year.
View the full Top 300 >
John Williams conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in the 'Imperial March'
2022 has also seen the best-ever results for film composer Hans Zimmer, with Gladiator at No.37 and The Lion King at No.118. Meanwhile, John Barry’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service sits at No.68, with a new entry for Barry at No.76 and his score to Somewhere in Time.
Zimmer and Barry have seven and six pieces in the Classic FM Hall of Fame respectively – their highest ever – including new entries for Zimmer with The Dark Knight and Sherlock Holmes. This compares to the first ever Classic FM Hall of Fame, 26 years ago, when there were only two film entries.
Mozart reclaims the crown as the most popular composer with 16 entries, followed by Beethoven and Bach with 12 entries each.
It was also a record year for acclaimed composer and conductor Debbie Wiseman with seven pieces in the Classic FM Hall of Fame – her highest ever. Wiseman’s The Glorious Garden, a collaborative album with Alan Titchmarsh, placed at No.4, while her Music for Kings and Queens was the highest new entry in this year’s chart at No.28.
Listen on Global Player: Classic FM Hall of Fame 2022 – Top 300 Live Playlist
Alan Titchmarsh & Debbie Wiseman: Snowdrop
