Brief Encounter theme is UK's top classic

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 has been named Britain's most popular piece of classical music.

The haunting work, heard in the movie Brief Encounter, has won the accolade for the last five years.

This year, the concerto narrowly beat The Lark Ascending, by the English composer Vaughan Williams in the Classic FM poll.

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A came third, followed by Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5 in the annual chart.

English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams is the success of the last decade.

The Lark ... ascended from 18th place in Classic FM's first Hall of Fame in 1996.

Other British composers are also popular this year, with three names and four works represented in the top 10.

There are 56 British composers in the top 300, while Karl Jenkins leads the field of living British composers.

He has three entries, with the highest, The Armed Man, this year's number 9.

Sir Edward Elgar has more entries than any other British composer in the top 300, with 11.

Mozart remains the most prolific of the 100 composers in this year's chart with 21 entries.

Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach and Elgar wrote a quarter of all the entries in the top 300.

Rachmaninov was first voted into No 1 in 2001 after toppling Max Bruch's First Violin Concerto from the top spot where it had been for five years.

Classic FM station manager Darren Henley said: "The Hall of Fame is a constantly evolving chart and provides a unique insight into the musical tastes of the nation.

"As the largest poll of the public's classical music tastes, it's fascinating to see how works fall in and out of favour."

The top 300 was broadcast over the Easter weekend on Classic FM.

Here is the top 20:

1. Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor

2. Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending

3. Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A

4. Beethoven - Piano Concerto No 5 in Eb

5. Bruch - Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor

6. Beethoven - Symphony No 6

7. Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor

8. Elgar - Enigma Variations

9. Jenkins - The Armed Man

10. Grieg - Piano Concerto in A minor

11. Beethoven - Symphony No 9

12. Rachmaninov - Symphony No 2

13. Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

14. Saint-Saens - Symphony No 3

15. Barber - Adagio for Strings

16. Sibelius - Finlandia

17. Pachelbel - Canon in D

18. Bizet - Pearl Fishers' Duet

19. Holst - The Planets Suite

20. Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

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