Check out the playlist below for our Top 100 Classical Music Picks as chosen by you! Listeners heard our countdown on the air from Sept. 16-24, 2026, on Morning Café, Classical Pacific and Evening Concert.
Many thanks to Judy Anderson for helping us compile more than 200 entries!
100. Etude No. 1 for Guitar by Heitor Villa Lobos.
99. String Quartet No. 2 by Borodin.
98. Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich.
97. Piano Concerto No. 1,Op. 25, by Felix Mendelssohn.
96. Merry Widow (operetta) by Franz Lehár.
95. Un Sospiro by Liszt.
94. Turandot by Puccini.
93. Masquerade Suite - Waltz by Khachaturian.
92. Symphony No. 1 by Ippolitov-Ivanov.
91. Clarinet Quintet in B minor by Brahms.
90. Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss.
89. Quintet in C by Schubert.
88. Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky.
87. By the Still Waters,Op. 114 by Amy Beach.
86. Valses Nobles et Sentimental (piano version) by Ravel.
85. Concerto in A minor by Vivaldi.
84. Flute-viola-harp Trio (Sonata No. 2) by Debussy.
83. NocturneOp. 9 No. 2 by Chopin.
82. Piano Concerto No. 1 by Chopin.
81. Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61 by Chopin.
80. Ballade No. 1 in G minor by Chopin.
79. Prelude in E Minor by Chopin.
78. Waltzes by Chopin. Especially the one in C sharp minor.
77. Air on the G String by Bach.
76. Symphony No. 6 by Tchaikovsky.
75. Choral Fantasy by Beethoven.
74. Piano Sonata No. 31Op. 110 by Beethoven.
73. Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” by Beethoven.
72. Bourrée in E minor by Bach.
71. Violin Partitas by Bach.
70. Christmas Oratorio, Day 1 by Bach.
69. Goldberg Variations by Bach.
68. Symphony No. 40 by Mozart.
67. Piano Concerto No. 21 by Mozart.
66. Requiem by Brahms.
65. 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky.
64. Pavane for a Dead Princess by Ravel.
63. In the Steppes of Central Asia by Borodin.
62. The Mission: Gabriel’s Oboe by Morricone.
61. William Tell Overture by Rossini.
60. Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 by Greig.
59. Piano Concerto No. 2 by Brahms.
58. The Rite of Spring by Ravel.
57. Violin Concerto in D by Tchaikovsky.
56. Symphony No. 2 by Rachmaninov.
55. Mass in B minor by Bach.
54. Octet by Mendelssohn.
53. Symphony No. 3 by Brahms.
52. Symphony No. 2 by Sibelius. Especially the 3rd movement.
51. Má Vlast by Smetana. Especially “Moldau”.
50. Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 by Mahler.
49. String Quartet in F major by Ravel.
48. Symphony No. 3 by Gorecki
47. Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. Especially “The Cat”.
46. Pulcinella by Stravinsky.
45. Symphony No. 1 by Mahler.
44. Carmen by Bizet.
43. Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns.
42. Symphony No. 2 by Mahler.
41. The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II.
40. Swan Lake Ballet by Tchaikovsky.
39. Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky
38. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Grieg. Especially “Morning Mood”
37. Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov.
36. Daphnis et Chloe by Ravel.
35. The Magic Flute by Mozart.
34. Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky.
33. Symphony No. 4 by Brahms.
32. Messiah by Handel.
31. Violin Concerto by Sibelius, especially performed by Janine Jensen.
30. Marriage of Figaro by Mozart.
29. Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo.
28. Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
27. Concerto for two violins by Bach (also called Double Violin Concerto).
26. Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns. Especially The Swan, performed by Yo-Yo Ma.
25. Canon in D by Pachelbel.
24. Toccata & Fugue in D minor by Bach.
23. Für Elise by Beethoven.
22. Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven.
21. Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams.
20. Romeo and Juliet Ballet by Prokofiev.
19. Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. Especially performed by Andre Watts.
18. Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven. Especially the 2nd movement.
17. Nutcracker Ballet by Tchaikovsky. Especially Waltz of the Flowers.
16. Cello Suite No. 1 in G major by Bach.
15. Requiem by Mozart.
14. The Ring Cycle/Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner.
13. The Planets by Holst. Especially Jupiter.
12. Appalachian Spring by Copland.
11. Bolero by Ravel.
10. Carmina Burana: O Fortuna by Carl Orff.
9. Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov
8. Symphony No. 6 by Beethoven.
7. Clair de Lune by Debussy.
6. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. Especially as performed by Martha Argerich.
4. Brandenburg Concerti by Bach.
3. The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
2. Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven, esp. “Ode to Joy”.
1. Symphony No. 9 “New World” by Antonín Dvořák.
Listener top picks, including those that did not make the top 100, will be played throughout the coming year on your home for classical music.
If you'd like to request a particular piece of music, Gene Schiller invites listeners to call (808) 792-8245 during Sunday Brunch with your request. You can also email Gene (use subject line: Sunday Brunch). Sunday Brunch airs Sundays, 9 a.m. to noon on HPR-2.
Learn more about our classical music programming here.
