A curated collection of 300 classical works and cycles: symphonies, concertos, keyboard music, opera, chamber and choral music. Explore composers, background and listening guides.
One entry per work or cycle. Whole symphonies, operas and sets count as one entry. The collection draws on the supplied candidate lists and is presented alphabetically rather than as a definitive ranking.
39 matching works | Showing 26-39 | Page 2 of 2
Composition: 1791
The famous loud chord interrupts an otherwise quiet phrase in the second movement of Haydn's Surprise Symphony. The movement continues as a set of variations, so the joke is only one element of a larger design. Written for Haydn's first...
Composition: 1791
Haydn's Ninety-fifth is the only minor-key member of the twelve London symphonies and begins directly, without a slow introduction. Its second movement contains variations with a prominent cello contribution. The minuet returns to the...
Composition: 1791
Haydn's Ninety-sixth was among the first symphonies written for his London concerts. Its four movements move from a slow introduction to a bright Allegro, an Andante, minuet and quick finale. The Miracle nickname arose from a confused...
Composition: 1792
Haydn wrote the 97th Symphony during his first London visit. The slow introduction sets up a vigorous C-major opening movement, while later movements exploit precise changes of articulation and instrumental colour. In the minuet,...
Composition: 1791-1792
Haydn's 98th Symphony begins in B-flat minor before establishing the major-key movement that follows. Its finale contains an unusual keyboard solo, recalling Haydn's own role directing London performances from the keyboard. The...
Composition: 1793
Haydn wrote the Ninety-ninth for his second London visit. It was the first of his symphonies to include clarinets, enriching the wind group alongside the existing flutes, oboes and bassoons. A slow introduction leads into a vigorous...
Composition: 1941
Herrmann composed this concert symphony during the period when his work for radio was helping establish his wider reputation. He conducted its first broadcast performance with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra in 1941. Unlike his screen...
Composition: 1940
Hindemith composed this independent orchestral symphony in 1940, during his move into American musical life. Unlike his symphonic works derived from operas, it carries a key designation rather than a dramatic title. Its four movements...
Composition: 1934
Hindemith shaped this three-movement symphony while working on his opera about the painter Matthias Grunewald. The movements correspond to images associated with the Isenheim Altarpiece: an angelic concert, an entombment, and the...
Composition: 1914-1917
Holst organized The Planets around the astrological characters associated with seven planets. The movements are contrasting character pieces, from the irregular march of Mars to the fading voices of Neptune. Earth is absent, and the...
Composition: 1941
Honegger wrote his Second Symphony for Paul Sacher and the Basel Chamber Orchestra. Its principal forces are strings, with a trumpet that may reinforce the chorale near the end of the finale. Three movements move between sustained...
Composition: 1945-1946
Honegger's Third Symphony uses Latin liturgical headings for three entirely instrumental movements: Dies irae, De profundis clamavi and Dona nobis pacem. Written at the end of the Second World War, it confronts violence and the search...
Composition: 1955
Mysterious Mountain unfolds in three movements, with a double fugue at its centre. Hovhaness balances sustained, hymn-like orchestral writing with flowing contrapuntal activity. The mountain in the title is a symbol rather than a named...
Composition: 1981-1982
Hovhaness gave this symphony an explicit connection to Mount St. Helens and its 1980 eruption. Its three movements move from landscape and a love song associated with Spirit Lake toward the volcano's destructive activity. Large...
The 300-entry selection uses the 100 general favorites in the supplied classical list, then adds the earliest 200 nonduplicate symphony candidates in the supplied order. It is a curated discovery collection, not a universal popularity ranking. One work or cycle counts as one entry; movements and performances are not separately counted. Titles, musical forms, chronology and version notes are reviewed against the cited sources. Composition, premiere and publication dates are labeled separately; uncertainty is retained. Era and listening suggestions are editorial aids.
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.