This is old news now, but the Classic FM Hall Of Fame 2006 ended up having Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at the top spot. I was just wondering how everyone feels about this. Personally I only know one person that likes the piece, and so I am constantly surprised as to why it gets so much praise.

Anyone here absolutely love it or hate it? Leave your comments below

I do like this piece but it could do with being out of the top 300 for once!

How can anyone dislike this piece?

Number 1 was spot on. Glorious piece.

I'm certainly a fan, but I don't know where I'd place it in a hierarchy of great pieces...

It's alright (I said top 300) - but I don't like it or dislike it, to be honest. The top 10 tends to be very soft non-descript pieces - mostly the nocturnes and quieter piano concertos. I'm not a quiet, soft, non-descript music person. I'd prefer something big and bold at the top - that mixed with quiet is OK, but non-descript isn't for me.

I love it. Cool and shivery!

A great piece! This essentially was the piece that highlighted how great the clarinet was to other composers at that time - if it wasn't for it I doubt that they'd be as much music out there for us to play !

I love it and it's my favourite piece to play! But I do get sick of Classic FM constantly playing just the slow movement (at least when I'm listening!) - the rest of it is really exciting. A great surprise no. 1 though.

Top every time. I love it.

Number 1.

I will never tire of either playing or listening to this wonderful piece.

I'd love to play this on a basset clarinet one day!

I feel that the rachmaninov piano concerto is better - but It doesn't stop the mozart being an absolute cracker!

Me too! Of course it deserved top spot but i am biased!!!!! The clarinet just rules!

I LOVE it!

Will never forget hearing Jack Brymer play it...

It's interesting to think that over half of the votes so far think it should be at least in the top 10, and yet a third of people think it shouldn't be in the top 50... some quite opposing views.

Any other opinions? Personally I find it repetitive, and the slow movement wouldn't be as bad if some performers didn't take it quite so slowly

Like Firebird, I would put some more in-your-face classical music in there. Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave should be at No. 1 IMO. And in terms of beauty, Mendelssohn's violin concerto 2nd mmt beats it hands down in my view.

In the Xmas poll in New Zealand, the Bruch Violin Concerto was Number 1 and I have no quarrel with that result. The concerto form is one I really appreciate.

Having said that, I would rate the Mozart Clarinet, the Mozart Flute in G, and the Mendelssohn Violin as in the same echelon.

If you look wider than the concerto form, then comparisons become difficult. I love the Cesar Franck Violin Sonata, the Ravel String Quartet, lots of songs of Schubert and Schumann, piano works by Chopin ...

Different music for different reasons and different times. As one subscriber has pointed out, you do no music a favour by thrashing it to death.

The slow movement is one of the greatest ieces of compositions of all time. Sparse, idiomatic, economical with the material, and yett supuerbly crafted and exquistely beautiful.

The Mozart is certainly a better piece than previous winners

Barri, I would love to hear it on a basset-clarinet too, its a wonderful piece and those darker nueances would be magical.

Thought it would be No 1 with it being the big birthday celebration year. Not sure I like it though. (sorry folks) Had it been Beethovens Piano Concerto No 5 (The Emperor), it would have been a different matter altogether! Still it's getting closer and closer!

You don't actually have to like a piece of music for it to be great. Its all a question of aesthetics.

I have a recording of it on the Basset. Sabine Meyer playing. It does sound quite different, but most of all the range allows smoother passages. Some parts are transposed an octave for the modern clarinet, so you get a scale, then jump of a 7th, continues scale. Basset smoothes all that out beautifully.

I have a recording on the recordings site, totally in love with this piece.

I've heard Thea King's version on basset clarinet - yes, agree Neil, the basset does smooth the jumps out very nicely.

The more times I hear it on the basset, the more convinced I get that I must try it on a basset clarinet myself one day......

Barri, I recorded the queen's 80th birthday prom on our PVR. Julian Bliss's performance came over very well on TV. I loved some of his more delicate passage work, The dynamic contrasts, energy and stillness were great. This piece sounds so much mellower on the Basset Clarinet. The low notes are a dream.

BTW, I liked the Max. too, it had a musical cohesiveness, and used the forces successfully. Couldn't hear the words, but the concept was well thoughtout and came off successfully.

JoD

We did a version with the orchestra part being played by a clarinet choir and a clarinet soloist. It was actually very good!

I love mozarts music
I'll love to be a soloist sometime
Espesiale is vivaldi's four seasons

As concertos go, I can't think of a more perfect example.

In second place for concertos personally I think I'd have Brahms Second Piano concerto in Bb, a wonderful work.

I love that concerto...

I do love it but not sure I'd put it no. 1 out of everything else in the world.

But I'd be hard put to say which was my favourite piece of music ever - there is so much amazing music out there. I studed Mendelssohn's violin and Brahms' 2nd piano for my A-leveo and they have stayed on my favourites list ever since.

But just to pick one? Impossible!

I agree.

Second that or is it third?

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is the subject of Discovering Music on Radio 3 this coming Sunday, 18th February 5pm (note new time).

Top 5 for me. When it's played really well I get tears in my eyes. When it's played really badly - well, tears then, too.

Top 20 for me. I can think of many other great works, although I do think the Mozart is a lovely piece

Top 100 for me. Great piece, however there is so much music I would listen to before putting that in my CD player. Definitely more than 100 pieces!

I love it! Top five, I reckon. I can't believe that Vaughn Williams' 'Lark Ascending' got number one Hall of Fame 2007. Tht actually really annoyed me. I mean, it's good and all but number one...? Tchaikovsky should've made number one with something... (theme from 'Swan Lake' or 'Romeo and Juliet' perhaps?)