It's Classic FM's 22nd birthday: here are the best 22s in classical music

We're celebrating our 22nd birthday as a radio station, so we thought we'd compile a list of the best 22s in classical music. Then we're cracking open the bubbly.

Mozart at 22

What did you do when you were 22? Well, Mozart composed his 'Paris Symphony'. The young man was (unsuccessfully) job-hunting in the City of Light and penned one of his most lyrical masterpieces. Oh and it was his 31st foray in the genre. What a geek.

A brillante opus 22

The 22nd piece that Chopin ever composed was his Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major. And it's really something. 

A birthday march

Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March is possibly the best-known piece written in the 2/2 time signature. And no, we are not being tenuous. 2/2 is just like 22. 

Goldberg's 22nd

Before you hit your mid thirties, there's anyways a movement from Bach's masterful variations to match. The 22nd is an elegant, happy but slightly subdued four-part fugue. And like all Bach, even more beautiful when you have the score too. Watch and enjoy...

Benjamin Grosvenor

He's only 22, but he's already one of the piano world's brightest stars. Laden down with awards since he started, Grosvenor is also experimenting with some really interesting repertoire - we're delighted to be the same age as him. See you in the pub, Ben. 

Haydn's Philosopher

He's the daddy of the symphony and, unsurprisingly, his 22nd effort was a doozy. It's earned the nickname of 'The Philosopher' (not Haydn's decision - the manuscript remains blank) thanks to its question-and-answer style melodies and the musical tick-tocking. We suppose that when you reach 22, it's a natural time to consider things, and this philosophical symphony is the perfect soundtrack.