Rachmaninov Tops Ultimate Hall of Fame

The Russian master topples Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending to be crowned king of our chart of charts.

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor topped Classic FM's Ultimate Hall Of Fame chart this morning, to be named the most popular classical work from the past 15 years. Announced by John Suchet on his new morning show today (4 January), the piece toppled the dominance of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, which reached number four.

The chart saw Mozart take the title of most popular composer, with 20 entries, followed by Beethoven with 17. The most popular living composer was Karl Jenkins, with four. Jenkins' The Armed Man, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2010, was the composer's highest entry at 119.

The Ultimate Hall Of Fame, is an aggregation of the past 15 years of Classic FM's annual Hall Of Fame, the biggest survey of popular classical music in the UK. It precedes the vote for the 2011 Hall Of Fame, which begins on Monday, 10 January.