After 12 hours I can report that the two most popular 'classical'
compositions of the [last] Millenium in New Zealand (as determined by
ConcertFM's listeners) are:

Runner up: Beethoven - Symphony No.9
Winner: Handel - Messiah

What preceded these in the "Top 50 Countdown" and in what specific order
I cannot say for I was overburdened with many other tasks, so I could only
find time to listen properly to the last 1.5 hours or so.  (There was of
course time only for 'bleeding chunks' for the most part).  Nevertheless,
I can say that somewhere in the midst of all this broadcasting the
following apparently 'got a look in':

The rest of the Beethoven Symphonies, Dvorak Cello Concerto, Vaughan
Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis & Dives & Lazarus, R.
Strauss 4 Last Songs, Bach St Matthew Passion, Tallis 40 part motet,
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue, Wagner Tristan und Isolde, Puccini Turandot,
Schubert Trout Quintet, Grieg Piano Concerto, Bruch Violin Concerto No.1,
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Mozart
Piano Concerto No.21, Vivaldi Four Seasons - what the remaining 23 pieces
represented were is a complete and utter mystery to me, though I presume
the Rachmaninov 2nd Piano Concerto, & Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 would
have safely made it into the programme.

I think it would be safe to speculate that there was no medieval music, no
dodecaphonic music, no aleatoric music, no stochastic music, no electronic
or experimental music, no musique concrete, & no minimalism.

A very rewarding, conservative 12 hours for Orchestral music enthusiasts,
but I should imagine that Opera & Vocal Music enthusiasts might have been
slightly disappointed.  However any Chamber Music enthusiasts would have
even more reason to be disappointed and so too would those who enjoy solo
instrumental music.

Now if some programme producer had simply approached me and said "My dear
fellow, please construct a 12 hour radio programme from your own resources
of Imagination which purports to accurately represent the popular vote
of the common herd or Multitude of classical music listeners, but is in
reality your very own forgery thereof" then I should imagine that I would
actually have come up with a very similar sort of programme, complete with
the same general proportions of genres.

It is therefore a curious fact that in contrast a typical weekly 1 hour
"Classical Top 10 Chart" programme tends to be overburdened by Opera &
Vocal genres, Orchestral & Solo instrumental come a distant 2nd & Chamber
Music (usually) might as well not exist at all in this sort of programme.

Now if the aforementioned producer asked me simply to impose a 12 hour
programme of my own devising upon the poor unsuspecting multitude, based
upon my own selfish desires, rather than what I think is likely to be a
popular choice, then even if I say so myself, they would get a much more
balanced diet.  OK, I'd still have to serve up 'bleeding chunks' due to
the time constraints, but there would be more chamber & solo instrumental
pieces for a start.  Both J.S.  Bach & Beethoven would continue to be well
represented, but I would try to construct a programme that might present a
sort of journey through the history of music.  It would be tragic to know
that for every composer I managed to introduce into the programme, there
would be more than quite a few equally worthy of inclusion, but their
omission would be due both to momentary forgetfulness & more to the point
the dreaded time constraints.

Such is life, but the simple reality is that I do not bear the
responsibility for programming radio broadcasts and I'm content to leave
that heavy burden on others.

Geoffrey Gaskell [log in to unmask]
The Grim Tempered Neither Clavier Player Nor Radio Programme Producer