British classical music fans vote Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2" their favorite

Sergei Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2" - the theme of 1940s film "Brief Encounter" - is Britain's favorite piece of classical music, according to poll results released Tuesday.

Rachmaninov's piano concerto narrowly beat "The Lark Ascending," by English composer Vaughan Williams, in the poll conducted by Britain's Classic FM radio station.

Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto in A" was voted third favorite, followed by Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5."

Three hundred classical music pieces were voted for by listeners to the radio station for inclusion in its 10th classical music hall of fame.

Mozart was rated the most popular composer, with 21 entries on this year's chart. Together, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach and Elgar wrote a quarter of all the top 300 pieces.

"The Hall of Fame is a constantly evolving chart and provides a unique insight into the musical tastes of the nation," said Darren Henley, the radio station's manager.

Associated Press