Live: The Classic 100 countdown has begun but who will be the Greatest of All Time?

ABC News

EntertainmentABC News·Jun 6, 2026·4 min read

Live: The Classic 100 countdown has begun but who will be the Greatest of All Time?

It's the biggest day on the classical musical calendar. The ABC Classic 100 is here!

This year ABC Classic wanted to know what Australians thought was the greatest piece of classical music of all time.

Join as we count down the top 50 works as chosen by ABC Classic listeners.

How to listen:

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Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:59am

#44: Edvard Grieg — Peer Gynt

GOAT Questers! This work contains your first clue...

There will be three more clues hidden in ABC Classic 100 pieces today so keep your ears open!

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:49am

The GOAT Quest is on!

By Velvet Winter

Want to win some ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time Merch? Make sure you're listening along or following along today and join in the GOAT Quest.

Throughout the day today the wonderful ABC Classic presenters will be giving you clues, and you have to guess what connects all the pieces.

We started things off yesterday with four clues, which were:

Clue 1: #94, Saint-Saens, Dance Macabre

Clue 2: #77, Mozart, The Magic Flute

Clue 3: #71, Strauss II, On the Beautiful, Blue Danube

Clue 4: #56, J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations

Listen in today for four more clues. If you figure out the connection from the clues, text ABC Classic on 0437 236 777 and you could win some ABC Classic 100 Merch!

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:47am

#45: Ludwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral'

By Velvet Winter

Our first Beethoven for the day!

And it's a groundbreaking piece at that.

Symphonies mostly have titles like Symphony No.6, followed by a string of tempo markings for each movement like Allegro ma non Troppo.

In a move that was seen as quite unusual at the time, Beethoven gave each of the movements in this symphony a title. The most famous is the fourth movement that's called "Thunder, Storm".

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:37am

#46: Jean Sibelius — Finlandia

By Velvet Winter

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:33am

#47: Max Richter — Vivaldi's Four Seasons Recomposed

By Velvet Winter

It's a beautiful take on a classic sound but some would call it controversial...

"Is it wrong to take a well-loved piece of classical music, and rework it to make it more up to date? An act of reverence and genius, or vandalism, sacrilege?" asks Russell Torrance.

Let us know your thoughts!

Read more about Max Richter's Vivaldi's Four Seasons Recomposed below.

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:27am

#48: George Frideric Handel — Zadok the Priest

By Velvet Winter

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:15am

Drop us a line!

By Velvet Winter

The ABC Classic 100 live blog is off and running! We want to hear your thoughts!

What piece do you think will take the #1 spot?

Who did you vote for?

Where are you listening from?

What does all this beautiful music make you feel?

Our comments are open! Have a chat with us or if you have any questions, ask away!

Live gif of me at my desk right now, enjoying the countdown...

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:11am

#49: Ralph Vaughan Williams — Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

By Velvet Winter

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 10:06am

#50: John Williams — Schindler's List

By Velvet Winter

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:57am

Missed yesterday's countdown?

By Velvet Winter

If you weren't able to listen to #100-51 yesterday never fear! You can catch up on all the tunes at the ABC Classic website.

Or you can scroll through the ABC Classic Instagram, here are the last five enteries from yesterday to get you started.

Key Event

Sun 7 Jun 2026 at 9:45am

Hello!

By Velvet Winter

Welcome to the ABC Classic 100: Greatest of All Time live blog!

My name's Velvet Winter, I'm a reporter for ABC Arts and I'll be your guide through today's countdown. But I won't be going it alone, I'll be joined by ABC Classic's Janine Marshman!

Yesterday our friends over at ABC Classic went through your #100-51 picks and we have the honour of taking you through all the way from #50 to your #1 piece.

So settle in because the show is about to begin!

View original source — ABC News ↗

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