British list 'Lark Ascending' top classic

LONDON, April 10 (UPI) -- It may not be "Roll over Beethoven" time just yet but it definitely is out the backdoor for Bach when it comes to British classical music tastes.

The 18th-century German baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach failed to place any of his music in the Top 30 favorites of 67,328 listeners who voted in Classic FM's 11th annual poll.

Topping the charts for the London-based radio station's listeners is British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending," a 1914 piece known for its violin solo, The Times of London reported Tuesday.

Edward Elgar's "Cello Concerto" placed second, followed by Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2," Wolfgang Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto" and Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5."

Darren Henley of Classic FM, said Bach's music just wasn't catchy enough.

"He's the fifth most popular composer overall, with 10 works in our Top 300, but he maybe hasn't got any of those seminal works that people are passionate about," Henley said.

Rounding out the Top 10 are "Enigma Variations" by Elgar, "Violin Concerto No. 1" by Max Bruch, "Symphony No. 6" by Beethoven, "Symphony No. 9" by Beethoven and "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis," also by Vaughan Williams.