Beethoven was the top composer, receiving the most votes overall, and securing nine pieces in the top 50 list.
Iain LeggatRNZ Concert Digital Producer
27 October 2026
4 min read
Iain LeggatRNZ Concert Digital Producer
27 October 2026
4 min read
Caption:Orchestra Wellington.Photo credit:Supplied / Orchestra Wellington
The votes are in: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5 is New Zealand's favourite piece of piano music.
The 'Emperor' was the top pick for voters in Wellington, Waikato, Auckland, and Canterbury. It also topped the list of voters aged 65 and over.
RNZ Concert asked listeners to vote for their favourite piece of piano music - whether it was a piece that brought them comfort, energised them or took their heart on a journey.
Formerly know as Settling the Score, the 2026 Classic Countdown widened the scope from exclusively classical music, allowing voters to select piano music from the world of jazz, screen scores, and crossover piano.
What makes Beethoven's Emperor so special?
Known as the ‘Emperor’ Concerto, it was written while the composer lived in Vienna in 1809. At the time, the city was under attack by Napolean's French army, and Beethoven dedicated it to his close friend Archduke Rudolf, younger brother of the Austrian Emperor. It would become Beethoven's final piano concerto.
There's a notable grandeur to the piece, opening with a dazzling main theme that kickstarts the orchestra. After one huge chord from the orchestra, the piano responds with sweeping runs.
But it's the second movement which really tugs at heartstrings. After the drama and military march of the first 20 minutes, comes a slow, prayer-like melody on the piano, guided gently by beautiful orchestral flourishes.
From the chaos of war comes a moment of peace and solace. The piano is accompanied by muted strings, leaving space for the listener to sit within the melody. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
What the voters said about the piece
Voters praised the 'Emperor’s' contrasts, with one describing it as “tempestuous and pathos combined”. Another called the piece a “balm for my soul”.
Many people commented on the piece accompanying them throughout their life, including one listener who said it was the first LP she bought after arriving in New Zealand in 1953.
Another was introduced to the piece by his father, who discovered it while serving in Italy during World War II.
One commenter remembers requesting the piece on the radio with her father in the 1950s, listening on a late-night car journey back from Taranaki.
What other composers made the top 10?
Beethoven was the top composer, receiving the most votes overall, and securing nine pieces in the top 50 list.
Frédéric Chopin was second with six pieces, and Johann Sebastian Bach third with five.
Erik Satie received the most love per piece, coming in as the seventh favourite male composer despite having just two compositions on the list.
The first female composer appears at number 45 in the countdown: Euphemia Allen with the iconic 'Chopsticks'.
Top male composers
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Frédéric Chopin
- Sergei Rachmaninov
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Claude Debussy
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Erik Satie
- Franz Schubert
- George Gershwin
- Johannes Brahms
- Edvard Grieg
- Maurice Ravel
- Franz Liszt
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Dave Brubeck
Top female composers
- Euphemia Allen
- Victoria Kelly
- Salina Fisher
- Cecile Chaminade
- Clara Schumann
- Hania Rani
- Amy Beach
- Gillian Whitehead
- Janet Jennings
- Fanny Mendelssohn
- Jenny McLeod
- Claire Cowan
- Rebecca Dale
- Marie Jaell
- Ekaterina Linvintseva
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