There’s no place like home…especially when home is California! A place this unique and beautiful deserves great music to match. What classical pieces sound like the spirit of California? What makes the perfect soundtrack for this Golden State? Vote now for the Classical California Ultimate Playlist and help build the sound of Classical California.
You can vote for up to three different pieces at a time. You may vote as many times as you’d like but each vote must be for a different piece of music. You can also be on the radio! When you vote, share the story why you made your selection and we may just read it on air. And if you’d like to hear your voice on the radio, you can also share your story via voicemail or voice memo. Learn more about that here.
If you’d like some inspiration to help you make your choice, take a look at a list of popular pieces on KUSC. Plus, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for even more ways to play along!
Want to share why you picked your favorite piece and possibly hear yourself on KUSC? To share your story, call 1-213-225-7540 — or send a recording to [email protected]. Start with your name and the city where you’re calling from, then share your message. For more tips, click here. Sending us your message implies consent to use on the radio or our social media channels.
Need to jog your memory or find inspiration? Peruse the list below featuring popular pieces on KUSC. Feel free to choose from the list or come up with anything else that’s your favorite piece of classical music and help us build the Classical California Ultimate Playlist!
Albeniz: Asturias
Albinoni: Adagio in g minor
Anonymous: Romance for Guitar
Bach: Air on the G String
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Bach: Cello Suite #1
Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins
Bach: Goldberg Variations
Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
Bach: Magnificat
Bach: Mass in b minor
Bach: Orchestral Suites
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
Bach: Passion According to St. Matthew
Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
Bach: Sleepers Wake
Bach: Toccata & Fugue in d minor
Badelt: Pirates of the Caribbean
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Barry: Theme from “Out of Africa”
Beach: Gaelic Symphony
Beach: Piano Concerto
Beethoven: Choral Fantasy
Beethoven: Egmont Overture
Beethoven: Fur Elise
Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4
Beethoven: Piano Concerto #5 “Emperor”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #14 “Moonlight”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21 “Waldstein”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #31
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #32
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #8 “Pathetique”
Beethoven: Romance #2
Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica”
Beethoven: Symphony #5
Beethoven: Symphony #6 “Pastoral”
Beethoven: Symphony #7
Beethoven: Symphony #8
Beethoven: Symphony #9
Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Berlioz: Requiem
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Bernstein: Candide Overture
Bernstein: West Side Story Symphonic Dances
Bizet: Carmen
Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suites
Bizet: Symphony in C Major
Boccherini: Fandango Quintet
Boccherini: Night Music on the Streets of Madrid
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Borodin: Nocturne
Borodin: Polovetsian Dances
Borodin: String Quartet #2: Nocturne
Boulez: Le Marteau sans Maitre
Brahms: German Requiem
Brahms: Haydn Variations
Brahms: Hungarian Dances
Brahms: Piano Concerto #1
Brahms: Piano Concerto #2
Brahms: Symphony #1
Brahms: Symphony #2
Brahms: Symphony #3
Brahms: Symphony #4
Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Bruch: Scottish Fantasy
Bruch: Violin Concerto #1
Chaminade: Concertino
Chaplin: Smile
Chopin: “Grand Valse Brilliant”
Chopin: “Raindrop” Prelude
Chopin: Barcarolle
Chopin: Fantaisie Impromptu in c# minor
Chopin: Heroic Polonaise
Chopin: Military Polonaise
Chopin: Nocturne #19 in e
Chopin: Piano Concerto #1
Chopin: Piano Concerto #2
Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Copland: Hoe Down
Corelli: Christmas Concerto
Debussy: Clair de Lune
Debussy: La Mer
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Delibes: Lakme: Flower Duet
Delius: Florida Suite
Desplat: The King’s Speech
Desplat: The Shape of Water
Djawadi: Game of Thrones
Doyle: Sense and Sensibility
Dukas: Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Durufle: Requiem
Dvorak: Cello Concerto
Dvorak: Rusalka: Song to the Moon
Dvorak: Serenade for Strings
Dvorak: String Quartet #12 “American”
Dvorak: Symphony #8
Dvorak: Symphony #9 “From the New World”
Dvorak: Violin Concerto
Einaudi : Primavera
Einaudi: Two Sunsets
Elfman: Edward Scissorhands
Elgar: Cello Concerto
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Fanny Mendelssohn: Concert Overture
Faure: Cantique de Jean Racine
Faure: Pavane
Faure: Requiem
Franck: Symphony in d
Gershwin: An American in Paris
Gershwin: Concerto in F
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Glass: Einstein on the Beach
Glazunov: The Seasons
Goldsmith: Star Trek
Grieg: Holberg Suite
Grieg: Peer Gynt
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite
Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel: As With Rosy Steps The Morn from Theodora
Handel: Messiah
Handel: Royal Fireworks Music
Handel: Water Music
Handel: Xerxes: Largo
Hanson: Symphony #2 “Romantic”
Haydn: Cello Concerto #1
Haydn: Symphony #104 “London”
Haydn: Symphony #94 “Surprise”
Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
Henze: Symphony #7
Herrmann: Psycho
Hisaishi: The Merry-Go-Round of Life
Holst: The Planets
Janacek: Sinfonietta
Jenkins: Palladio
Joan Tower: Fanfare #1 for the Uncommon Woman
Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
Joplin: Solace
Joplin: The Entertainer
Karlowicz: Violin Concerto
Khachaturian: Masquerade: Waltz
Khachaturian: Spartacus: Adagio
Kondo: Legend of Zelda
Korngold: Robin Hood
Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium
Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Liszt: La Campanella
Liszt: Liebestraum
Liszt: Piano Concert #1
Lunn: Downton Abbey
Mahler: Symphony #1
Mahler: Symphony #2
Mahler: Symphony #5: Adagietto
Mahler: Symphony #9
Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water
Marianelli: Pride & Prejudice
Marquez: Danzon #2
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo
Massenet: Thais: Meditation
Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture
Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mendelssohn: Symphony #3 “Scottish”
Mendelssohn: Symphony #4 “Italian”
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Moncayo: Huapango
Moross; The Big Country
Morricone: Cinema Paradiso
Morricone: Once Upon a Time in America
Morricone: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Morricone: The Mission: Gabriel’s Oboe
Mouret: Symphonic Suite #1
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
Mozart: Concerto for 2 Pianos
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Mozart: Flute & Harp Concerto
Mozart: Laudate Dominum
Mozart: Magic Flute
Mozart: Marriage of Figaro
Mozart: Piano concerto #17
Mozart: Piano Concerto #20
Mozart: Piano Concerto #21
Mozart: Piano Concerto #25
Mozart: Requiem
Mozart: Rondo alla Turca
Mozart: Symphonie Concertante
Mozart: Symphony #25
Mozart: Symphony #38 “Prague”
Mozart: Symphony #39
Mozart: Symphony #40
Mozart: Symphony #41 “Jupiter”
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Myers: Cavatina
Newman: The Natural
Nyman: The Piano
Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld: Overture
Offenbach: Tales of Hoffmann: Barcarolle
Orff: Carmina Burana
Pachelbel: Canon
Paganini: Violin Concerto #1
Patrick Doyle: Sense and Sensibility
Piazzolla: Libertango
Price: Symphony #1
Price: Symphony #3
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #3
Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet
Prokofiev: Symphony #1 “Classical”
Puccini: Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
Puccini: La Boheme
Puccini: Tosca
Puccini: Turandot: Nessun Dorma
Rachmaninoff: Paganini Rhapsody
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #3
Rachmaninoff: Symphony #2
Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
Rameau: Gavotte & Six Doubles
Ravel: Bolero
Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin
Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Rodrigo: Fantasia para un Gentilhombre
Rosas: Over the Waves
Rossini: Barber of Seville Overture
Rossini: Thieving Magpie Overture
Rossini: William Tell: Overture
Rota: The Godfather
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals: The Swan
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto #2
Saint-Saens: Rhapsodie d’Auvergne
Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 “Organ”
Satie: Gymnopedies
Schubert: “Trout” Quintet
Schubert: Nocturne for Piano Trio
Schubert: Serenade
Schubert: String Quintet
Schubert: Symphony #5
Schubert: Symphony #8 “Unfinished”
Schubert: Symphony #9 “Great”
Schumann, Clara: Piano Trio
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Shore: Lord of the Rings
Shostakovich: Jazz Suite: Waltz
Shostakovich: Symphony #5
Sibelius: Finlandia
Sibelius: Karelia Suite
Sibelius: Symphony #2
Sibelius: Symphony #5
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Silvestri: Back to the Future
Smetana: The Moldau
Still: Afro-American Symphony
Stockhausen: Gruppen
Strauss, J Jr: Blue Danube Waltz
Strauss, J Jr: Die Fledermaus: Overture
Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier
Stravinsky: Petrushka
Stravinsky: The Firebird
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty Waltz
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #5
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Uematsu: Final Fantasy Theme
Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
Vaughan Williams: Tallis Fantasy
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Verdi: Nabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
Verdi: Va Pensiero
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras #5: Aria
Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Spring
Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Summer
Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Autumn
Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Winter
Vivaldi: Guitar Concerto in D
Wagner: Die Meistersinger: Prelude
Wagner: Die Valkure: Ride of the Valkyries
Wagner: Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Wagner: Rienzi Overture
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Wagner: Tannhauser Overture
Wagner: Tannhauser: Festmarsch
Walker: Lyric for Strings
Wililams: Schindler’s List
Williams: E.T.
Williams: Harry Potter
Williams: Jurassic Park
Williams: Superman
Williams: Theme from “Jurassic Park”
Williams: Theme from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Williams: Theme from “Schindler’s List”
Williams: Theme from “Star Wars”
Yanover: Suddenly I Felt Joy
Zipoli: Elevazione
Do you have your selections ready? Vote now!
How Voting Works for the Classical California Ultimate Playlist
Voting begins 12:00 AM PDT on July 31, 2023 and ends 11:59 PM PDT August 22, 2023. We retain the right to change the rules for voting in the Classical California Ultimate Playlist as deemed necessary. You may vote for up to three different pieces at one time. You may vote as many times as you’d like, however, all votes must be for different pieces of music; you may not vote for the same selection twice. Multiple votes for the same piece of music from the same person will not be included. We will do our best to interpret each entry, however, if we are unable to determine the selection, we will be unable to include the submission. All submissions are collected to help create the Classical California Ultimate Playlist. Classical KUSC maintains editorial control over the final playlist.
