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Top Orchestral Music albums of the 1970s

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1 2 ... 26 Next
Updated: 14 May
Average Ratings Reviews
Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber - Symphonie Nr.5, Cover art
Symphonie Nr.5
Ludwig van Beethoven / Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber
4.01 2k 1,912 8 8
April 1975 Album
Symphony Romanticism Classical Period
Classical Period
instrumental epic acoustic orchestral triumphant symphony lush energetic
2k Ratings 8 Reviews 4.01 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelík - »Aus der Neuen Welt«, Cover art
»Aus der Neuen Welt«
Antonín Dvořák / Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelík
3.94 380 380 3 3
1974 Album
Romanticism Symphony
epic acoustic symphony instrumental lush orchestral suspenseful complex
380 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.94 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber - Symphonie Nr.7, Cover art
Symphonie Nr.7
Ludwig van Beethoven / Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber
3.91 595 595 1 1
September 1976 Album
Symphony Classical Period
Romanticism
acoustic symphony instrumental lush epic orchestral
595 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.91 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Claudio Abbado / Friedrich Gulda - Klavierkonzerte Nr. 20 & 21, Cover art
Klavierkonzerte Nr. 20 & 21
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3.91 441 441 1 1
1975 Album
Classical Period Concerto
concerto acoustic instrumental orchestral energetic triumphant mellow playful
441 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.91 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm - Symphonie Nr. 6 »Pastorale«, Cover art
Symphonie Nr. 6 »Pastorale«
Ludwig van Beethoven / Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm
3.90 451 451 7 7
November 1971 Album
Symphony Romanticism
Tone Poem
symphony instrumental pastoral orchestral acoustic melodic passionate lush
451 Ratings 7 Reviews 3.90 Average
Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner / Alan Loveday - The Four Seasons, Cover art
The Four Seasons
Antonio Vivaldi
3.88 1k 1,041 6 6
1970 Album
Baroque Music Concerto
spring summer autumn winter seasonal concerto instrumental acoustic
1k Ratings 6 Reviews 3.88 Average
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields / Neville Marriner - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus; Fantasia on Greensleeves, Cover art
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; The Lark Ascending; Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus; Fantasia on Greensleeves
Ralph Vaughan Williams / Academy of St Martin in the Fields / Neville Marriner
3.87 360 360 4 4
1972 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music
Romanticism Tone Poem Fantasia English Folk Music
peaceful pastoral instrumental acoustic orchestral lush longing melodic
360 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.87 Average
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Carlo Maria Giulini / Itzhak Perlman - Violin Concerto, Cover art
Violin Concerto
Johannes Brahms
3.86 236 236 2 2
October 1977 Album
Romanticism Concerto
concerto lush sentimental technical melodic serious passionate instrumental
236 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.86 Average
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra / Maksim Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Cover art
Symphony No. 15
Dmitri Shostakovich Дмитрий Шостакович / Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Большой симфонический оркестр имени П. И. Чайковского / Maxim Shostakovich Максим Шостакович
3.84 275 275 1 1
November 1972 Album
Modern Classical Symphony
symphony existential instrumental mysterious orchestral energetic suspenseful acoustic
275 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.84 Average
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Chorus of the Vienna State Opera / Singverein Chorus / Vienna Boys Choir / Georg Solti / Harper / Popp / Auger / Minton / Watts / Kollo / Shirley-Quirk / Talvela - Symphony No.8, Cover art
Symphony No.8
Gustav Mahler
3.85 212 212 2 2
November 1972 Album
Romanticism Choral Symphony
epic symphony orchestral triumphant Christian acoustic choral dense
212 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.85 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber - Symphonien: No.8 »Unvollendete«; No.3, Cover art
Symphonien: No.8 »Unvollendete«; No.3
Franz Schubert / Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber
3.83 418 418 5 5
December 1979 Album
Romanticism Symphony Classical Period
symphony acoustic triumphant orchestral instrumental melodic polyphonic passionate
418 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.83 Average
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir John Barbirolli / Janet Baker - Symphony No.5; Five Rückert Songs, Cover art
Symphony No.5; Five Rückert Songs
Gustav Mahler
3.88 176 176
1970 Album
Romanticism Symphony
Lied Funeral March
instrumental lush symphony complex polyphonic orchestral epic passionate
176 Ratings 3.88 Average
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein - The Planets, Cover art
The Planets
Gustav Holst / New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein
3.83 430 430 8 8
October 1973 Album
Modern Classical Tone Poem
Impressionism
instrumental epic space triumphant acoustic complex orchestral mythology
430 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.83 Average
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn / Vladimir Ashkenazy - The Five Piano Concertos, Cover art
The Five Piano Concertos
Sergei Prokofiev Сергей Прокофьев
3.83 312 312 7 7
September 1975 Album
Modern Classical Concerto
acoustic concerto complex technical instrumental
312 Ratings 7 Reviews 3.83 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Verklärte Nacht; Variationen für Orchester, Cover art
Verklärte Nacht; Variationen für Orchester
Arnold Schoenberg / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
3.77 452 452 3 3
1975 Album
Romanticism Orchestral Music
Tone Poem Serialism
orchestral instrumental melancholic acoustic
452 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.77 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan / Michel Schwalbé - Also sprach Zarathustra, Cover art
Also sprach Zarathustra
Richard Strauss
3.76 385 385 1 1
August 1974 Album
Romanticism Tone Poem
orchestral tone poem acoustic instrumental epic lush mysterious spiritual
385 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.76 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan / Christa Ludwig - 5. Symphonie; Kindertotenlieder, Cover art
5. Symphonie; Kindertotenlieder
Gustav Mahler
4.01 137 137 1 1
1973 Album
Romanticism Symphony
Lied Funeral March
triumphant melancholic acoustic aggressive lush symphony complex melodic
137 Ratings 1 Reviews 4.01 Average
Boston Symphony Orchestra / William Steinberg - The Planets, Cover art
The Planets
Gustav Holst / Boston Symphony Orchestra / William Steinberg
3.74 216 216 5 5
June 1971 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music Romanticism
space orchestral instrumental
216 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.74 Average
London Symphony Orchestra / Wandsworth School Boys' Choir / Ambrosian Singers / Jascha Horenstein / Norma Procter - Symphony No. 3, Cover art
Symphony No. 3
Gustav Mahler
3.82 151 151 1 1
1970 Album
Romanticism Choral Symphony
acoustic symphony epic
151 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.82 Average
Danmarks Radio Symfoniorkester / Herbert Blomstedt / Tamás Vetö - Iris; Voyage Into the Golden Screen, Cover art
Iris; Voyage Into the Golden Screen
Per Nørgård
3.65 186 186 2 2
1973 Album
Spectralism Orchestral Music
anxious dissonant ominous scary complex atonal technical eclectic
186 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.65 Average
Concertgebouw Orchestra / Colin Davis - Symphonie fantastique, Cover art
Symphonie fantastique
Hector Berlioz / Concertgebouw Orchestra Colin Davis
3.72 152 152 5 5
March 1975 Album
Romanticism Symphony
lonely dark psychedelic romantic drugs
152 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.72 Average
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn - Swan Lake, Cover art
Swan Lake
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Пётр Чайковский / London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn
4.05 106 106
1976 Album
Ballet Romanticism Orchestral Music
orchestral nocturnal fantasy lush suite melodic epic mellow
106 Ratings 4.05 Average
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester / Hans Werner Henze / Homero Francesch - Tristan, Cover art
Tristan
Hans Werner Henze
3.75 152 152 2 2
1977 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music
Tape Music Electroacoustic
152 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.75 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - 4 Symphonien, Cover art
4 Symphonien
Johannes Brahms / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
3.86 126 126 2 2
1978 Album
Symphony Romanticism
symphony
126 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.86 Average
Boston Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Kubelík - Má vlast, Cover art
Má vlast
Bedřich Smetana / Boston Symphony Orchestra / Rafael Kubelík
3.74 129 129 2 2
1971 Album
Romanticism Tone Poem
instrumental pastoral epic
129 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.74 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique', Cover art
Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique'
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Пётр Чайковский / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
4.05 99 99
1977 Album
Romanticism Symphony
symphony instrumental lush funereal acoustic bittersweet passionate orchestral
99 Ratings 4.05 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan / Michel Schwalbé - Le quattro stagioni, Cover art
Le quattro stagioni
Antonio Vivaldi
3.81 122 122 2 2
1972 Album
Baroque Music Concerto
lush concerto passionate acoustic spring summer autumn seasonal
122 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.81 Average
London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn - Romeo and Juliet, Cover art
Romeo and Juliet
Sergei Prokofiev Сергей Прокофьев / London Symphony Orchestra / André Previn
3.80 122 122 2 2
1973 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music Ballet
122 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.80 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Claudio Abbado / Nathan Milstein - Violinkonzerte, Cover art
Violinkonzerte
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Пётр Чайковский / Felix Mendelssohn
3.96 100 100 2 2
1973 Album
Romanticism Concerto
technical melodic concerto lush orchestral
100 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.96 Average
Chor und Sinfonie-Orchester der National-Philharmonie, Warschau / Andrzej Markowski / Stefania Woytowicz / Kazimierz Pustelak / Bernard Ładysz - Kosmogonia; De natura sonoris II; Anaklasis; Fluorescences, Cover art
Kosmogonia; De natura sonoris II; Anaklasis; Fluorescences
Krzysztof Penderecki
3.94 96 96 1 1
1974 Album
Sonorism Orchestral Music
scary infernal dark disturbing orchestral suspenseful dissonant dense
96 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.94 Average
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Zubin Mehta / Ileana Cotrubas / Christa Ludwig - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection", Cover art
Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Gustav Mahler
3.94 109 109 2 2
1975 Album
Romanticism Symphony
Choral
symphony epic
109 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.94 Average
New York Philharmonic / Pierre Boulez - Arcana; Amériques; Ionisation, Cover art
Arcana; Amériques; Ionisation
Edgard Varèse / New York Philharmonic / Pierre Boulez
3.99 98 98 2 2
1977 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music
Chamber Music Orchestral Music
orchestral
98 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.99 Average
Camerata Academica of the Salzburg Mozarteum / Geza Anda - Piano Concertos No. 17, in G major, K. 453; No. 21, C major K. 467, Cover art
Piano Concertos No. 17, in G major, K. 453; No. 21, C major K. 467
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Camerata Salzburg / Géza Anda
3.81 114 114 2 2
1978 Album
Classical Period Concerto
melodic concerto instrumental acoustic orchestral dense happy passionate
114 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.81 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm / Maurizio Pollini - Klavierkonzert Nr. 5 "Emperor", Cover art
Klavierkonzert Nr. 5 "Emperor"
Ludwig van Beethoven
4.00 103 103 1 1
1979 Album
Concerto Romanticism Classical Period
concerto acoustic orchestral instrumental
103 Ratings 1 Reviews 4.00 Average
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn & Ravi Shankar - Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra, Cover art
Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn & Ravi Shankar
3.61 134 134 3 3
1971 Album
Hindustani Classical Music Concerto
concerto
134 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.61 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Passacaglia op. 1; Fünf Sätze op. 5; Sechs Stücke für Orchester op. 6; Symphonie op. 21, Cover art
Passacaglia op. 1; Fünf Sätze op. 5; Sechs Stücke für Orchester op. 6; Symphonie op. 21
Anton Webern / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
3.74 120 120 4 4
1974 Album
Expressionism Orchestral Music
Serialism Symphony
120 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.74 Average
The Philadelphia Orchestra / Riccardo Muti - The Rite of Spring, Cover art
The Rite of Spring
Igor Stravinsky / The Philadelphia Orchestra / Riccardo Muti
4.01 96 96 1 1
1979 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music Ballet
instrumental uncommon time signatures apocalyptic complex dark technical avant-garde orchestral
96 Ratings 1 Reviews 4.01 Average
Cleveland Orchestra / Lorin Maazel - Romeo and Juliet, Cover art
Romeo and Juliet
Sergei Prokofiev Сергей Прокофьев / Cleveland Orchestra / Lorin Maazel
3.98 87 87 2 2
1973 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Music Ballet
Neoclassicism
87 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.98 Average
The Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy / David Bowie - Peter and the Wolf / Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Cover art
Peter and the Wolf / Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Sergei Prokofiev Сергей Прокофьев / Benjamin Britten
3.19 603 603 12 12
12 May 1978 Album
Neoclassicism Fairy Tales Symphony
Spoken Word Romanticism Children's Music
fairy tale educational folklore children's music nature orchestral monologue playful
603 Ratings 12 Reviews 3.19 Average
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Charles Dutoit / Martha Argerich - Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 b-Moll, Cover art
Klavierkonzert Nr. 1 b-Moll
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Пётр Чайковский
4.01 73 73 3 3
1971 Album
Romanticism Concerto
concerto acoustic lush instrumental
73 Ratings 3 Reviews 4.01 Average
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Soundtracks

  • John Williams / London Symphony Orchestra - Star Wars, Cover art
    Star Wars
    1977 Album
    3k Ratings 28 Reviews 4.00 Average
    4.00 3k 2,806 28 28
  • Jerry Goldsmith - The Omen, Cover art
    The Omen
    1976 Album
    346 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.85 Average
    3.85 346 346 5 5
  • John Williams - Jaws, Cover art
    Jaws
    1975 Album
    715 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.77 Average
    3.77 715 715 8 8
  • Frank Zappa - 200 Motels, Cover art
    200 Motels
    1971 Album
    1k Ratings 46 Reviews 3.11 Average
    3.11 1k 1,387 46 46
  • John Williams - Jaws 2, Cover art
    Jaws 2
    1978 Album
    93 Ratings 3.71 Average
    3.71 93 93
    • See all 13 Include in main chart

    Live

  • Frank Zappa - Orchestral Favorites, Cover art
    Orchestral Favorites
    1979 Album
    956 Ratings 22 Reviews 3.33 Average
    3.33 956 956 22 22
  • Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Deep Purple / Malcolm Arnold - Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Cover art
    Concerto for Group and Orchestra
    1970 Album
    1k Ratings 37 Reviews 3.20 Average
    3.20 1k 1,341 37 37
  • The Nice - Five Bridges, Cover art
    Five Bridges
    1970 Album
    510 Ratings 17 Reviews 3.14 Average
    3.14 510 510 17 17
  • Mike Oldfield & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - The Orchestral Tubular Bells, Cover art
    The Orchestral Tubular Bells
    1975 Album
    438 Ratings 18 Reviews 3.13 Average
    3.13 438 438 18 18
  • New York Philharmonic / Eugene Ormandy / Vladimir Horowitz - Concerto No. 3, Cover art
    Concerto No. 3
    1978 Album
    42 Ratings 1 Reviews 4.00 Average
    4.00 42 42 1 1
    • See all 30 Include in main chart

    Archival

  • Berliner Philharmoniker / Wilhelm Furtwängler - Symphonie Nr. 7 »Original-Version«, Cover art
    Symphonie Nr. 7 »Original-Version«
    1976 Album
    8 Ratings 3.91 Average
    3.91 8 8
  • Berliner Philharmoniker / Wilhelm Furtwängler - Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, Cover art
    Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
    1972 Album
    6 Ratings 4.38 Average
    4.38 6 6
  • Berliner Philharmoniker / Wilhelm Furtwängler - Симфония № 6 (Symphony No. 6), Cover art
    Симфония № 6 (Symphony No. 6)
    1971 Album
    4 Ratings 4.23 Average
    4.23 4 4
  • The Airborne Symphony
    1976 Album
    8 Ratings 3.37 Average
    3.37 8 8
  • Juilliard Percussion Orchestra / New York Woodwind Ensemble / Frederic Waldman - The Varèse Record, Cover art
    The Varèse Record
    1977 Album
    4 Ratings 3.89 Average
    3.89 4 4
    • See all 12 Include in main chart
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