Best Classical Music albums of all time - Rate Your Music
sign in
new music genres
charts
lists
New Music Genres Charts Lists
Current chart
Make your own chart
Saved charts
Soundtracks
Live
Archival
Top albums of all time 2024 2023 2022 2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s
Share
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Send on Whatsapp
Post on Reddit
More
Link to this page outside of RYM
Copied!

Top Classical Music albums of all time

Separate: live, archival, soundtracks and scores
Prev
1 2 ... 126 Next
Updated: 16 April
Average Ratings Reviews
Steve Reich and Musicians - Music for 18 Musicians, Cover art
Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich / Steve Reich and Musicians
4.10 14k 13,674 174 174
April 1978 Album
Minimalism
repetitive hypnotic minimalistic rhythmic ethereal atmospheric soothing polyphonic
14k Ratings 174 Reviews 4.10 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - IX. Symphonie, Cover art
IX. Symphonie
Ludwig van Beethoven / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
4.09 3k 3,059 19 19
1963 Album
Romanticism Symphony
Choral Symphony Classical Period Choral
symphony orchestral epic choral acoustic triumphant uplifting melodic
3k Ratings 19 Reviews 4.09 Average
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein - Le sacre du printemps, Cover art
Le sacre du printemps
Igor Stravinsky / New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein
4.02 4k 4,323 37 37
September 1958 Album
Modern Classical Ballet Orchestral
orchestral ritualistic dissonant instrumental apocalyptic suspenseful avant-garde spring
4k Ratings 37 Reviews 4.02 Average
Artur Rubinstein - The Nocturnes, Cover art
The Nocturnes
Frédéric Chopin / Artur Rubinstein
4.02 4k 3,660 27 27
October 1967 Album
Romanticism Nocturne
instrumental nocturnal mellow melancholic melodic acoustic soothing soft
4k Ratings 27 Reviews 4.02 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor / Karl Böhm / Edith Mathis / Júlia Hamari / Wiesław Ochman / Karl Ridderbusch - Requiem, Cover art
Requiem
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Franz Xaver Süssmayr
4.04 1k 1,158 8 8
1971 Album
Classical Period Requiem
funereal death Christian sombre acoustic choral orchestral ominous
1k Ratings 8 Reviews 4.04 Average
Glenn Branca - The Ascension, Cover art
The Ascension
Glenn Branca
3.96 14k 13,893 155 155
November 1981 Album
No Wave Noise Rock Totalism
Post-Rock Drone
instrumental dissonant noisy suspenseful avant-garde repetitive rhythmic complex
14k Ratings 155 Reviews 3.96 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber - Symphonie Nr.5, Cover art
Symphonie Nr.5
Ludwig van Beethoven / Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber
4.01 2k 1,884 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
Staatsorchester Stuttgart / Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra / The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Dennis Russell Davies / Saulius Sondeckis / Gidon Kremer / Keith Jarrett / Tatjana Grindenko / Alfred Schnittke - Tabula rasa, Cover art
Tabula rasa
Arvo Pärt
3.97 7k 7,319 85 85
September 1984 Album
Holy Minimalism Minimalism
Chamber Music
melancholic instrumental passionate atmospheric mysterious minimalistic spiritual acoustic
7k Ratings 85 Reviews 3.97 Average
Steve Reich and Musicians - Music for 18 Musicians, Cover art
Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich / Steve Reich and Musicians
3.98 3k 3,398 30 30
31 March 1998 Album
Minimalism
repetitive hypnotic ethereal minimalistic rhythmic instrumental atmospheric lush
3k Ratings 30 Reviews 3.98 Average
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Georg Solti - Symphony No. 9 'From the New World', Cover art
Symphony No. 9 'From the New World'
Antonín Dvořák / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Georg Solti
4.00 858 858 6 6
1984 Album
Romanticism Symphony
symphony epic orchestral instrumental acoustic lush energetic melodic
858 Ratings 6 Reviews 4.00 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Symphonie No. 9 / Moldau, Cover art
Symphonie No. 9 / Moldau
Antonín Dvořák / Bedřich Smetana
4.00 840 840 3 3
1985 Album
Romanticism Symphony
Tone Poem
instrumental symphony acoustic melodic epic orchestral suspenseful uplifting
840 Ratings 3 Reviews 4.00 Average
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises, Cover art
Promises
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & London Symphony Orchestra
3.90 17k 17,083 137 137
26 March 2021 Album
Post-Minimalism Third Stream
Progressive Electronic Minimalism Ambient Spiritual Jazz Chamber Jazz
instrumental meditative minimalistic repetitive atmospheric suite hypnotic soothing
17k Ratings 137 Reviews 3.90 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Symphonie Nr. 5, Cover art
Symphonie Nr. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
3.99 1k 1,111 6 6
1962 Album
Symphony Classical Period Romanticism
symphony lush instrumental orchestral acoustic triumphant epic passionate
1k Ratings 6 Reviews 3.99 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale / Ferenc Fricsay / Irmgard Seefried / Maureen Forrester / Ernst Haefliger / Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - IX. Sinfonie; Egmont-Ouverture; Leonore III, Cover art
IX. Sinfonie; Egmont-Ouverture; Leonore III
Ludwig van Beethoven
4.00 404 404 6 6
1959 Album
Symphony Romanticism Choral Symphony
Choral Overture Choral Symphony
acoustic epic instrumental suspenseful lush symphony
404 Ratings 6 Reviews 4.00 Average
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble - Music for 18 Musicians, Cover art
Music for 18 Musicians
Steve Reich / Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble
3.97 863 863 2 2
16 October 2007 Album
Minimalism
minimalistic repetitive hypnotic instrumental ethereal ensemble mysterious suspenseful
863 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.97 Average
Kirov Orchestra / Valery Gergiev - The Nutcracker, Cover art
The Nutcracker
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Пётр Чайковский / Mariinsky Orchestra Симфонический оркестр Мариинского театра / Valery Gergiev Валерий Гергиев
3.97 870 870 9 9
5 October 1998 Album
Romanticism Ballet Orchestral
Waltz Christmas Music
instrumental playful winter romantic lush sentimental Christmas waltz
870 Ratings 9 Reviews 3.97 Average
Columbia Symphony Orchestra / Igor Stravinsky - Stravinsky Conducts Le sacre du printemps, Cover art
Stravinsky Conducts Le sacre du printemps
Igor Stravinsky / Columbia Symphony Orchestra
3.96 2k 1,590 7 7
April 1961 Album
Modern Classical Ballet Orchestral
Expressionism
avant-garde suspenseful instrumental ritualistic orchestral polyphonic epic apocalyptic
2k Ratings 7 Reviews 3.96 Average
Collegium Vocale Gent / Philippe Herreweghe / Ian Bostridge / Franz-Josef Selig / Sibylla Rubens / Andreas Scholl / Werner Güra / Dietrich Henschel - Matthäus-Passion, Cover art
Matthäus-Passion
Johann Sebastian Bach
3.96 1k 1,487 13 13
16 November 1999 Album
Baroque Music Oratorio Christian Liturgical Music
oratorio epic Christian religious orchestral passionate melancholic acoustic
1k Ratings 13 Reviews 3.96 Average
Glenn Gould - The Goldberg Variations, Cover art
The Goldberg Variations
Johann Sebastian Bach / Glenn Gould
3.95 3k 3,426 48 48
2 September 1982 Album
Baroque Music
instrumental technical acoustic polyphonic complex melodic peaceful soothing
3k Ratings 48 Reviews 3.95 Average
John Eliot Gardiner - Mass in B minor, Cover art
Mass in B minor
Johann Sebastian Bach / John Eliot Gardiner
3.96 2k 1,563 12 12
1985 Album
Baroque Music Mass Christian Liturgical Music
Fugue
Christian choral religious acoustic complex epic spiritual polyphonic
2k Ratings 12 Reviews 3.96 Average
Takács Quartet - The 6 String Quartets, Cover art
The 6 String Quartets
Béla Bartók / Takács Quartet
3.95 1k 1,446 10 10
1 December 1997 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
string quartet instrumental acoustic suspenseful anxious complex dissonant atmospheric
1k Ratings 10 Reviews 3.95 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Wiener Singverein / Herbert von Karajan / Anna Tomowa-Sintow / Helga Müller-Molinari / Vinson Cole / Paata Burchuladze - Requiem, Cover art
Requiem
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Franz Xaver Süssmayr
3.96 1k 1,433 10 10
1987 Album
Classical Period Requiem Choral
choral Christian death orchestral epic acoustic funereal religious
1k Ratings 10 Reviews 3.96 Average
Philip Glass - Glassworks, Cover art
Glassworks
Philip Glass
3.91 7k 7,433 72 72
March 1982 Album
Minimalism
Post-Minimalism
instrumental repetitive hypnotic orchestral minimalistic lush atmospheric mysterious
7k Ratings 72 Reviews 3.91 Average
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein - Symphony No. 5, Op. 47, Cover art
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
Dmitri Shostakovich Дмитрий Шостакович / New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein
3.97 406 406 2 2
December 1959 Album
Symphony Modern Classical
symphony instrumental acoustic orchestral energetic triumphant melancholic melodic
406 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.97 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Ferenc Fricsay - Sinfonie e-Moll "Aus der neuen Welt" (Nouveau monde), Cover art
Sinfonie e-Moll "Aus der neuen Welt" (Nouveau monde)
Antonín Dvořák / Berliner Philharmoniker / Ferenc Fricsay
3.97 324 324 3 3
June 1960 Album
Romanticism Symphony
acoustic instrumental orchestral symphony
324 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.97 Average
Krystian Zimerman - 4 Balladen; Barcarolle; Fantasie, Cover art
4 Balladen; Barcarolle; Fantasie
Frédéric Chopin / Krystian Zimerman
3.95 710 710 3 3
8 July 1988 Album
Romanticism
acoustic instrumental ballad technical mellow passionate melancholic sombre
710 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.95 Average
The Philadelphia Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski / Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Cover art
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
Sergey Rakhmaninov Сергей Рахманинов
3.95 533 533 1 1
1946 Album
Romanticism Concerto
concerto acoustic instrumental passionate lush nocturnal raw winter
533 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.95 Average
Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber - Symphonie No. 4, Cover art
Symphonie No. 4
Johannes Brahms / Wiener Philharmoniker / Carlos Kleiber
3.93 1k 1,489 16 16
6 January 1998 Album
Symphony Romanticism
instrumental orchestral symphony acoustic melodic polyphonic passionate epic
1k Ratings 16 Reviews 3.93 Average
FLUX Quartet - Feldman Edition 6: String Quartet No. 2, Cover art
Feldman Edition 6: String Quartet No. 2
Morton Feldman / FLUX Quartet
3.91 1k 1,225 22 22
2002 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
sparse string quartet atonal meditative instrumental acoustic hypnotic chamber music
1k Ratings 22 Reviews 3.91 Average
Ryuichi Sakamoto - 1996, Cover art
1996
Ryuichi Sakamoto
3.91 4k 4,385 18 18
17 May 1996 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
Post-Minimalism
instrumental chamber music melodic melancholic meditative bittersweet soothing lush
4k Ratings 18 Reviews 3.91 Average
Steve Reich - Octet; Music for a Large Ensemble; Violin Phase, Cover art
Octet; Music for a Large Ensemble; Violin Phase
Steve Reich
3.92 3k 2,517 21 21
September 1980 Album
Minimalism
repetitive hypnotic instrumental meditative acoustic minimalistic orchestral soothing
3k Ratings 21 Reviews 3.92 Average
Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelík - »Aus der Neuen Welt«, Cover art
»Aus der Neuen Welt«
Antonín Dvořák / Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelík
3.95 373 373 3 3
1974 Album
Romanticism Symphony
epic acoustic symphony instrumental lush orchestral suspenseful complex
373 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.95 Average
Takács Quartet - The Late String Quartets, Cover art
The Late String Quartets
Ludwig van Beethoven / Takács Quartet
3.95 365 365
2 November 2004 Album
Chamber Music Romanticism
Fugue
string quartet acoustic instrumental polyphonic
365 Ratings 3.95 Average
Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi, Cover art
Koyaanisqatsi
Philip Glass
3.92 1k 1,214 8 8
27 October 1998 Album
Minimalism
Choral
hypnotic existential choral minimalistic sombre ominous suspenseful repetitive
1k Ratings 8 Reviews 3.92 Average
Reinbert de Leeuw - Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Trois sarabandes; Petite ouverture à danser, Cover art
Gnossiennes; Gymnopédies; Ogives; Trois sarabandes; Petite ouverture à danser
Erik Satie / Reinbert de Leeuw
3.91 2k 2,062 23 23
1 October 1995 Album
Impressionism
sparse melancholic instrumental calm lonely soft bittersweet atmospheric
2k Ratings 23 Reviews 3.91 Average
London Sinfonietta / David Zinman / Dawn Upshaw - Symphony No. 3, Cover art
Symphony No. 3
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
3.89 4k 3,544 46 46
24 April 1992 Album
Symphony Holy Minimalism Modern Classical
sad passionate melancholic orchestral symphony sentimental acoustic atmospheric
4k Ratings 46 Reviews 3.89 Average
Sinfonieorchester des Hessischen Rundfunks / Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Sinfonieorchester des Südwestfunks / Michael Gielen / Wolfgang Schubert / Ernest Bour / Liliana Poli / Barbro Ericson / Antoinette Vischer - Requiem; Lontano; Continuum, Cover art
Requiem; Lontano; Continuum
György Ligeti
3.91 1k 1,247 4 4
1968 Album
Modern Classical Requiem Choral
Sonorism Orchestral Serialism
scary suspenseful dissonant avant-garde dense ominous choral complex
1k Ratings 4 Reviews 3.91 Average
The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez - Boulez Conducts Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps, Cover art
Boulez Conducts Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps
Igor Stravinsky / Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez
3.94 313 313 1 1
1969 Album
Modern Classical Orchestral Ballet
Expressionism
instrumental avant-garde orchestral complex dense uncommon time signatures apocalyptic chaotic
313 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.94 Average
Tatiana Nikolayeva - Die Kunst der Fuge, Cover art
Die Kunst der Fuge
Johann Sebastian Bach / Tatiana Nikolayeva
3.92 668 668 2 2
August 1992 Album
Baroque Music Fugue
Ricercar
technical instrumental acoustic passionate melodic dense sombre
668 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.92 Average
André Laplante - Miroirs; Jeux d'eau; Pavane pour une infante défunte, Cover art
Miroirs; Jeux d'eau; Pavane pour une infante défunte
Maurice Ravel / André Laplante
3.93 554 554 1 1
14 August 1995 Album
Impressionism
suite acoustic soft technical instrumental mellow ethereal mysterious
554 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.93 Average
ADVERTISEMENT
Prev
1 2 ... 126 Next

Customize charts

There are unlimited ways to filter charts: You can make a personalized chart based on any combination of genres, descriptors, countries, languages and more.

Top
Albums
of
All-time
Include genres
Classical Music
Include influences
Include as either genre or influence
Include descriptors
Include languages
Include Artist Locations
Include User Locations
Exclude genres
Exclude influences
Exclude as either genre or influence
Exclude descriptors
Exclude languages
Exclude Artist Locations
Exclude User Locations
Close
Filter this chart by genre, country, language, location or descriptor
Only include ratings from users...
Exclude releases that I have:
Live releases:
Separate
Edit...
Archival releases:
Separate
Edit...
Soundtracks and scores:
Separate
Edit...
Show advanced options Show all advanced options Hide advanced options
Update chart
Support RYM by becoming a subscriber to access additional chart features, including:
  • Adjust popularity weighting
  • Filter by minimum or maximum number of ratings
  • Filter by age of users who rated
  • See 1.5 times as many results per chart (Standard) or 2x (Select)
  • Access charts that are updated daily (Select)
View subscription options
ADVERTISEMENT

Saved charts

Press the icon at the top of the chart to save it here for easy access in the future. Press the icon to make the chart your default when visiting charts.

Soundtracks

  • Shiro Sagisu - The End of Evangelion, Cover art
    The End of Evangelion
    1997 Album
    3k Ratings 11 Reviews 4.13 Average
    4.13 3k 3,311 11 11
  • Ennio Morricone - Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Cover art
    Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
    1966 Album
    6k Ratings 88 Reviews 4.10 Average
    4.10 6k 6,315 88 88
  • 岡部啓一 [Keiichi Okabe] & 帆足圭吾 [Keigo Hoashi] - NieR:Automata, Cover art
    NieR:Automata
    2017 Album
    3k Ratings 18 Reviews 4.09 Average
    4.09 3k 2,965 18 18
  • Mario Galaxy Orchestra - Super Mario Galaxy, Cover art
    Super Mario Galaxy
    2008 Album
    2k Ratings 12 Reviews 4.09 Average
    4.09 2k 1,993 12 12
  • Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Cover art
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
    2001 Album
    3k Ratings 32 Reviews 4.04 Average
    4.04 3k 3,031 32 32
    • See all 100 Include in main chart

    Live

  • 青葉市子 [Ichiko Aoba] & 12 Ensemble - Ichiko Aoba With 12 Ensemble (Live at Milton Court), Cover art
    Ichiko Aoba With 12 Ensemble (Live at Milton Court)
    2023 Album
    1k Ratings 10 Reviews 4.07 Average
    4.07 1k 1,497 10 10
  • Chor und Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele / Karl Böhm / Birgit Nilsson / Wolfgang Windgassen / Christa Ludwig / Martti Talvela / Eberhard Waechter - Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth 1966), Cover art
    Tristan und Isolde (Bayreuth 1966)
    1966 Album
    524 Ratings 11 Reviews 4.06 Average
    4.06 524 524 11 11
  • New York Philharmonic / The Westminster Choir / Leonard Bernstein / Barbara Hendricks / Christa Ludwig - Symphonie No. 2 "Resurrection", Cover art
    Symphonie No. 2 "Resurrection"
    1988 Album
    473 Ratings 7 Reviews 4.08 Average
    4.08 473 473 7 7
  • Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan - Symphonie No.9, Cover art
    Symphonie No.9
    1984 Album
    330 Ratings 3 Reviews 4.08 Average
    4.08 330 330 3 3
  • Orchestra and Chorus of the 1951 Bayreuth Festival / Wilhelm Furtwängler / Elisabeth Schwarzkopf / Elisabeth Höngen / Hans Hopf / Otto Edelmann - "Choral" Symphony, Cover art
    "Choral" Symphony
    1955 Album
    421 Ratings 2 Reviews 4.04 Average
    4.04 421 421 2 2
    • See all 100 Include in main chart

    Archival

  • The Philadelphia Orchestra / Leopold Stokowski - Walt Disney's Fantasia, Cover art
    Walt Disney's Fantasia
    1957 Album
    379 Ratings 5 Reviews 4.05 Average
    4.05 379 379 5 5
  • Julius Eastman - Unjust Malaise, Cover art
    Unjust Malaise
    2005 Album
    2k Ratings 16 Reviews 3.91 Average
    3.91 2k 1,851 16 16
  • S.E.M. Ensemble / Julius Eastman - Femenine, Cover art
    Femenine
    2016 Album
    922 Ratings 10 Reviews 3.89 Average
    3.89 922 922 10 10
  • Wilhelm Furtwängler - Beethoven: IX - Berlin 1942, Cover art
    Beethoven: IX - Berlin 1942
    1990 Album
    246 Ratings 6 Reviews 4.10 Average
    4.10 246 246 6 6
  • Nikhil Banerjee - Afternoon Ragas: Bhimpalasri, Multani, Cover art
    Afternoon Ragas: Bhimpalasri, Multani
    1992 Album
    340 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.87 Average
    3.87 340 340 4 4
    • See all 100 Include in main chart
    ADVERTISEMENT