By Carrie Gress
Each year the classical radio station in Washington, D.C. WETA (90.9) hosts the annual Classical Countdown. Listeners vote on their top three favorite classical pieces and then the top 100 pieces are played the week of Thanksgiving.
For years and years, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (which includes the Ode to Joy) has taken first place. Everyone knew this and expected it to happen again in 2022. But two years ago, music teacher, Alix Baldwin at Oakcrest School, a Catholic school in Vienna, Virginia, had an idea. She suggested to her class that perhaps Beethoven's Ninth didn’t have to win again.
“Our class decided that Vivaldi's The Four Seasons needed some recognition (that is not to say that we don't like Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - we love it, but it's already received its due recognition, in our opinions). Everyone went home, voted, got friends and family to vote,” said one student in Mrs. Baldwin's class.
And then it was time to wait. Baldwin described what happened next:
I was in shock. My husband looked over at me, astonished, “What did you DO?” I didn’t know what to think, and, of course, we had to wait about 80 minutes to find out! I posted about it on Facebook, where many of friends commented, similarly amazed… and then came the announcement, “This year’s Classical Countdown number one selection: The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi."
Much excitement erupted over Oakcrest’s upending of the results. WETA made a visit to the school to report their success.
But not everyone was thrilled that a class of high school girls was able to change the countdown results. Not only were many people outraged at Beethoven's displacement, but WETA changed the voting rules, limiting votes for three pieces of music, once per device.
In 2023, Oakcrest once again rallied to upend the Classical Countdown, but instead of Vivaldi, they promoted Gustav Holst's The Planets, which includes Jupiter, the original tune to Oh God Beyond All Praising. They were once again rewarded for their hard work, with Holst coming in second just behind Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
This year, the Oakcrest girls are at it again and trying to vault Modest Mussorgsky‘s Pictures at an Exhibition into the top spot. We will see if they pull it off come Thanksgiving.
If you are inclined to help some music-loving Catholic girls leave their mark the Classical Countdown again this year, please vote at https://weta.org/fm/features/classical-countdown.
Voters may pick three pieces of music, once per device. If a piece isn't listed, or if you want to vote for the same piece multiple times, there is a "write-in" section at the bottom of the page.
Voting ends Saturday, November 16th.