Every year, Classic FM count down the world’s biggest poll of classical music tastes. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 has long been a favourite of the Classic FM audience, having been voted number one in the Classic FM Hall of Fame an impressive eleven times. But this year, it slipped to second place. The top spot went to Karl Jenkin’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, the first time the honor has gone to a living composer. With its heart-tugging, hymn-like melody so apt for the times we are in, it is easy to see why classic music fans chose Jenkin’s masterpiece as their favorite piece of classic music of this year. In total, Jenkins has five pieces in this year’s chart, confirming his widespread popularity, including Adiemus (number 66), Palladio (82), Gloria (191) and Requiem (300).

The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace was an anti-war composition commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the new millennium. The work served as a moment of solace and prayer for peace following the depicted horrors of war. Below is a snippet of ‘Benedictus’, a reflective moment in The Armed Man, renowned for its slow cello solo which Jenkins intended to sound both “haunting” and “effortless.”

Listen: ‘Benedictus’ from The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, performed by the Scottish National Orchestra and conducted by the composer himself, at the 2026 Classic FM Live.