The first half of 2020 has really shown music’s ability to bring people together and provide comfort in difficult times, whether it’s people singing on balconies during lockdown to entertain their neighbours, musicians performing online to bolster spirits, or even providing the soundtrack to keep us moving at home.
We asked ABC Classic audiences to recommend the music that help to give them an instant mood boost. Here are 10 of the most popular pieces.
Get more than five hours of mood-boosting music in this playlist on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube
1. Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
It’s the unassailable favourite when it comes to comfort music. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s Vaughan Williams’s ravishing pastoral vision of a lark on the wing and chirruping its way skywards, destination Heaven. Lose yourself in it and within moments, earthly problems will seem a distant memory, observed from afar, in a better place.
- Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending always makes my heart and spirits soar. Alison, Adelaide
- The Lark Ascending lifts my spirits right up to the heavens. My heart simply swells with this beautiful piece. Jen, Geelong
2. Charles-Marie Widor: Toccata from Organ Symphony No. 5
Some mental obstructions can’t be cured by subtle means alone. They need blasting, and Widor’s organ blockbuster is just the remedy. You think rock musicians invented the ‘wall of sound’ effect? Widor was there a century earlier.
- “The Toccata from Widor’s Fifth Organ Symphony gets me buzzing.” Anonymous
- “My instant mood lifter is the Toccata from Widor's Fifth Organ Symphony.” Maureen, Canberra
- “Widor’s Toccata truly transports me to heavenly realms.” Bereny, Sunshine Coast
3. Anything by Georg Frideric Handel
He was the go-to guy whenever Kings and Queens needed an instant musical adrenaline-shot, and doesn’t it show in his music! Just listen to how Handel opens his most famous pieces; the instant hook of "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", the nobility of the "Hallelujah" chorus, and the sheer aural pleasure of the Water Music. Within 10 seconds of any of them, you’ll feel reborn.
- “Though I'm not religious, a work that moves and uplifts me is Handel's Hallelujah Chorus...stirring indeed.” Keith
- “I’m uplifted by the opening bars of any composition by Handel!” Leigh
- “Whenever I hear Handel's 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba', I feel as if I've just arrived at a joyous celebration! And my spirit soars in effortless abandon!” Therese, Brighton
4. Max Richter: Recomposed: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
In our informal poll, Max Richter and his stunning reworking of Vivaldi’s masterpiece beat the original. But maybe it’s not so surprising after all. Richter’s music is specifically designed to enhance your mood. His re-composition of the Four Seasons is vibrant music to energise you and make you fall back in love with life all over again.
- “I'm voting for Max Richter's rework of The Four Seasons and I think Vivaldi would too!” Elizabeth, Sydney
- “For me, it's Max Richter's Recomposed - turned up loud!” Eddie, Windemere
5. Vivaldi’s sacred music
His Four Seasons might have been trumped momentarily, but where one Vivaldi door closes, another opens immediately in the form of his sacred music. Vivaldi wasn’t just a genius as a composer but he was a priest as well, so small wonder that his famous Gloria in D opens with joyous celebration and only gets better from there. And it’s the same with Vivaldi’s other sacred music. There’s a radiance about it, and he makes it sound like it’s all for you.
- “For me, the opening of Vivaldi's Gloria always sparks joy.” Christine, Donvale
- “The start of Vivaldi's Gloria feels like dawn.” Anonymous
- “Vivaldi's Gloria is my music for dark times.” David, Dee Why
- “The opening of Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus is so very uplifting!” Hugh, Dulwich Hill
6. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Ever get the feeling that events of the present moment are simply overwhelming? What you might need is a reminder that the span of history is massive and that what seems insurmountable right now can disappear like dust with the passage of time. And that’s where the Tallis Fantasia comes in. It’s music that spans the centuries, connecting the present with the past, and providing much-needed context for the smaller things that sometimes drive us batty. If a giant cathedral could be captured in music, it might sound a bit like this.
7. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
From the very first notes, each Brandenburg Concerto will drag you out of despondency and into a musical universe that captivates your imagination with its perfect architectural symmetry, infinite interpretive possibilities, and sheer beauty and wonder.
- “Anything by Bach lifts my spirits, but particularly the Brandenburg Concertos.” Jean, Gold Coast
8. Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel
“Slow down and breathe.” How often have you heard that advice during moments of stress? Well Spiegel im Spiegel is the musical equivalent, so spare in its means, and so hypnotic in its effect. It’s a meditation that makes time stand still while you go deep within to a place where there is peace and harmony.
- “Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel instantly cheers up, especially if served up with chocolates.” Catherine, Wheelers Hill
- “When I hear Spiegel im Spiegel, I instantly relax.” Anonymous
9. Mikis Theodorakis: Zorba the Greek
This is a simple one. Just dance. You’ll be amazed at how much better it makes you feel.
- “Whenever I hear Zorba, I’m compelled to dance.” Susan, Adelaide
10. Camille Saint-Saëns: Organ Symphony
This one’s a bit long, but you could go straight for your favourite bit. It might be that ravishing slow movement, or the big organ entry in the finale, or the bit that you associate with the talking pig. Whichever you choose, you’ll be uplifted.
- “Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony is like happifying magic.” Carys
- “Saint Saens’ Organ Symphony at full volume cures anything!” David
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