"Never pay any attention to what critics say. Remember, a statue has never been set up in honour of a critic!" Thus said Jean Sibelius, whose 150th anniversary is celebrated in December. It’s a different situation with composers though. Sibelius himself has the most extraordinary monument erected in his honour, a sculpture by Eila Hiltunen titled Passio Musicae.
This month, we’re setting Bachtrack readers a crowd-sourcing challenge. Can you provide photographs of statues or monuments of famous composers? Here’s a list of the 50 classical composers whose works were among the most performed last year, according to our annual statistics. Simply send us your photo via social media – Twitter (@bachtrack) or onto our Facebook page. It has to be your own photograph, which by submitting you grant your consent to use on this page. As they come in, we’ll mark them off on our list and post the photos. Can Bachtrack readers find all 50 before Sibelius’ birthday on 8 December? Over to you!
Composers in bold font are those we're still seeking!
Johann Sebastian Bach
Béla Bartók
Ludwig van Beethoven
Hector Berlioz
Georges Bizet
Johannes Brahms
Benjamin Britten
Anton Bruckner