Following a record-breaking spell at the top of the specialist classical albums chart, Andre Rieu’s Forever Vienna has been knocked off the top spot.
Light and Gold, by Eric Whitacre, has stormed to the top of the countdown following its release earlier this month (October 18th).
The album includes some of the US-born conductor’s most popular choral works, as well as new recordings, and cements his position as one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation.
Whitacre has already become a million-hit online sensation thanks to his YouTube Virtual Choir in which he assembled 185 singers from across the globe to perform Lux Aurumque.
Speaking at the time to Classic FM, Whitacre said: “I’m delighted to lead what I anticipate to be a big step forward for classical – and indeed, all – music. I hope this will be a moment in music history for the YouTube Generation.”
The clip has attracted well over a million hits and given him a worldwide following – marking a new digital age for classical music.
This autumn, Whitacre is enjoying a term-long residency as a visiting composer in residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and has recently performed in a world premiere concert at the Barbican Centre.