Beethoven, Bach….. Barry?

I think so. Because “classical music” doesn’t have to be composed in the 18th century by a German or Austrian. It can be composed in the 1990s by a bloke from Leeds, as this magnificent (and very short) piece was. Purists may opine that, because of its lush arrangement and memorable melody, it’s a bit Classic FM Hall of Fame but so what? After all, “Here Comes The Bride” is Wagner and “Ere we go, ‘ere we go. ‘ere we go” is actually Mozart. John Barry was a genius, right up there with the finest classical composers. He’ll just have to wait 200 years for everyone to acknowledge that.