Read on to discover 7 wonderful compositions that changed the way we think about ourselves, as chosen by conductor Alexander Shelley...
Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (1824)
If I had to choose a single piece that embodies the ideals of the Enlightenment, it would be Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The finale’s setting of Schiller’s ‘Ode to Joy’ imagines a world in which all people become brothers and sisters, united by shared humanity rather than divided by class, nation or creed. That idea may sound commonplace today (if still challenging to make a reality!) but it was revolutionary in Beethoven’s time. Two centuries later, it remains one of the most powerful artistic expressions of the belief that humanity can aspire to something greater than itself.
Wagner Ring cycle (1848-74)
Few artistic projects loom larger over the modern world than Wagner’s Ring. Across four operas, gods, giants and heroes battle for possession of a ring that grants unlimited power. Yet beneath the mythology lies something remarkably contemporary. Wagner’s exploration of greed, environmental destruction, political corruption and the self-destructive pursuit of wealth always feels to me radically modern. A cycle often presented as fantasy feels increasingly like social commentary. Whether one admires or distrusts Wagner, his core insight remains profoundly relevant: the lust for power eventually consumes those who seek it.
More works that changed the way we think about ourselves...
Brahms A German Requiem (1868)
Most requiems pray for the dead. Brahms chose instead to comfort the living. Written after the deaths of people close to him, A German Requiem replaces fear of judgement with compassion and humanity. It speaks not of punishment or redemption, but of grief and the possibility of healing. For me, it represents one of the 19th century’s most profound artistic statements: that consolation can be found not only in faith, but also in our shared human experience. It remains one of the most generous works ever written.
Mahler Symphony No. 2, ‘Resurrection’ (1894)
If Brahms asks how we endure loss, Mahler asks what lies beyond it. The ‘Resurrection’ Symphony grapples with mortality on a vast scale. Mahler lived at a moment when scientific progress and secular thinking were challenging traditional religious certainties, and his symphony wrestles openly with questions of meaning, purpose and transcendence. What moves me most is that Mahler never offers easy answers. The work proceeds through doubt, fear and uncertainty before arriving at a vision of renewal that feels earned rather than assumed. More than a century later, it remains one of our most searching meditations on life, death and hope.
More works that changed the way we think about ourselves...
Britten War Requiem (1962)
Britten’s War Requiem stands among the greatest anti-war statements in any art form. Written for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral after the original’s destruction in World War II, it combines the Latin Requiem with the poetry of Wilfred Owen, who was killed just days before the end of the First World War. What impresses me is Britten’s refusal to glorify conflict. There are no heroes here, only humans caught in tragedy. The composer transforms remembrance into a moral act, asking whether humanity is capable of learning from its own violence.
John Adams Nixon in China (1987)
When Nixon in China premiered, some people wondered whether an opera about living politicians could be serious art. History has answered that question. John Adams takes a diplomatic visit and turns it into something much richer: a meditation on leadership, ideology and myth-making. The protagonists are not simply historical figures; they are individuals wrestling with how history will remember them. The opera proved that modern political events are every bit as worthy of artistic exploration as ancient legends.
More works that changed the way we think about ourselves...
Schoenberg A Survivor from Warsaw (1947)
This is the shortest work on my list and perhaps the most devastating. In less than ten minutes, Schoenberg confronts the Holocaust through the testimony of a survivor. There is no attempt at comfort, no effort to soften the horror. Instead, the music serves as witness. For centuries, composers sought beauty. Here, Schoenberg seeks truth. The result is a work that reminds us that music is not only capable of expressing joy and wonder. It also ensures that unimaginable suffering is never forgotten
Who is Alexander Shelley?
British conductor Alexander Shelley grew up in a musical household as the son of pianists Howard Shelley and Hilary Macnamara. Following studies in cello and conducting at the Royal College of Music and Robert Schumann Hochschule, he won first prize at the Leeds Conductors Competition in 2005. Currently principal associate conductor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Florida-based Artis–Naples, Shelley served as music director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra from 2015-26. This September, he begins his first full season as artistic director of California’s Pacific Symphony and as principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland.
