Official Charts Company launches Official Classical Chart

The Official Charts Company has announced the launch of the Official Classical Chart, dedicated to showcasing new classical album releases making an impact across the UK.

Developed in close collaboration with the UK classical music industry and supported by BBC Radio 3, the UK’s first new classical chart launch in over a decade is designed to platform the latest classical recordings, to connect new audiences with the modern faces and sounds of the genre.

The chart is focused solely on discovery, showcasing only classical albums released within the last 12 months, ranked by combined UK sales and streams. It will be published every Friday at 17:45 at OfficialCharts.com, with weekly on-air support from BBC Radio 3’s Essential Classics, and is to be promoted across both Radio 3 and Official Charts’ digital channels, tapping into a combined audience of over 2.4 million.

Sales and streams began counting on 6 February 2026, with the first chart being set to publish on Friday 13 February.

According to Official Charts Company data, in 2025 more than 1.34 million classical albums were purchased in the UK. Sales of classical albums on vinyl rose 25% year on year in 2025, almost double the growth rate of the UK’s growing vinyl market.

“While the classical genre has roots reaching back over many centuries, it is also a thriving sector of contemporary innovation and inventiveness,” said Martin Talbot, the chief executive of Official Charts Company. “Thank you to BBC Radio 3 and the wider classical community for their passion for this project.”

The genre’s biggest British solo release of 2025 was Firedove by Anna Lapwood, with the top homegrown debut of 2025 coming courtesy of Liverpudlian pianist Brad Kella - the winner of Channel 4’s The Piano.

The Summer Portraits by Ludovico Einaudi was the biggest classical release of the year overall, across all formats, while classical’s best seller on vinyl was Hans Zimmer’s The World Of - PT II - A New Dimension.

“The introduction of the Official Classical Chart is huge for classical music because it shows what people are actually listening to and loving right now,” commented Adrian Chandler of baroque string ensemble La Serenissima. “For too long classical has been seen as a kind of museum piece but the reality is there’s an incredibly vibrant scene out there of new recordings, new discoveries and artists doing all sorts of things.”

“It’s incredibly exciting that the Official Classical Chart will open the door for even more artists - particularly rising talent - to be discovered,” said Sarah Thwaites, label director for Sony Classical. “Anna Lapwood is an inspiration, paving the way for the next generation of exceptional musicians, and it’s fantastic to have BBC Radio 3 providing such a great platform for artists to reach new fans.”

Read Headliner’s interview with Einaudi on his most popular piece, Nuvole Bianche, and his approach to scoring the Best Picture-winning film, Nomadland.