Samuel Barber | Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (1938)
Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11.
1938-11-05 18:00:00 - Music Video
Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quartet. It was performed for the first time on November 5, 1938, by Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a radio broadcast from NBC Studio 8H. Toscanini also conducted the piece on his South American tour with the NBC Symphony in 1940.
Its reception has generally been positive, with Alexander J. Morin writing that Adagio for Strings is "full of pathos and cathartic passion" and that it "rarely leaves a dry eye".
The music is the setting for Barber's 1967 choral arrangement of Agnus Dei.
Adagio for Strings has been featured in many TV and movie soundtracks.
PERFORMANCE
Sony Classical is proud to release Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 from the Summer Night Concert 2019. The Vienna Philharmonic is conducted by Gustavo Dudamel with pianist Yuja Wang as soloist.