Desert Island Classics #7: Barber's Adagio for Strings
Desert Island Classics #7
Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings: The New York Philharmonic, conducted by Thomas Schippers. Recorded in 1965 (RCA/Sony).
My first introduction to American composer Samuel Barber’s iconic piece of music Adagio for Strings was when I heard it played to moving effect by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georges Delerue on the soundtrack to the 1986 Oliver Stone film Platoon. Stone wrote and directed the movie, and based much of it on his own experiences in the war. It’s use at both the opening and closing of the soundtrack, particularly as it included other sounds and voices added on the soundtrack, is eerie and brought home for me the brutal reality of the Vietnam War.
Barber’s Adagio for Strings began its life as the second movement of his String Quartet no. 11, completed by Barber in 1936. But most of us have only heard the piece in its arrangement for string orchestra, which Barber completed later the same year. The premiere of the orchestral version was in November of 1938, with the great Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a live radio broadcast from the NBC studios. Barber had sent the score to Toscanini earlier that year, asking him to consider conducting the premiere. Toscanini sent it back without comment, to Barber’s great annoyance. Eventually Toscanini sent word to Barber that he fully intended to conduct the premiere, and had only sent it back because he had already memorized it! Allegedly, Toscanini didn’t look at the score again until just before the premiere.
Initially, critical reception was mixed. However, time has shown just how profoundly Barber’s Adagio has spoken to listeners over the years, and how deeply moving it is for many. Some critics have even rated it as the greatest piece of American music ever written.
Perhaps somewhat to Samuel Barber’s chagrin, his Adagio for Strings easily became the composer’s most well-known and popular piece. In 1978 Barber said in an interview, “They always play that piece. I wish they'd play some of my other pieces”. Nevertheless, there is something about the 7 – 9 minute work which captures something poignant and important for everyone that hears it. Author Alexander Morin comments that the Adagio is "full of pathos and cathartic passion" and that it "rarely leaves a dry eye". Indeed, Barber’s masterpiece has consistently been used during times of sadness, grief, and consolation. It’s overriding mood is somber and the relatively simple melody carries a theme which increases in intensity and volume as it progresses. This has the impact of pulling on our heart strings with its wistful and tragic phrases. It has been said it is the saddest music ever written.
Some of the public occasions where Barber’s Adagio for Strings has been played include:
Broadcast over radio at the announcement of Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in 1945.
Played at the funeral of Albert Einstein in 1955.
Performed by the National Symphony Orchestra in a national radio broadcast following the funeral of assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The piece was one of Kennedy's favorites.
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein at four consecutive New York Philharmonic concerts in memory of Samuel Barber shortly after Barber's death in 1981.
Performed at Last Night of the Proms in 2001 at the Royal Albert Hall to honor the victims of the September 11 attacks.
Played in Trafalgar Square, on January 9, 2015, by an ensemble of 150 string players led by Thomas Gould of the Aurora Orchestra following the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Played in Central Park in New York City on June 15, 2016, for the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
Played at the televised memorial in Manchester, England on May 23, 2017, for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Played at the digital European Concert in the Berliner Philharmonie by the Berlin Philharmonic under Kirill Petrenko on May 1, 2020, for Coronavirus victims.
In addition to its use in the film Platoon, it was also used in the movies Lorenzo’s Oil, The Elephant Man, and Amelie. It has been used in numerous television shows as well, including Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and South Park. It was also the basis for a top selling techno dance hit by the DJ Tiesto.
Thomas Schippers recording of Barber’s Adagio for Strings
Although Samuel Barber and Thomas Schippers were not close friends, Barber greatly admired Shippers’ interpretations of his music. This recording was made under Barber’s supervision, and it turns out Schippers was the ideal person to record the Adagio.
This performance of Barber’s masterpiece is remarkably sensitive and insightful, and the engineers did an outstanding job making the orchestra sound vividly present and alive. This sounds incredibly good for 1965, and even with some slight background noise, this recording sounds every bit as good as more recent recordings.
But back to the performance…Schippers is sentimental here without going overboard, and this allows the music to build upon itself in a way that reveals the marvelous superstructure of the piece. It should be noted that Schippers was a renowned opera conductor, and so his expertise at bringing out the “singing” line of the Adagio is almost immediately evident. The internal drama of the piece is emphasized as each episode builds upon the last, and even though Schippers takes a measured approach, we are almost surprised when we arrive at the climax which is delivered with tragic intensity.
But the real tragedy is Thomas Schippers sadly died from lung cancer in 1977 at the age of 47. Some compared Schippers to Leonard Bernstein, and a few critics contend that had he lived he would have gone on to even greater stardom than Lenny. He did leave some legendary recordings, but he can sometimes be forgotten these days. His innate understanding of Barber’s music in particular left us with some wonderful recordings, this Adagio being the prime example.
Other recommended recordings
Leonard Bernstein and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, on a 1983 release recorded by Deutsche Grammophon is a very close runner-up to Schippers, and perhaps there is room for it in the desert island collection. Slower and more dramatic than his early 1970s recording with the New York Philharmonic, and in much better sound, this is late Bernstein at his best. Bernstein shades the dynamics superbly, and as you might expect with Lenny, he pulls every ounce of emotion from the score without going over the top this time. Bernstein was an absolute master of American music, and Barber’s Adagio was no exception.
Another Leonard, this time Leonard Slatkin with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, on EMI/Warner from 1989, is easily one of the finest versions on record. Slatkin, another master of American music, does a nice job of weaving in and out of the main theme, and nicely allows it to build in intensity each time. The sound is very good.
Michael Tilson Thomas and the London Symphony Orchestra, recorded by in excellent sound by EMI/Warner in 1994, brings yet another conductor with great credentials in American music leading a moving and tender account of the Adagio. Tilson Thomas was a protegee of Bernstein, but kept a slightly tighter rein on things than his mentor. Tilson Thomas keeps things well-controlled until just before the climatic phrases, and then he allows things to build gradually in a thrilling way. Warm, detailed sound.
A rather sentimental choice of mine is by Yoav Talmi and the Israel Chamber Orchestra on the Chandos label. Recorded in 1988, it was one of the very first CDs I owned. It presents the Adagio in ravishing sound and with one of the finest performances on record. What I really like about it is that the chamber size orchestra allows more transparency in the parts and so we hear things quite clearly. The rest of the album is also excellent.
The Keller Quartett on the ECM label, released in 2013, bring the Adagio to us in the original string quartet version. It is a revelation in terms of removing some of the “thickness” of the orchestral version, which allows us to hear every string part well. The Keller members play with passion and commitment, and the sound is very fine.
David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra recorded the Adagio for the Argo label (part of Decca) in 1992, and the sound is rich and warm as expected from Argo. The orchestra play with alertness and engagement with the score, especially in the lead up to the climax, which certainly brings goosebumps when it arrives. The pacing and dynamics from Zinman are ideal.
A more recent recording from Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic, recorded on the BIS label in 2012, brings some unique ideas and a somewhat faster approach to this music. Litton is also known for his interpretations of American music, and he leads a performance with great forward momentum, which also somehow doesn’t lose the pathos and tragedy inherent in the sound world Barber created. Great sound.
Finally there is the well-known recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, recorded for CBS/Columbia (now Sony) way back in 1957, still sounding fresh. The main attraction here is the sumptuous string sound from the famous Philadelphians. But Ormandy is at times underrated as an interpreter, and although this is a faster account than most, it brings tremendous beauty and nostalgia.
If you are a music lover, you probably already know Barber’s Adagio for Strings, but it deserves all the attention it has garnered. It is popular for a reason, and that is the way it expresses universal emotions in such a moving way.
As always, thank you for reading. Until next time, take care of yourself and remember to listen to some great music!
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Notes:
BaileyShea, Matthew (August 2012). "Agency and the Adagio: Mimetic Engagement in Barber's Op. 11 Quartet". Gamut. 5 (1): 7–38. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
Barnes, Anthony (September 16, 2001). "Tradition yields to compassion". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
Heyman, Barbara B. (1992). Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509058-6.
Keller, Johanna (March 7, 2010). "An Adagio for Strings, and for the Ages". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
Larson, Thomas (2010). The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings". Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-60598-115-4.
Lee, Douglas A. (2002). Masterworks of 20th Century Music: The Modern Repertory of the Symphony Orchestra. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93846-5.
Morin, Alexander (2001). Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. Backbeat Books. p. 74. ISBN 0-87930-638-6.
"The Impact of Barber's Adagio for Strings". All Things Considered. NPR. November 4, 2006. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011. (Audio clip).
Wise, Brian (September 8, 2010). "WQXR Features Barber's Adagio: The Saddest Piece Ever?". Retrieved August 30, 2012.