Samual Barber "Adagio for Strings"

For my first classical pick of the week, I have chosen "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber. I love this piece deeply. Listen to it and I think you'll know why. It is painfully and hauntingly beautiful and overflowing with emotion. Everything I love about classical music.

I fell in love with this piece in high school. I played it in an All-State Orchestra (I think - I can't remember which orchestra) and then again in our high school orchestra. Pieces that I've played usually become my favorites. They become a part of me (or rather, I become of part of them) as I study, practice, and perform them. This is true of this piece as well. I can feel myself playing along as I listen. It brings to the surface the reason I am passionate about violin and orchestral work.

I fell in love with Samuel Barber as a composer in college. He is a remarkable man and an exceptional composer. He is a contemporary American composer who has written some true masterworks, Adagio for Strings being one of them, and arguably his greatest.

Read about the composer.
Read about the piece.