When Samuel Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was 9 he wrote a letter to him mother,
informing her “I was not meant to be an athlete. I was meant to be a composer,
and will be I’m sure.” Then he pleaded with her: “Don’t ask me to try to forget
this unpleasant thing and go play football – Please.”
By the age of 14 he was enrolled in the Curtis Institute of
Music in Philadelphia. By the age of 21 he was composing music for concert
halls, and his career took off. One of
the most successful and lyrical composers of the 20th Century,
Barber’s music continues to resonate with listeners today.
The Adagio For Strings, written when he was 28, is possibly
his most loved composition. It
continues to be used in movies (most famously in the opening of Platoon) and has been played at countless
public occasions, especially during times of mourning.
Yes, there is an undeniable sadness in this piece in Bb
minor (a very dark key to begin with), but there is hope, joy, deep thought and
courage as well. It is about 8 minutes
long. Give it some time, and hang in
there for the climax around 6:00 minutes – it is well worth the wait.
Performed here by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic
No comments:
Post a Comment