Samuel Barber
Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 - Premiere Recording

Arturo Toscanini conductor
The NBC Symphony Orchestra

Recorded Live on November 5, 1938
in Studio 8H, Radio City, New York

Barber originally composed the Adagio for his String Quartet, Op. 11 in 1936, and composed the arrangement for strings in the same year. He sent an orchestrated version of the score to Toscanini in January of 1938, and the conductor returned it to him without comment. This annoyed Barber, until Toscanini sent word to Barber through his friend, Gian Carlo Menotti, that he had already memorized the work and planned to have it performed by the NBC symphony.

Its World Premiere was presented in a live broadcast when the present recording was made in November of that year. Critic Olin Downs gave the work glowing praise, but others criticized him for being so enthusiastic in his review.

Of course, there is no point in suggesting how right Mr. Downs was in his assessment. The Adagio has become one of the most popular works by any American composer of the 20th century. It has appeared in countless films, stage and television productions over the years. Barber would later arrange his "Agnus Dei" for choir based upon the Adagio, and it is still a favorite with concert audiences today.

The present recording is presented without noise reduction, and has been preserved in its original form with Acoustic Field Restoration only for the sake of fidelity.

Field Acoustic Restoration (2022): Paul Howard

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