Samuel Barber’s “Adagio For Strings”
Samuel Barber initially composed this piece for string quartet. It is the middle movement of this work that is known to be the heart-breaker. The opening single note is joined by a collective sigh of …
Composers Archive
Gustav Mahler’s Symphony #3
I still recall my hearing two live performances of Mahler’s Third Symphony. One performance was in London; the second took place at the Aspen Music Festival. Both were unforgettable. Now, many years later, I frequently …
Vadim Repin Plays Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole
Despite its title, Lalo’s “Symphonie espagnole” is essentially a violin concerto, not a symphony. Musicologist Michael Clive calls the work “a fabulously abundant violin showcase — non-stop fun to hear, and if you happen to …
Peter Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #6
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #6, The “Pathétique”, exhibits a moody darkness at almost every turn. The introduction is scored using the darkest of all orchestral colors, a bassoon in the low register accompanied by divided double basses. When …
The Octet in F-Major by Schubert
After visiting Schubert some time during February 1824, the painter Moritz von Schwind wrote to their mutual friend Franz von Schober: ‘Schubert has now long been at work on an octet, with the greatest enthusiasm. …