Synopsis

On today’s date in 1938, two works by American composer Samuel Barber received their very high-profile premiere performances on a live, coast-to-coast broadcast by the NBC Symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

Toscanini was impressed by Barber’s Symphony No. 1, which was performed at the 1937 Salzburg Festival, so Toscanini asked the 25-year old composer for a short orchestral piece, which Toscanini might perform with the newly-formed NBC Symphony.

Barber offered Toscanini his pick of two short pieces, and must have been surprised when he agreed to perform both of them: a newly-composed Essay for Orchestra and Barber’s arrangement for full string orchestra of a movement from a String Quartet he had written in 1936. Retitled Adagio for Strings, it was destined to become his best-known work.

Barber’s Adagio acquired a special resonance during World War Two, as a threnody for America’s war dead. It was also performed at the funeral of wartime President Franklin D. Roosevelt. More recently, Barber’s Adagio has been used to great effect in several successful films, including The Elephant Man and Platoon.

In a memorial tribute to Barber, American composer Ned Rorem wrote, “If Barber [25 years old when the Adagio was completed] later aimed higher, he never reached deeper into the heart.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Samuel Barber (1910-1981): First Essay for Orchestra; Detroit Symphony; Neeme Järvi, conductor; Chandos 9053

Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Adagio for Strings; Berlin Philharmonic; Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Philips 434 108