Barber: Adagio for Strings

[@jonathancoombes1495]

It's almost as if the cello is telling a story of complete heartbreak and dispair and the other instruments are crying their own tales of sadness until, at five minutes, they come together and pour out their grief collectively. A masterpiece.

[@TheMargie76]

yes

[@birdehh4503]

That’s supposed to be the vibe! ❤

[@1975Richardmartin]

Yes yes , a true masterpiece, I’m never as😮 close as I am when I listen to this ....

[@MrBoggles]

I also love how each voice leads into the main melody And the different resolutions provide some bittersweet points of relief.. the beauty in the pain.. light in the darkness.. One of the most beautiful pieces out there.. these guys do it justice. And there’s a phenomenal full choir version of this too.. wow!

[@OuvriersGuerre]

The cello is not the main protagonist of this one

[@jeffschrandt4034]

just because this song makes me cry, doesnt mean I'm sad, just moved

[@FullTimePatient37]

Yes I didn't know what to say..yes yes 🎻

[@neilhalieninvader]

Just found this, August 2023, as a viola player I am awe struck, this is how it is meant to be played every note caressed, every nuance perfect, just brilliant.

[@jameswilliams-pn1ee]

Saturday March 9th was Samual Barber's birthday.... I found his grave that day and paid my respects. I had lived in the town he was born, and never took the time to visit the old cemetary he was buried in. One of the great composers of the 20th century who deserves to be honored. He is laid to rest next to his family, and next to an empty grave with a tombstone he requested next to his own that reads " to the memory of two friends" a tribute to his long time partner the composer Gian Carlo Minotti who is buried in East Lothian Scotland. It was a quiet but sunny day with bits of snow around his headstone, and the hint of some springtime birds singing. This song ran through my head.

[@marlenerodulfa4397]

james williams Wow! Thanks for sharing.

[@davelee8961]

Beautiful Memory! He and Copland, to me, are the 20th Century Americans who will endure. Come to think of it, this brilliant piece is "a quiet but sunny day with bits of snow...and the hints of springtime birds singing." Thanks for sharing that.

[@Usandthem31]

My goodness what a beautiful comment.

[@istemihanvarisli]

This is beautiful. Thank you James.

[@leticiam8804]

😢😢😢❤❤❤

[@parkercollins7946]

My mom died of cancer at 59. For her last 12 hours she was basically gone after a stroke silenced her. Our hospice nurse slowly upped the morphine to keep her body calm while to passed. Those hours with her at the end are perfectly captured in the first several minutes of this piece. For me, it’s a sort of lament. It’s the sadness of seeing the death coming, it’s saying goodbye, it’s……not dread, but something along those lines. Helplessness, maybe, accepting it. Knowing something that is going to hurt is right there, so close. And the crescendo is the moments of death, when we see her chest fall and as the notes sustains we hold our breath somehow stunned that hers isn’t rising again even though knew it was coming. In the silence we finally exhale and it’s done. She’s really gone. And the last bit is the aftermath, the processing and the work and sadness. It sounds like the same song, But now the tension and fear and anticipation are gone. Anyway, this song holds a lot of meaning for me. I’m not much of a crier, so I put it on every so often and let it out. Thanks for reading.

[@Dynoooo]

very well spoken

[@stevenpatricknorton458]

That was hard reading for me as we all lose our parents. Wow. Thank you

[@wearesource]

Tears - witnessing the dance of pain and beauty. I have now come to a new realisation of what heartbreaking can mean. It is not because the heart breaks through pain, but because the heart can no longer contain the total fullness and breadth of emotional expression arising within. Until it breaks open - surrendering, overflowing - ALIVE. It is the very same feeling I get when I reflect on humanity.

[@chuckgviolin3538]

Sadly, you just don't hear this performed this way much anymore. This is a stunning performance.

[@kierstin1989]

I've never heard the string quartet version before. Now it is the only version for me. Breathtaking and heartbreaking.

[@terrygrant326]

I had never heard the string quartet version before... I am completely undone by the power of naked, authentic presence

[@juliyabelyanevich7066]

Original version is indeed exposing the harmony so much and gives such a depth in tones. Somehow orchestra version I find very shallow, pretty flat

[@johnlacy7115]

amen

[@gyrocompa]

The vocal (a capella) version is very moving too : kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4fSqH-EqrtnkM0

[@dale3858]

@@gyrocompa That was real nice, thanks...

[@jeremypreston5009]

What's fascinating About this piece of music is how Challenging it is to play Well. Nothing is particularly technical or "difficult" but the amount of control it requires from every musician involved is.... Well frankly that's Barber's genius at work, making something so sparing, simple, elegant, and impactful

[@lucifer3881]

This is why I started playing the viola, and never regret it

[@lottenerger6420]

Same

[@jackgrayson8852]

AMEN

[@jackgrayson8852]

AMEN

[@jackgrayson8852]

AMEN

[@annegreaves5219]

@@jackgrayson8852 And me

[@peterwaelkens9619]

You don't find a better performance ...ever....wish I was there

[@ernshaw78]

The string quartet version exposes the harmony more. You hear one instrument on each part. Chamber music is harder for that reason since each musician has to work that much harder. Which is why I work on one chamber piece when I can with other people to work on my musical abilities. This is so very hard to play especially with the whole harmony in it and how all parts are like independent.

[@musicichannel8402]

listen this version and give me your opinion please. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpzJnpJ_pdlop8U

[@mattcartwright8272]

Carey - always good to get a musician's perspective. I've leant that musicians have very different 'ears' from other people. I believe this factor and the emotional attachment the player has for a piece, over and above technical ability is what results in a nuanced performance that moves people beyond the norm.

[@salmonella508]

I couldn’t agree with you more. This is a more intimate version than an orchestra. Each section is clearly heard by each performer. I don’t play a bow instrument and I can only imagine the stress of having to be spot on with your part in any composition. No other musicians playing the same part to lean on. I applaud your courage.

[@michaelmontague1717]

Spectacular. Every voice. Every nuance. Every sensuous phrase. Every poignant chord change. Every rallentando. Every slight accelarando. Every rubato. All harmonies open. Transparent. No one can hide. Exactly the way that Barber envisioned it initially. The full string orchestral versions, by many, many orchestras, are wonderful. No question. But none...not ONE..has the intimacy...the immediacy....the poignancy ....the emotion...of this absolutely beautiful version of this absolutely beautiful American music. Thank you!!!!

[@aldig3935]

Less is more..This quartet allows phrasing to be highlighted and each string to breath individually without sacrificing the ebb, flow and finally the drama..so emotional without overcomplication.

[@susanhawkins3890]

You've said everything I thought but more eloquently than I could have.

[@davelee8961]

Well said. Absolutely beautiful!

[@martindriver6026]

Sorry no voice. Just sweet music .

[@hcadena3874]

@peter kreislermaybe if you became a little more educated you wouldn't find the use of adequate adjectives to describe this masterpiece as "arrogant"

[@joyceoxfeld1352]

They started so pianissimo on a up-bow like that! Such amazing control.

[@Buddybigone]

We played this piece in high school over 42 years ago. I played the cello. I can honestly say I wasn't that good. I have always remembered this piece and listen to it today. I follow my part which makes it more intimate than it was years ago when trying to play those high notes. The quartet makes each individual part stand out like a solo, especially my cello part. I love this version. I also enjoy the full orchestra which enriches it and fills the auditorium with rhythm, harmony, and alternating melodies. Sigh, those were the days! I wish I knew then what I know now!

[@eddarby469]

Nobody can listen to music in the same way musicians listen to music, and if you played that composition it is even more so. You have some kind of mental bond with it all and you hear all the notes all at the same time.

[@holton345]

The quartet original is, for me, far more powerful and nakedly intimate than some big string section playing the piece. This is a wonderful, raw performance. Very moving. Great post. Thanks.

[@waynesmith7487]

Tell me she didn't have an orgasm.

[@Scriptease123]

The embodiment of "less is more".

[@RamblinRick_]

Agreed. The quartet distills the essence of what makes this great. It is purity, defined. Sidebar: the description section should name the players, other than simply Dover Quartet.

[@lloydh65]

Agreed. For me, the quartet really conveys the emotion of this wonderful piece so much more than an orchestra. The only other version that (for me) does this so effectively is the version by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.

[@oleflogger6828]

It take a very high degree of skill to do this with only 4 instruments. Bravo!

[@renoirmedical6412]

The most transcendent piece of music ever composed! Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe it!

[@marciebalme588]

+Gabrielle Renoir yes agree

[@wallacefox1765]

life it's self is a gift, .. these are the reward's .

[@danielcropp8553]

Transcendent. Yes, that is the word for it.

[@stephenruff157]

Thanks G C ;) at least you have taste

[@renoirmedical6412]

I studied violin, Stephen, I'm a huge classical music lover. :)

[@CraigBrysonMusic]

That quiet entrance after the climax. Wow. You are such a gifted group of musicians. These instruments are so hard to play but so expressive. So glad I happened upon this video.

[@nowayjose20]

YES. The power in the fifths brought me to tears. Even more so than the climax.

[@SuperLpsrox]

Love how the first violinist puts his heart in the music. Love how this piece is in minor and yet there's accidentals. Perfection and emotional. And how lovely, the violist puts her heart in this. Tears everytime

[@lucasarzayus4505]

while that's true, the violinist on the left controls when they enter since they don't have a conductor; however, I'm not gonna take that away from him, as it's still clear that this piece means something to him

[@davidbreuning1333]

Having listened to this numerous times now I think many people are getting it wrong. While it's true it is probably the saddest music ever composed, it reminds me how alone we feel most of the time in the world. This is the majority of the composition as the four instruments play around each other, almost as if they are trying to become one and harmonize but can't quite get there. Then starting at the 5:00 or so they start to come together, and starting around 5:30 they become a single, ecstatically joyous, almost rapturous harmonization, only to once again become alone after the crescendo. It is both simultaneously despairing and hopeful.

[@jkelly2926]

Your words are beautiful

[@bookstuart]

Excellent, yes my sentiments exactly, I felt this developmental to only you have put words to it. Thank you.

[@tft6065]

Very well said.

[@mattjohnson9962]

David Breuning: Well thought out and true.

[@j4457fla]

Words cannot describe this wonderful piece. Dover Quartet NAILED it. GREAT JOB. GREAT MUSICIANS. God Bless!!!!!

[@RamonGonzalez-lh9ok]

So have I,Dr. Kiertin. This IS the BEST versión for cuartet

[@chipfoos8]

One of the most amazing versions of this song available!!!! Unbelievable!!!!!

[@chipfoos8]

Watching them in harmony at points and then not is legitimately amazing!!!!

[@TonyTreSky]

May I say that I enjoyed reading these beautiful comments nearly as much as I enjoyed listening to this most sensitive, most musically literate performance of Barber's work. Thank you all for the heartfelt responses.

[@CraigDAmico]

It's nice to know that an American composer wrote something so beautiful.

[@joshuadshepherd]

Judging from the numbers above, it seems that 11 people are either deaf or internet trolls. Either way, they're horribly wrong. This performance is heart-felt and sincerely beautiful. Congrats to the musicians for accomplishing such a wonderful moment together.

[@LAPortillo77]

- This is one of the best pieces of music in the history of mankind, I'm prod to say that I was alive at the same time S. Barber was, is like saying I was alive when Beethoven or Mozart was.

[@ianhuangncubed]

I love how coordinated this group is

[@anastasiaradko148]

Best version I've ever heard.

[@stevenclaessen2608]

DJ Tiesto made a better version

[@TheMadisonHang]

lol

[@raymondmarotta1790]

Beautiful as you can hear each instruments voice blend together

[@raylevi5617]

This is truly one of the most heartachingly beautiful pieces I have ever heard. I can't believe it isn't more popular.

[@cynthiagottlieb6116]

It is one of my very favorite pieces of music.

[@facepalm9300]

Don’t tell anyone. Keep it a secret.

[@OtherTheDave]

Can't play it on the radio because distracted drivers would get in too many crashes.

[@lylecosmopolite]

This work is well known by classical music lovers, esp. in the USA.

[@monicarichheimer2550]

@@OtherTheDaveone of the most moving puedes and composdrs.

[@alanturnbull8246]

Amazing...beautiful...makes you want to cry too

[@patriciaburke9407]

Just heard this as a quartet on Prairie Home Companion. Had to find this. Beautiful, beautiful.

[@yvonne4552]

me too! got addicted when hearing this.

[@EGROSENFIELD]

agree!

[@michaelhall9467]

This is just about as close to perfection as you get in a music video. I cannot recommend it enough, or enough times.

[@johndonnelly5971]

My most favourite piece of music on the planet played with absolute exquisite phrasing and control. Totally beautiful performance, thank you.

[@joseavalos3415]

Been listening to this song for about six months from time to time, never get tired of this song

[@NoahStone9]

My soul left my body and went on a trip to the 4th heaven. Beautiful!

[@poppynoppy1]

music of the soul, just gorgeous, sublime and most beautiful

[@colerainfan1143]

My god, that is exquisite. Moving, heartbreaking.

[@perronid]

Don't know what is more awesome... The quartet version or the string orchestra version... Both make me cry

[@LeeMitchellAcoustic]

Danilo Perroni Me too. The most beautiful piece I've ever heard.

[@andreodias1842]

+Danilo Perroni Agree, both are beautiful. But quartet version is so "pure", so simple, so... missing words! =)

[@itznoxy7193]

It's the quartet for me.

[@CalebMartinPercussion]

The choral arrangement is outstanding as well!

[@Steph-3979]

I particularly enjoy the choral arrangement (under the title "Agnus Dei") but I'm probably biased as a singer.

[@johncarter4131]

This is the most moving and intense interpretation of this wonderful piece of music I have heard, the playing is exquisite, thank you.

[@wagnerpolveiro7176]

The real expression of perfection..., you are perfect, Dover Quartet. Purity, serenity, the beauty of perfection. I think you have discovered the secret of the beautiful sound of the angels. You are just adorable. Thank you so much for sharing this preciosity.

[@Nimihui]

Thank you so much for your truly kind words. This music means so much to us all (as humans!). (-Milena, violist )

[@kukubara2007]

Thank you for this! It's an amazing performance. My heart and soul are melted... and yes.... I love your vibrato and pauses.

[@curious1curious]

Perfection...absolute perfection. Thank you all...just beautiful.

[@inlovewithmusic9523]

I weep at the perfection. Their playing. Their shared communication. The music.

[@davelee8961]

I totally agree.

[@MaestroBabs]

This is just as good as any string orchestra performance of this piece that I've heard, if not better.

[@CgmmanR7]

I liked the greater emphasis on viola in this quartet version of the Adagio. I suppose each instrument gets their moment, but I just loved being able to hear it over first violin.

[@davelee8961]

Me, too.

[@kimcircagirl474]

ThankYou for putting this up on you tube, phenomenal

[@abcdavis4243]

Omg I can hear the cello so clearly! In other versions it's not nearly as clear and I like that you can hear each individual part in quartets

[@musicichannel8402]

Hi Greenbean, listen this version and give me your opinion please. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpzJnpJ_pdlop8U

[@naplespier]

As close to musical perfection as it is humanly possible to get, IMHO...

[@shovelmasterfunk6709]

It doesn't get any better than this.

[@FilipSandecomposer]

It must be the string Quartet performance of my dreams. You can feel how aware each of the musician are on the others and at the same time each instrument stands very out and bring so much variation and colours. I am amazed! This is the reason why I love strings!

[@XiyuYang]

I have never heard anything so sad, beautiful and transcendent at the same time.

[@barronness07]

I thought that I can keep a straight face while listening. At the end, I have a tear-stricken face and a runny nose. The emotions are so powerful. It is like there is a tragic story beneath those notes. You made my day! ❤

[@dazza1shot]

Paula Camille Villaruel I agree with what you say the story starts off all great then from just past five minutes the tragedy unfolds.

[@koopsjunta]

How on earth could anyone hit the thumbs down button on this? Stunning. Bold. Perfect. Bravo, Dover Quartet. Bravo!

[@اللهالله-ل7د]

You cannot understand it

[@evelynjimenez1649]

This video gave me goosebumps throughout the whole 8 minutes.

[@TammyVartuli-yh1qo]

So sad yet so beautiful

[@187Dethklok]

Sweet tears

[@christianpoletti7912]

I LOVE this quartet! One of the most stunning version of Barber's adagio i have ever heard. Chapeau!

[@ChacoteOutdoorRecreation]

How can a world with so much horror and pain produce something this sublime. Humans beyond complex

[@trevor9934]

Stunning, heart-rending, poignant, and deeply touching... I have never heard this piece played as a quartet and, compared to a big orchestra, there is nowhere for an individual to hide from a bad moment in such a configuration. They play with respect, passion and technical competence. Each has their turn at the lead and, for me, each is up to the task.

[@moniquemertens5613]

That is so true ,I've been lucky enough to play the viola part in an orchestra, it's breathtaking playing it. And I wouldn't dare to play it so 'naked' ...maybe after another 10 years of practice ...

[@sethd1125]

This is by far my favorite version. The quartet strips away the orchestral grandeur, stunning in it's own right, and lays bare the soul of the piece as originally conceived with deep honesty and complete lack of pretension. The simplicity of the quartet belies the piece's aching beauty that resonates deep in my core as a human being. For me, it is cathartic and never fails to move me unlike any other piece of music.

[@bobmcrae5751]

I get tears in my eyes every time I hear this piece. The first time I heard it was when watching the closing scenes of 'The Elephant Man'. IMHO it rivals Ravel's Pavane For A Dead Princess for it's emotional and melancholy impact.

[@Mckennapm915]

I hear the moving points and counterpoints of layered emotions bring home the strength of sorrow to the smoothing but joyful ending in peace. The Dover Quartet connects to me.

[@karendelacruz428]

This is my favorite rendition of Adagio for Strings, thank you so much for this. Right now I'm going through some difficult times as I'm on the verge of losing my scholarship for medical school. My parents have already passed away so I'm fully dependent on that scholarship so the whole thing has been keeping me on edge lately. When I heard this song I just can't help but let go of the tears I've been holding back and it really just gave me a huge sense of relief. This is actually the first time I've heard your music and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

[@jslartey2]

Hi, I’m in a similar situation right now. I’m dangerously close to losing my scholarship for my undergrad degree. Got one bad grade in a class this past semester and my major program kicked me out. But listening to this music is also a place of comfort for me, and it somehow gives me hope that everything will work out eventually. Just wanted to wish you well. And happy holidays.

[@karendelacruz428]

@@jslartey2 haha it's amazing how music works, being able to bring people closer like this just through a single piece. I really hope everything works out at your end as well. We'll get through this :) Happy holidays.

[@jslartey2]

Karen de la Cruz thanks. Also, if you don’t already know, there’s a great choir rendition of this piece that I also enjoy. Channel is VladsRadioKoor. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIOvZWdtpKl8mpY

[@karendelacruz428]

@@jslartey2 I listened to it just now. Wow their vocals give me the chills. Thank you!! It made my night, really. Haha.

[@davelee8961]

Wishing you well, and hoping your dreams become reality. Never, ever, lose faith.

[@tdykes83]

This musical masterpiece never fails to give me goosebumps! My all time favorite. Never gets old!

[@josephososkie3029]

That sustained note ....so many groups seem to short change it but these guys were EXCELLENT!

[@TexasSasquatch]

America’s Anthem for Mourning - guaranteed to induce tears - It will never cease to move me like no other musical composition.

[@dustyslim2505]

Ouch... something just pierced my soul..

[@kennethmaese4622]

Brilliant. The 20 people who gave this video a thumbs down are soulless.

[@walterchan7200]

I agree

[@zaktulipano4171]

Kenneth Maese more like uncultured

[@johnrussell48]

I'm sure Alfred Newman who wrote the score for the Film " The Greatest Story Ever Told " did an adaption of this. He used alleluia by Handel as well.

[@EliezerPennywhistler]

THAT'LL show 'em!

[@katim2644]

Kenneth Maese my oboe agrees

[@CelloGoodSir]

Really powerful, intimate, and sensitive playing. I really enjoyed it.

[@larrycunningham7987]

If at the end of creation, humanity still exists to witness it...this must be the end of sound. Timeless beauty. Words fail me.....there are only these.. immortal harmonics.

[@rosiefoscholo6239]

I've listened to this many times, and it still gives me goosebumps every time! Such a beautiful performance.

[@rohwermusicstudios]

Lovely! Your tone is so full and rich that it almost seemed like a full orchestra playing it. :)

[@brittwait]

Heard on Prairie Home Companion tonight and had to find it somewhere. So gorgeous.

[@mikado2005]

Just .... fabulous. I'm crying.

[@lifeisbetterwhenyourelax]

Wow! I like this version better than the orchestral version, since you can really hear each piece come out in all its glory. This rendition busted down my door. Thank you.

[@parthoroy9141]

Such beautiful music from Barber; to this very day, I still weep when getting a haircut

[@fuseprotected7808]

Magnifique ! Bouleversant ! Sublime ! Les mots me manquent tant cette interprétation de l'adagio pour cordes de Barber, dépasse, en finesse, en sensibilité, en beauté, tout ce que j'ai pu entendre jusqu'à présent ! Thank you the Dover Quartet

[@robertgordon110]

Samuel Barber composed this majestic beautiful piece of genius music .

[@fourmy1060]

A profound and intensely moving experience played by young musicians who do full honour to this incredible piece. Bravissimi!

[@jimedmondson591]

a beautiful performance of this fragment from the complete quartet

[@lucianachapman1287]

It is the best version I have ever heard of this beautiful composition! Dover quartet you are great!

[@marigold4824]

Shiver. Heart Touching. Beautiful. More intense than the orchestra version. Moving. Mum, I love you. Wherever you are now.

[@earlyrisersteph]

I remember NPR playing this over and over, 9.11.2001.

[@DefinitelyNotJespin]

This REALLY needs a bass. The bass just gived it another depth that gives it so much power and emotion.

[@kaim7950]

Please post more, your concerts are amazing!

[@bootsieragansings]

My heart ached with the multiplied emotions I felt and the never-ending colours I saw as I listened to this! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@DennisMeizys]

Wow! Now that I've heard this, I much prefer the quartet version. The intimacy with each instrument draws out deeper emotion. This is so moving.

[@elrioviolino3549]

Sublime performance. Heartwrenchingly exquisite, every note a miraculous event in and of itself. I would give you all a standing ovation except that I am prostrate with emotion......

[@aguitarrman5867]

Quite possibly the most moving piece of music ever written. Beautiful!

[@corocoro4]

This is the raw state, Beautiful and soulful....

[@cellista2009]

wonderful version, congratulations!!!

[@makomabudni7200]

Never heard so much beauty in my life.. Oh my god, I'm in tears..

[@marlenerodulfa4397]

My first time to discover Dover String Quartet today 5/5/19. I’m playing this music over and over and over. Non-stop!! It’s so beautiful. It’s so sad but very beautiful! I feel so blessed at 73 to be able to watch you play and appreciate your talents. Superb performance. Bravo!!! ❤️❤️👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@woodrowmagnus2535]

What a quartet! Again, as above, BRAVO! BRAVO! & ONE MORE TIME TO YOU.........BRAVO!

[@IanCaine4728]

I weep uncontrollably everytime I hear this. I don't know why. No other piece of music makes me feel.

[@seraph127]

I completely agree that the string quartet version has a quiet power and beauty unmatched by the string orchestra version.

[@atgas]

Barber's Adagio For Strings is, in my opinion, the most beautiful music ever written. And this rendition is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. Thank you.

[@tessajacques2461]

Mes félicitations.....quelle merveille....Dover quartet est sensationel

[@mosescordovero8163]

the tragic nature of human existence so eloquently captured in the magic that is music

[@polskapianist]

when i hear music as beautiful as this i know that there is a God and a Jesus the Son of God and that there is a Heaven.Your interpretation of this piece is as if I was already there, Thank you so much.

[@josevicentemartins9085]

Just beautiful. Barber at his best