Adagio for Strings was originally part of composer Samuel Barber’s first string quartet, written in 1936. He later arranged the piece for a seven-part string orchestra on the request of conductor Arturo Toscanini. The version we know today was premiered in 1938 by Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra live on radio from New York.
Barber’s rolling melody and its unique harmonic structure have made the Adagio a popular piece among composers of EDM and Trance music. Most notably, a remix by Dutch DJ Tiësto has garnered over 100 million streams on youtube since its release in 2005. Other versions by William Orbit and Ferry Corsten are incredibly popular.
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