Awe, according to the dictionary, is "a mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might." That is a perfect description of the impact of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Op. 11. The piece begins quietly, then builds in intensity and complexity to an almost overwhelming feeling of sublime involvement, only to subside and build again. This awe-inducing effect is maximized upon multiple listenings to different arrangements. One CD includes eight different versions, including performances by the Strings of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, James Galway on flute, the Canadian Brass, and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
More Music about Reverence
