Concert 6: Barber and Brahms

Samuel Barber - Adagio for string quartet, Op. 11
Johannes Brahms - String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18

Jack Liebeck - violin
Joshua Fisher - violin
Ben Roskams - viola
Sarah-Jane Bradley - viola
Thomas Carroll - cello
Geirþrúður Anna Guðmundsdóttir - cello

Barber’s famous and beloved Adagio is paired with the Brahms’ sextet. Both are works of youth. The Adagio is part of a string quartet but has gained another independent life in an arrangement for string orchestra, which is among the most popular in the orchestral repertoire. It was written when Barber was 24 years old. In contrast, Brahms was a hoary 27 years old when he composed the Sextet.