Adagio for Strings Adagio for Strings Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quartet. It was performed for the first time on November 5, 1938, by Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a radio broadcast from NBC Studio 8H. Toscanini also played the piece on his South American tour with the NBC Symphony in 1940. Its reception was generally positive, with Alexander J. Morin writing that "Adagio for
The Saddest Music in the World piano as the building burns. "The Saddest Music in the World" was released theatrically in Canada on September 7, 2003, to the UK on October 25, 2003, and to the US on February 14, 2004. TVAFilms released it to home video on DVD in 2004, with a director's commentary by Maddin and Mark McKinney, and three short films: "A Trip to the Orphanage," "Sombra Dolorosa," and "Sissy Boy Slap Party." Directors Guild of Canada: Genie Awards U.S. Comedy Arts Festival "The Saddest Music in the World" was well received by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds