All products were chosen independently by our editorial team. This review contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission for purchases made. Please read our affiliates FAQ page to find out more.

The best works by Samuel Barber

We choose some of the finest works by the last great American Romantic, Samuel Barber

Published: March 11, 2024 at 1:33 pm

His Violin Concerto is a staple in any violinist's repertoire, but there's much more to Barber than this work. He was one of the most expressive lyric and Romantic compossers of the 20th century, with a tranche of chamber and orchestral works to his name – and even a handful of operas.

Best works by Barber

Adagio

This is Barber’s single most popular work – originally a movement from his String Quartet, which the conductor Toscanini with remarkable perception suggested should be rescored for full strings.

Recommended recording: Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi Chandos CHAN 9169

Dover Beach

Barber’s genius for setting words to music showed itself early with this setting of Matthew Arnold’s melancholy poem.

Recommended recording: Gerald Finley (baritone); Aronowitz Ensemble Hyperion CDA 67528

Knoxville: Summer of 1915

Though essentially a setting of a prose passage, Barber captures both its musicality and its idyll of a summer’s afternoon spent on a porch in Tennessee.

Recommended recording: Dawn Upshaw (soprano); St Luke’s Orchestra/David Zinman Nonesuch 7559 79187 2

Violin Concerto

Sharing something of the spirit of Knoxville, Barber’s Violin Concerto starts with two dreamily lyrical movements, then finishes with a hurtling finale.

We've named the best recordings of Barber's Violin Concerto here.

We named Barber's Violin Concerto as one of the best violin concertos of all time.

Recommended recording: Isaac Stern; New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein Sony SMK 89751

Vanessa

Barber’s first opera is lusciously Romantic in style and enjoyed a first-rate cast at its premiere including Eleanor Steber and Nicolai Gedda, who went on to make a studio recording.

Recommended recording: Eleanor Steber, Nicolai Gedda; Metropolitan Opera/Dimitri Mitropoulos RCA 88697446172

Read our reviews of the latest Barber recordings here

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024