Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

Adagio

The ANACROUSE collection offers novice and experienced pianists alike a wide choice of classical works, from the Renaissance to the modern era.

We have set ourselves the goal of offering both "must-haves" from the classical repertoire and pieces by sometimes forgotten composers, all of undeniable pedagogical value. Each piece, sold individually, has been the subject of careful editorial work, both in terms of the musical text and its engraving, in order to guarantee musicians the conditions essential to the pleasures derived from frequent trade in these works.

The scores are offered as traditional works (paper sheets), and also available by download.



If Tomaso Albinoni is famous today, it's mainly thanks to his famous Adagio in G minor for string orchestra and organ. Yet it's a work he didn't write himself. It's actually an arrangement written by his Italian biographer Remo Giazotto. According to the latter, a "Trio Sonata" composed by Tomaso Albinoni was discovered in 1945 amid the ruins of the Dresden library, which had been bombed during the Second World War. Remo Giazotto is said to have used the slow movement of this sonata as the basis for the Adagio, which is so familiar to us today, since it is quoted in many popular music scores, as well as in film soundtracks.
This slow-tempo work is introduced by an organ melody supported by pizzicato cellos and double basses. This is followed by the tutti theme and a cadenza performed by the solo violin accompanied by the organ. We then return to the beginning of the work, before the tutti enters into a tragic momentum. The work ends with a short violin solo, still supported by the carpet of sound from the organ and orchestra.