Adagio:1 : a musical composition or movement in adagio tempo, slow, calm, and gentle

Although my classical music listening habits tend to favor the dramatic and more spirited Romantic era with its brassy overtures and big symphonic works, sometimes I need to hear compositions that, while still having emotional undercurrents, are slow-paced and soothing, or at the very least conducive to sober reflection and spiritual renewal. In such occasions I tend to listen to works that are tranquil, light, and leisurely paced.

Deustsche Gramophon/Musikfest's Adagio is a compilation of 10 works mostly from the Baroque period, most of them composed by Johann Sebastian Bach but including other composers of the period, such as Jean Philppe Rameau, and Johann Pachelbel. There's also Remo Giazotto's famous forgery of a work he attributed to Tomaso Albinoni, the hauntingly beautiful Adagio in G minor for Organ and Strings (Track 1). As the story goes, Giazotto was working on a biography of Albinoni in 1945; he came upon a fragment of one of the Baroque composer's works -- less than a page's worth of notes -- and cunningly extrapolated the Adagio in G, which is perhaps one of the most brilliant musical forgeries ever composed.

As so many people often do, I purchased Adagio mainly because I wanted to hear the "Albinoni" Adagio; I'd fallen in love with the somber, elegaic piece when I heard it as part of the soundtrack of 1981's Gallipoli. It's a very melancholic but beautiful composition, featuring solos by organist Eduard Kaufmann and violinist Walter Prystawski, whose performances are absolutely magnificent.

Another piece I really enjoy is Johann Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue in D major for 3 violins and continuo (Track 2), for not only is it a wonderful if sometimes challenging piece to listen to, but I remember that I first heard it in Seville, Spain on a rainy October afternoon in 1988. Starting out with a single violin playing one melodic idea, the Canon grows more complex as the piece progresses and other instruments join in. (Think of it as a Baroque equivalent of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat.") Although some ensembles tend to over-orchestrate Pachelbel's Canon to excess, conductor Rudolf Baumgartner and the Lucerne Festival Strings stick to Max Seiffert's minimalist arrangement.

Although two other composers (Henry Purcell and Jean-Philippe Rameau) have one composition each -- Rameau's Tambourins in A major (Track 3) and Purcell's Chalcony in G minor (Track 4), or, as I call it in my less-happy moments, "Music to Slash Your Wrists By" -- the rest of Adagio could be categorized as Bach's Greatest Hits; the seven remaining tracks are by the patriarch of the Bach musical family, the great Johann Sebastian himself.

Of these, the best known is the slow, gentle Air in D major (Track 5), also known as "Air on the G String." An excerpt from the Suite No. 3 for Orchestra, the Air is stately and delicate without being dull.

That having been said, my favorite of the Bach pieces is the Chorale: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Track 7), with its recurring "theme and variation" structure and spiritually uplifting melody that reflects humanity's longing for inner peace and happiness. I like the way Bach introduces a simple melodic idea then repeats it in a cake-like layer upon layer of repetition and moving to a glorious resolution.

The shortest piece on this slightly longer-than-an-hour album is the bright, fast-paced Badinerie in B minor (Track 8), with a running time of one minute and 26 seconds and featuring a breezy solo performed by flutist Jean Soldan. It's a wonderfully cheerful musical bauble that is a perfect counterbalance to the otherwise more serious and longer pieces in Adagio.

The final two tracks comprise the Concerto for 2 Violins and String Orchestra in D minor, featuring violinists Zino Francescatti and Regis Pasquier, supported by the magnificent Lucerne Festival Strings and conductor Baumgartner.

This inexpensive CD is not only a good introduction to the Baroque style of classical music, but it's also a great stress-reliever. Listen to this on a rainy afternoon or on a sleepless night, and let the slow, calm, and gentle strains of Adagio ease your mind and soothe your cares away.

Adagio: Track List

1. Adagio in G minor for Organ and Strings (Albinoni - Giazotto)
2. Canon and Gigue in D major (Pachelbel)
3. Tambourins in A major (Rameau)
4. Chacony in G-minor (Purcell)
5. Air in D major (J.S. Bach)
6. Fugue in E major (J.S. Bach)
7. Chorale: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (J.S. Bach)
8. Badinerie in B minor (J.S. Bach)
9. Ricercar a 6 (J.S. Bach)

Concerto for 2 Violins and String Orchestra in D minor (J.S. Bach)
10. Movement 1: Largo ma non tanto
11. Movement 2: Allegro

Total Running Time: 62:54

Polydor/Deustche Gramophon Musikfest
413 248-2


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep