Cet adagio pour cordes, joué par un orchestre à cordes, est en fait un arrangement du mouvement lent du quatuor à cordes de Barber. L'auteur en a lui-même fait aussi une adaptation chorale réussie en lui greffant les paroles de l'Agnus Dei :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFJ4hN7vxWo
Dans l'une ou l'autre des versions, c'est une œuvre souvent jouée aux enterrements solennels, notamment aux Etats-Unis.
Wikipedia a même fait une liste :
The Adagio for Strings has been performed on many public occasions, especially during times of mourning. It was:
Broadcast over the radio at the announcement of Franklin D. Roosevelt's death;[17]
Broadcast over the TV at the announcement of John F. Kennedy's death
Played at the funeral of Albert Einstein
Played at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco[17]
Broadcast on BBC Radio several times after the announcement of the death of Princess Diana
Performed at Last Night of the Proms in 2001 at the Royal Albert Hall to commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks[18]
Played during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver; the fatal crash of the luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on the same day added to the performance's emotional effect.[10]
Played at the state funeral of Canadian New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton[19]
Un morceau épique, un vrai : la Vie d'un Héros, de Strauss.
