The Saddest of all Remixes

So people seem to like remixes these days. Currently, thirteen of the twenty most popular tracks on Hype Machine are remixes. I find this fad interesting. On the one hand, I can understand the interest in hearing different takes on tracks, and also understand that, with the increased accessibility of remix technologies, the number of remixes has become staggering. On the other hand, I’m not sure whether these remixes have staying power. What will be remembered in a year, the original song or one of the countless remixes of said track? Or perhaps neither?

Anyways, today I’d like to combine your love of remixes with my love of classical music. Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is one of the most famous classical pieces of the 20th century. It’s a wonderful, melancholy piece, which takes a simple ascending melodic figure and builds it slowly to a passionate climax in the upper registers of the strings. In 2004, BBC listeners voted it the “saddest” piece of music ever. It was broadcast over the radio when FDR’s death was announced, and was also played in 2001 to commemorate the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Thus, imagine my surprise upon discovering a dance remix of this, the saddest of all pieces. I was even more surprised to learn that there are multiple dance remixes of the piece. Incredible. Talk about a remix completely reworking the mood of a piece. Anyways, here is the DJ Tiesto dance remix, as well as a recording of the original version of Barber’s Adagio, for string quartet. Enjoy.

DJ Tiesto – Adagio For Strings (Dance Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
Samuel Barber – Adagio For Strings (Original String Quartet version) (YSI) (filesavr)