Samuel Barber / Thomas Schippers
This classic disc has been the prime recommendation for Barber's short  orchestral pieces since the early 1960s. Remastered onto CD for the first time,  and with the addition of some other items conducted by Thomas Schippers, it  sounds better than ever. All of Barber's music is blessed with the virtues of  impeccable craftsmanship, tunefulness, and, above all, brevity. Although a  Romantic by temperament, Barber had the gift of being able to fit a lot of  emotional impact into a very small space. The famous Adagio for Strings and the  Second Essay actually sound much bigger than they are, but they don't go on a  second too long--which means you can play them again right away! You'll want to.--David Hurwitz