Adagietto from Symphony 5 - Mahler

The famous Adagietto is the fourth part of Mahler's Symphony nr. 5 and the tempo is 'Sehr Langsam'. Only strings and harp are playing and the long upbeats and expressive appogiaturas of the very slow melodic lines give the music a yearning, almost heartbreaking quality. The Adagietto functions as a slow interlude in F major, between two faster movements in D major, but it also has an expressive weight sufficient for it to stand on its own; indeed, it is often performed by itself.