Samuel Barber was also an American composer known mostly for his stunning composition Adagio for Strings.
Born 1911 / Died 2007
He also won two pulitzer prizes one for his Piano Concerto and the other for his opera Vanessa which had a libretto by none other than Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti and Barber had a long relationship.
They met at the Curtis Institute of Music whilst students and traveled extensively together before settling in New York where they were known for hosting extremely high brow parties.
The composers had studios at opposite ends of the building as not to disturb one another whilst working and although Barber in particular didn’t identify with ‘gay culture’ he did consider himself married to Menotti.
Barber and Opera on Location
A Hand of Bridge (October 2015) | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield – see more