Portrait of Tomaso Albinoni, to whom the piece is commonly misattributed.
Moving forward in time to the 1950s, we return with this piece to the style of Vivaldi and Bach. Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor was for some time thought to be be a work of the well-known 18th century Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni, yet is now accepted as a Neo-Baroque work of the modern biographer of Albinoni Remo Giazotto (with just perhaps some inspiration from an original Albinoni manuscript). The name and common attribution have nonetheless stuck, even to this day.
Though often described as a musical hoax, passing off a work as one by a famous master was a relatively common practice by lesser-known composers from the 19th century onwards, done in order to gain widespread recognition. In this sense, Giazotto has certainly succeeded, but moreover, he has created a masterpiece of modern classical music and an unforgettable melody of sombre.
(Performed by the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra.)
I really enjoyed this piece in the midst of a chaotic day with no peace!