Adagio for Strings - Tiësto or Ferry Corsten ?
- Thread starter mwthreex
- Start date
Julian Del Agranda
Elite Member
- Jul 3, 2020
- 1,786 Posts
- 2,118 Thanked
They are both great, and both suit a slightly different purpose, so they can live alongside each other. Live... I prefer the Tiesto Remix. It's very energetic, and it sounds amazing, well produced.
But at home, I prefer Ferry's version. More emotion, I like the spacy FX swooshes, and it has the longer classical sequence. It's a great piece.
But at home, I prefer Ferry's version. More emotion, I like the spacy FX swooshes, and it has the longer classical sequence. It's a great piece.
Magdelayna
Elite Member
The Ferry Corsten remix is my favourite version out of all the adagio remixes - you could list Skip Raiders here aswell.
I appreciate the Tiesto version,its a tougher style and i can see why it was so popular.
But the Ferry version was groundbreaking at the time,taking a very famous classical melody and turning it into a full blown Trance track.
I feel if someone asked me to give an example of Trance - id probably play them this,because it shows how you can take a well known melody and transform it into the Trance genre.
I appreciate the Tiesto version,its a tougher style and i can see why it was so popular.
But the Ferry version was groundbreaking at the time,taking a very famous classical melody and turning it into a full blown Trance track.
I feel if someone asked me to give an example of Trance - id probably play them this,because it shows how you can take a well known melody and transform it into the Trance genre.
Daysleeper
Lost in Trancelation
Classical music remixed into trance is one of the corniest things ever. Sorry guys.
Magdelayna
Elite Member
Recharge
Elite Member
- Sep 26, 2020
- 1,105 Posts
- 624 Thanked
- Age
- 38
I am going to be controversial here.
The ATB re-edit of Ferry/William Orbit
The song just have a more unique and different vibe than all other versions. Its very similar to My Dream which is one of his most underrated songs. To be fair I see similarity to The Summer even more, quite the sound he had going back then.
The ATB re-edit of Ferry/William Orbit
The song just have a more unique and different vibe than all other versions. Its very similar to My Dream which is one of his most underrated songs. To be fair I see similarity to The Summer even more, quite the sound he had going back then.
Last edited:
Ferry Remix. I downloaded the mp3 back then in 1999. Took me an hour or so, but it was worth it. What a trip.
Progrez
Elite Member
- Jun 17, 2022
- 2,296 Posts
- 1,123 Thanked
I disagree Ferry remix FTW hands down. Tiesto remix is fucking overrated with that annoying high pitch lead just ruins the hook and strange drop. Ferry's original 1999 mix has an amazing groove and intro and breakdown and climax. A dancefloor destroyer. ATB is not bad but it sounds nothing like the original.
Uplifted
Senior Member
Ferry better then Tiesto. Samuel Barber's original better then both.
And there's another version which is my personal favourite, called "Agnus Dei". Basically the same Adagio For Strings but with angelic vocals.
Samuel Barber - Agnus Dei
And there's another version which is my personal favourite, called "Agnus Dei". Basically the same Adagio For Strings but with angelic vocals.
Samuel Barber - Agnus Dei
Magdelayna
Elite Member
Bobby Summa
Elite Member
Ferry’s. Although Tiesto’s has a very interesting sound. The subtly distorted sounds etc. It begs for the melody and main theme to continue, but doesn’t . I guess who ever helped Tiesto make it ran out of time or couldn’t get it to sound right. I almost guarantee they would have tried. Ferry’s has the whole main part from Samuel Barbers classical masterpiece. Perhaps the more classical string sounds ( although off course in Ferry’s it’s trance strings) follow a more similar & available space in the feel, structure & arrangement of the track.
Its interpreted from the electronic version by Willliam Orbit the ambient / electronica composer… and then Ferry nails a trance version, perfect for the year it came out.
my favourite is the choral version I have on a cd compilation by Classic FM I got in around 2003. . @Uplifted features it above.
The atmosphere I feel it creates is beyond.
If anyone likes choral music like this.. I recommend Thomas Tallis Spem in Alium.
Its interpreted from the electronic version by Willliam Orbit the ambient / electronica composer… and then Ferry nails a trance version, perfect for the year it came out.
my favourite is the choral version I have on a cd compilation by Classic FM I got in around 2003. . @Uplifted features it above.
The atmosphere I feel it creates is beyond.
If anyone likes choral music like this.. I recommend Thomas Tallis Spem in Alium.
Last edited:
Julian Del Agranda
Elite Member
- Jul 3, 2020
- 1,786 Posts
- 2,118 Thanked
Yeah its always been interesting why Tiesto's team didn't include the full main part.
Perhaps it would have been a bit... long, dragging on... losing the energy. It's a very slow 'melody', that second part feels more slow than the first part (imo).
A great 'in between' version is the Danjo & Styles Remix. It has the full sequence, and is a tad spicier than the ferry version. The build-up is a tad long though, in that D&S mix.
Perhaps it would have been a bit... long, dragging on... losing the energy. It's a very slow 'melody', that second part feels more slow than the first part (imo).
A great 'in between' version is the Danjo & Styles Remix. It has the full sequence, and is a tad spicier than the ferry version. The build-up is a tad long though, in that D&S mix.
Tievb21
Member
- Jul 14, 2020
- 207 Posts
- 169 Thanked
Tiesto version all the way, without any single doubt!!! Timeless classic. Produced in 2003-4 and still sounds modern and fresh as hell. Brilliant energy and emotion, as well as building and energy. Euphoric as well, as many Tiesto's tracks back then. I love the Original LP Version.
All tracks and remixes of 1998 till spring 2003 has been engineerd by Dennis Waakop Reijers and Hans Willem Mallon. Then there was a conflict bewteen the 3 guys and Hans left. And this is why they had to change the DJ Tiesto to Tiesto name as well. Hans 99% sure had made a fake account on Trance.nu and he was sharing inside information before a long long time. hehe
Dennis Waakop is a living legend. One of the few ghost producers who thankfully have gotten some spotlight for whoever want to find him. Here are the full track list he made based on his site: Tracks | Dennis WR
If I have a single complain from Dennis it would be why they didn't release Trentemoller - Miss You (Steve Forte Rio Remix) officially. They played it on Club Life episode, and somehow it got leaked as mp3 but in lower quality.
We need a proper release of this and Eastern Magik.
All tracks and remixes of 1998 till spring 2003 has been engineerd by Dennis Waakop Reijers and Hans Willem Mallon. Then there was a conflict bewteen the 3 guys and Hans left. And this is why they had to change the DJ Tiesto to Tiesto name as well. Hans 99% sure had made a fake account on Trance.nu and he was sharing inside information before a long long time. hehe
Dennis Waakop is a living legend. One of the few ghost producers who thankfully have gotten some spotlight for whoever want to find him. Here are the full track list he made based on his site: Tracks | Dennis WR
If I have a single complain from Dennis it would be why they didn't release Trentemoller - Miss You (Steve Forte Rio Remix) officially. They played it on Club Life episode, and somehow it got leaked as mp3 but in lower quality.
We need a proper release of this and Eastern Magik.
Last edited:
Trance4Ever
Senior Member
- Dec 18, 2021
- 434 Posts
- 226 Thanked
There's some interesting stories with this track. Oakenfold had been working on his own remix "for years" independently of the William Orbit/Ferry Corsten version and missed the boat by a few weeks. It was released as Skip Raiders feat. Jada - Another Day (Perfecto Remix) in late 1999/early 2000 but people only wanted the Ferry remix by that stage.
William Orbit's updated version (from his Pieces In A Modern Style album) had also been knocking around for a few years at Warner Music, where Tony McGuinness (Above & Beyond) was working as A&R. Tony had heard it and was quietly making on his own remix when the label decided Ferry Corsten should be commissioned to remix something from the album, which was finally set for release in 1999. Tony hoped Ferry would pick something else, but he chose Adagio, and the rest is history.
One thing I really like about the Ferry remix is how he let the melody dictate the bar structure. It doesn't stick rigidly to the typical 4 beats, 4 bars repeating structure of 99.999% of all trance melodies. Depending how you count, there's a bar of 2 beats if you count 4s (or 6 beats if you count 8s) during the second half of the melody, which gives it an extra burst of energy.
William Orbit's updated version (from his Pieces In A Modern Style album) had also been knocking around for a few years at Warner Music, where Tony McGuinness (Above & Beyond) was working as A&R. Tony had heard it and was quietly making on his own remix when the label decided Ferry Corsten should be commissioned to remix something from the album, which was finally set for release in 1999. Tony hoped Ferry would pick something else, but he chose Adagio, and the rest is history.
One thing I really like about the Ferry remix is how he let the melody dictate the bar structure. It doesn't stick rigidly to the typical 4 beats, 4 bars repeating structure of 99.999% of all trance melodies. Depending how you count, there's a bar of 2 beats if you count 4s (or 6 beats if you count 8s) during the second half of the melody, which gives it an extra burst of energy.
Last edited:
Bobby Summa
Elite Member
It is actually good point to mention ‘in the club’. Untill I had ventured to Trance nights in big events or nice clubs with lovely sound systems… some tracks I wasn’t that interested in sounded fantastic and vice versa some didn’t create that epic vibe I expected. … It creates such a different vibe depending on the environment. Ie - headphones vs Club vs The car vs Home HiFi etc. Very different altogether. And… Then there’s the ‘dance-ability factor! (but that’s a different subject)
Horizons
Member
- Jul 20, 2020
- 176 Posts
- 225 Thanked
Never liked the Tiesto version, Ferry one was and still is, for me, the best version ever released across the thousands of remixes (official or not) available until today.
Just my two cents, I think the only ones who could do something better than Ferry take, during the golden age of modern trance, might have been Rank 1 (back to their Symsonic/Such is Life era) but, afaik, they never made their own version.
Just my two cents, I think the only ones who could do something better than Ferry take, during the golden age of modern trance, might have been Rank 1 (back to their Symsonic/Such is Life era) but, afaik, they never made their own version.
TheTranceHistorian
Member
- Aug 23, 2022
- 175 Posts
- 153 Thanked
It's good to see that the discussion about these two tracks is more level-headed here.
In trance-related Facebook groups, people tend to form their entire identity around these tracks. They often use these tunes as focal points to try to demonstrate how great their taste is, as well as how musically educated and talented they are by parroting the same thing as the previous commenters: "Hey, the Tiesto remix sucks, the Ferry version rocks". They act as if they chose between fucking Shawshank Redemption and Transformers 2. But in reality, both tracks are great, and they are just salty because Tiesto left trance (slightly sooner than other guys, while many other guys kept pretending they played trance), and... well, they mostly only listen to late '90s stuff anyway so it's not like their taste or knowledge in the genre is that refined or that extensive. Especially when the next tune they mention is the fucking Gabriel & Dresden Remix of Ash The Rush Comes. LOL.
In trance-related Facebook groups, people tend to form their entire identity around these tracks. They often use these tunes as focal points to try to demonstrate how great their taste is, as well as how musically educated and talented they are by parroting the same thing as the previous commenters: "Hey, the Tiesto remix sucks, the Ferry version rocks". They act as if they chose between fucking Shawshank Redemption and Transformers 2. But in reality, both tracks are great, and they are just salty because Tiesto left trance (slightly sooner than other guys, while many other guys kept pretending they played trance), and... well, they mostly only listen to late '90s stuff anyway so it's not like their taste or knowledge in the genre is that refined or that extensive. Especially when the next tune they mention is the fucking Gabriel & Dresden Remix of Ash The Rush Comes. LOL.
Last edited: