Roy Harris, David Alan Miller, Albany Symphony Orchestra The Great American Ninth - Roy Harris: Symphony No. 9 / Symphony No. 8 Genre:Classical The symphonies of American composer Roy Harris (1898-1980) are really essays in the symphonic form rather than the traditionally structured vehicles we're so used to. This allows Harris's ideas to appear more as declarativ... more »e statements (usually in the brasses), ideas that are subsequently buoyed (or molded) by strings underneath. Motion and mood govern Harris's works--as well as playfulness. The last three movements of Symphony 8 (1962) employ several delightful piano obbligato passages that reveal how much joy there is in his work. Perhaps the real surprise on this disc is Memories of a Child's Sunday, a three-movement work evoking the world of a child at play on a Midwestern Sunday afternoon. The Albany Symphony and conductor Alan Miller have grand feel for Harris's magic. Let's hope more Harris will follow soon. --Paul Cook« less
The symphonies of American composer Roy Harris (1898-1980) are really essays in the symphonic form rather than the traditionally structured vehicles we're so used to. This allows Harris's ideas to appear more as declarative statements (usually in the brasses), ideas that are subsequently buoyed (or molded) by strings underneath. Motion and mood govern Harris's works--as well as playfulness. The last three movements of Symphony 8 (1962) employ several delightful piano obbligato passages that reveal how much joy there is in his work. Perhaps the real surprise on this disc is Memories of a Child's Sunday, a three-movement work evoking the world of a child at play on a Midwestern Sunday afternoon. The Albany Symphony and conductor Alan Miller have grand feel for Harris's magic. Let's hope more Harris will follow soon. --Paul Cook
CD Reviews
Premiere recordings of three of Harris' best.
Carol A Hoffman | Overland Park, KS | 10/13/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Roy Harris' leisurely-paced, "rambling Western" style is highlighted by three glorious pieces. "Memories of a Child's Sunday" is his most simply-structured orchestral work--and one of his most light-hearted also. Here we are also lucky to have world premiere recordings of two of his later symphonies: Symphony No. 8 ("San Francisco") and Symphony No. 9, each written in the early 1960s. Harris the man may have aged, but Harris the composer definitely has not. Besides his Third Symphony (which may be the finest symphony in the American genre) and his Seventh Symphony, the Eighth and Ninth offer some of Harris' richest orchestral textures. Exquisitely played; wonderful amplified piano sound in the "San Francisco." Fans of Harris' music must purchase this immediately."
The Average American Ninth
Cory | Virginia | 06/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was a bit let down by the ninth symphony, considering the vamp it is given on the cover, being the GREAT American ninth. It did not amount to great. It wasn't exactly bad either, just... average. Harris most certainly wrote better symphonies. The third, fifth, and seventh are indeed hallmarks of his symphonic career (you'd think with the odd symphony numbering the ninth would join the ranks also). The ninth could be The Mediocre American Symphony. It is themed after the Gettysburg address, so it gets the American qualification. However, it's not in the familiar Copland or Grofe American style, but it doesn't have to be to be American. It is Harris, but it's doodling Harris, Harris not going anywhere in particular, not finding a great climax or any great theme. It doesn't have to be climatic or have a great theme to be great, but the ninth doesn't qualify as "great".
The eight is a bit more appealing, being broken up into more shorter sections. Here Harris clearly gets his ideas across in each movement. The gem, I feel, on this CD is the Child's Sunday. These three works are captivating, somewhat in the way Hovhaness' music is, but still retaining Harris' trademark style.
But as for the "Great American Ninth," I'm not sure America has one. Most composers never got to nine. David Diamond wrote one, which I haven't heard. So did Hovhaness, which I have also not heard. Naxos recently produced the first recording of William Schuman's ninth. Nice, but also not the "great" symphony. Perhaps in America we should stick with our thirds instead of our ninths: Schuman's, Harris', Copland's, Hanson's, Ives', Piston's... works all deserving of the "great" title."
Two interesting, but not great, American symphonies
Greg Nyquist | Eureka, California USA | 01/11/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although these are not among Roy Harris's best works, they do deserve a hearing and I'm glad they are on CD. I would prefer more fervent advocacy of these works on the part of David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony. To be sure, they turn solid performances recorded in fabulous sound by the Albany Records engineers; but these works probably require more interpretive help from conductor to make their full impact. I would like to have heard what someone like Leonard Bernstein would have made of them. Under the baton of the a great conductor, they may have sounded like masterpieces. The best work on the program is the Ninth Symphony. Although it lacks the masterful cohesiveness of Harris' masterpiece, the Third Symphony, it has its moment, and the atmosphere or the work is pure Harris. The Eight Symphony rambles a bit and never quite equals the sum of its parts."
Why isn't Harris better known?
Richard Zencker | Scottsdale, AZ USA | 10/12/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Poor Roy Harris -- we always hear how Shostakovich is a great Russian composer who was opposed by the Comunist leadership, but in fact he got a lot more promotion from his government than Harris got from his. Harris had solid "American" credentials -- born on Lincoln's Birthday in a log cabin, etc. -- but was mercilessly persecuted during the McCarthy era for his wartime dedication of his Fifth Symphony to the Red Army (our ally at the time) and it seems he never overcame it. To top that off, the musical establishment either ridiculed him as too "old fashioned" (translation: tonal music during the 50s) or held his success during the 30s against him. Here, then, is a composer whose style and history parallels that of Shostokovich without garnering the respect the latter holds today. Perhaps his music is not of the same quality, but I personally believe that not to be the case. These performances are of surprisingly high quality and the same goes for the recording. I urge anyone who considers themself a fan of American music to sample this. One cannot claim to be knowledgeable about American symphonic music and not know these works. At the same time, it is a shame that there apparently is not a complete recorded traversal of Harris symphonies.
In case it wasn't clear, this is highly recommended. Harris's Third Symphony is still available in several classic recordings; if you are familiar with that and like it, you will like this as well. These same forces have recently tackled the Second Symphony (in a spectacular recording) and there are current recordings of the 4th (not in the same league, in my opinion), 5th, 6th, and 7th (perhaps the finest of the symphonies yet recorded). Harris continued composing symphonies up until the American Bicentennial, but his "liberal" philosophy probably contributed to the damning reviews the later works received. I hope to hear them all someday."
