John Smyth wrote:

>I enjoyed Albany's Gould/Harris CD/SACD, with Harris' 2nd Symphony,
>immensely.  I'd like Harris even on a bad day.  Karl, (are you out
>there?) will you be doing a complete cycle?

Yes I am still here...

If you mean reviews, actually I hope to be getting back to that activity
this summer.

I was very pleased to see this recording.  I had a photocopy of the
score.  Great credit goes to Peter Kermani of Albany for believing enough
in the project...parts needed to be copied and the scored needed editing.
The piece had such an odd history.  I remember asking Harris about it
and he said, "well it wasn't a very good work." Then, there was the
concern that Burgin and not Koussevitzky conducted the first performance.
I had heard somewhere that there had been problems with the parts and
that Koussevitzky was angered by this and tired of having to stop the
orchestra for corrections, asked Burgin to conduct it.  I also recall
another story that suggested Harris had copied the viola part in treble
clef.

In general, I prefer the early Harris works.  He seemed less self-indulgent.
I find the first movement of the Second to be the tightest of the three
movements.  In some ways it makes me want a better recording of the
Symphony 1933, a recording which captures the nobility of it.

Albany has done a great service to American music with some of its
releases.  As for the Gould Third, on the same disc with the Harris
Second, I find it to be a fine work.  I prefer the Mitropoulos performance
which I plan to issue on my label.  It features a different finale.
Another Gould work needing a recording is the First Symphony.  I find
that Gould was really looking to write something profound in that piece.
The slow movement is one of his finest.

I haven't heard the Albany issue of the Gould Second, but my guess is
that it is a winner. The piece is delightful.

Karl