Roger Hecht wrote:

>3) Then there was Koussevitsky's pulling out of the first performance.
>Stehman says it was "over matters about which the composer and subsequent
>chroniclers recalled differently and which are still not clear." No Harris
>scholar myself, I know nothing more about it than that.

Harris mentioned to me that he (Harris) had made some mistakes in the
parts, writing the much of the viola part in treble clef...violist prefer
not read that clef.  He said that Koussevitzky was very upset with the
parts and refused to conduct the work.  While there might have been more
to the story...that is all I know.

>was written in 1984, so it's possible things came to light after that.)
>In any case, after Richard Burgin conducted the premiere, it apparently
>disappeared from the repertoire.  Meanwhile, Koussevitsky, did conduct the
>premier of the Third.  All this led me to believe, correctly or not, that
>Koussevitsky was not overwhelmed by the Second.

The Second was done at least one other time, by a pick up orchestra in New
York.

>4) A conductor friend of mine recently led the work and did not care for
>it at all.

Please tell us more.  As far as I know, the parts were lost and only
at Kermani's expense has a set been prepared.  Was there a tape of the
performance? Please let us know who and where.  As far as I know that would
be the first performance since 1934!

>That said, Karl's response and the fact that he has looked at the score
>encourages me greatly about this work and makes me hope that the stories
>about Albany's recording it are true.  Indeed, if Albany is about to
>undertake it now with so many other Harris symphonies out there yet to be
>recorded, that would be a another good sign.

Albany seems to have some great plans in mind...a recording of the Gould
Symphonies...the Lees Second Piano Concerto is already recorded...the
considering some of the plans for the Naxos series...Symphonies of Florence
Price, etc.  Life is good!

Karl