The Music of Lou Harrison (August 1968)

Recorded in August of 1968 this is a wonderful four part program in which American composer Lou Harrison presents a selection of his varied works, in roughly chronological order. The program begins with Harrison providing a brief biographical sketch of his life in which he describes being born in Oregon and how he then moved with his family to Northern California, and his subsequent self-identification as a San Francisco Bay Area composer. The rest of the first half of the program is then dedicated to presenting many of his earlier, Mission Period compositions, (a term meant to reflect his adopted home in California), including some of his groundbreaking percussion ensemble pieces such as his “Suite for Percussion” and “Labyrinth No. 3.” In the third hour of this program the emphasis switches to his longer works written for large ensembles or orchestras, including excerpts from his “Suite for Symphonic Strings” and “Symphony on G.” In the last hour, Harrison focuses on works that emanate from his political conviction, as well as his technical studies of world music, and includes chamber works for the piri, psaltry, and other non-Western instrumentation. Radiating throughout this program is the sunny disposition and dulcet voice of one of America’s most talented and warm hearted 20th century composers.