John Harbison

Overview - Recordings - Scores - Books - Links

Born: December 20, 1938, Orange, New Jersey, USA

John Harbison has written wondrously for winds, brass, and percussion in his orchestral scores, so it was a great delight when he started writing for wind ensemble and band. Three City Blocks is my favorite of these three works. Along with Benson's Dawn's Early Light, it is one of the rare classical pieces that fuses jazz and pop elements into a classical framework in an artistic and compelling way. Harbison's synthesis is even more subtle than Benson's, save for the menacing pop elements at the close of the first movement. Both Corporon and Battisti do a fine job, but I'd go with Battisti if I had to choose just one performance. Coupled with the Music for 18 Winds (and Colgrass's Arctic Dreams), it provides the best introduction to Harbison's wind music.

Recordings

Works	Performers	Reviews	Stores
Three City Blocks Music for 18 Winds	New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble Frank Battisti	Snook	Tower Amazon
Three City Blocks	Cincinnati Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	North	Tower Amazon
Olympic Dances	New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble Frank Battisti	Carl	Tower Amazon
Olympic Dances	North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	Johnson	Tower Amazon