LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

"[all of the ] releases of music by Barara Harbach I have reviewed...have revealed music of depth, tonal and fresh; all have revealed a supreme orchestrator. This disc is no exception... The London Philharmonic is one of the English capital’s finest ensembles, and it excels here. Its sound is impeccably caught by the experienced engineer (Mike Hatch of Floating Earth
there is a nice bloom around the orchestra, but zero blurring)... Barbara Harbach’s music continues to move the listener in a multitude of ways. There is so much to admire here, and so much to enjoy. Recommended.

Colin Clarke, Fanfare [November/December 2023]

"Barbara Harbach has been interviewed and reviewed many times  in Fanfare history, and for good reason—she is a solidly excellent composer who has helped keep tonal music alive in a way that feels fresh and invigorating... it’s very clear that Harbach engages deeply with the stories she seeks to tell. Her research is exhaustive, and she is cinematic in her sonic depiction of people, places, and events... The London Philharmonic Orchestra honors the spirit of Harbach’s work throughout the album... Choices and Remembrances, the last piece on the album, has a complex emotional texture that is conveyed well by the orchestra... Overall, this is a very enjoyable new release. I came back to listening to it a few weeks after first consuming it, and the sensation was like that of settling in for a conversation with an old friend."

Allison Eck, Fanfare [November/December 2023]

"These three suites for orchestra by American composer Barbara Harbach continue in her tradition of writing music that is tonal and broadly appealing, but which also manages not to sound dated. Her work, and I have come to know and admire quite a bit of it, demonstrates that it is still possible to say something fresh in traditional tonal language. Harbach has the gift of melodic invention, her orchestration is colorful (perhaps influenced by her career as an organist), and she always displays rhythmic vitality... Five stars: Another excellent recording of beautiful music by Barbara Harbach."

Henry Fogel, Fanfare [July/August 2023]

"The works on Volume 16 of MSR’s Harbach Edition showcase the composer’s many admirable qualities I’ve noted in previous reviews. I continue to hear an affinity between Harbach’s music and that of her predecessor, Aaron Copland. Both composers express their love for American history, subjects, and life, with music that is lyrical, brimming with energy and optimism, and scored with a keen ear for transparency and varied instrumental colors. I’m not suggesting that one composer sounds like the other. But the kinship exists, much to my gratification. While the works on this recording at times deal with episodes of tragedy and resulting despair, Harbach expresses them in a subtle manner, avoiding even a hint of excess or bombast. Her music is always, at its core, life-affirming. The works are expertly performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of David Angus, and beautifully recorded. Highly recommended."

Ken Meltzer, Fanfare [July/August 2023]

"[in Spiritualis] The contemplative material comes across particularly well here; and, again, Harbach’s compositional skill and the clarity of her orchestration are evident... This is MSR Classics’ seventh release of Harbach’s orchestral music and 16th of her works in all forms – an impressive subset within the firm’s overall catalogue. The disc further establishes the quality of Harbach’s compositions and their ability to explore multiple topics in accessible and...captivating ways."

Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [August 2023]

Barbara Harbach has a large catalog of works, including symphonies, operas, works for string and chamber ensemble, choral anthems, ballet, musicals and film scores. She has also composed music for organ, harpsichord and piano and has arranged numerous Baroque works for brass and organ. A gifted performer as well, Harbach has toured extensively as both an organist and harpsichordist throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Her lively performances and recordings have captured  the imagination of many American composers; the body of work written for and dedicated to her is substantial. Harbach is also heavily involved in the research, editing, publication and recording of manuscripts of 18th century keyboard composers, as well as historical and contemporary women  composers. Also a prolific recording artist, Harbach can be heard on more than a dozen albums on MSR Classics, Naxos, Gasparo Records, Kingdom Records, Albany Records, Northeastern Records and Hester Park. Harbach, who serves as editor of the WomenArts Quarterly Journal, initiated Women in the Arts−St. Louis, a celebration of the achievements of women creators. More than 800 events by cultural organizations in the St. Louis region have provided audiences with new and historical examples of the work of women writers, composers and artists. In  recognition of this, she received the Arts Education Award from the Missouri Arts Council, the Missouri Citizen for the Arts Award, the Yellow Rose Award from the Zonta International Club of St. Louis and the Faculty Excellence Award from the College of Fine Arts and Communication at the University of Missouri St. Louis. The winner of numerous awards and honors, Harbach received the Hellenic Spirit Foundation Award, Grand Center Visionary Award for “Successful Working Artist,” Argus Foundation Award and YWCA Leader of Distinction Award in the Arts. She was recently named National Arts Associate Distinguished Member of the Buffalo Chapter of SAI, and one of the “30 Most Innovative Women Professors Alive Today.” Harbach is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate in music, Honoris Causa, from Wilmington College in Ohio for her achievements as a composer, performer, editor and publisher. Currently a Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emerita of Music at the University of Missouri−St. Louis, Harbach holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, a Master’s degree from Yale University, a Konzertdiplom from the Musikhochschule of Frankfurt, Germany, and a Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester,  New York.
[ www.barbaraharbach.com ]

Born in England, David Angus spent his early years in Belfast. He was a boy chorister at King’s College, Cambridge, under Sir David Willcocks, and read music at Surrey University where he specialized as a pianist. He finished his training with a Fellowship in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he  won several prizes for his opera conducting. In the United States, Angus has appeared with the Utah Symphony and San Antonio Symphony, in Canada with the Calgary Philharmonic, and in the United Kingdom with many of their major orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Northern Sinfonia. He appears regularly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Mozart Players, both in concert and in the studio, and also conducts across Europe, particularly in Denmark and in Scandinavia, where he is a regular guest with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. Angus is Music Director of Boston Lyric Opera and Honorary Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Flanders, following several successful years there as Principal Conductor. He is heard frequently on BBC Radio 3 and on stations in Austria, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, Italy and Belgium.
  BARBARA HARBACH
FOLLOWING THE SACRED SUN – SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA (2021)        
I.  Anticipation – Traveling to St. Louis                                          
II. Arrival in France                                                                       
III. Lullaby for a Lost Child                                                             
IV. Looking for a Homeland                                                           

SPIRITUALIS – SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA (2022)                         
I. Fantasy and Fugue on Swing Low, Sweet Chariot                      
II. Give Me Jesus                                                                         
III. Wade in the Water                                                                    
IV. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child                                  
V.         Fantasy and Fugue on They Crucified My Lord                          
VI.        When I Cross That River                                                            

CHOICES AND REMEMBRANCES – SUITE IN ONE MOVEMENT (2022)



MSR Classics