# John Harbison



## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

What do you think of the composer John Harbison? I may be going to see a concert with one of his pieces and interested in hearing opinions of his music.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Solid composer. Relies on traditional techniques and exploration of materials. Do not be afraid...


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## Bluecrab (Jun 24, 2014)

I've heard several of his works on a streaming station (Counterstream Radio) I listen to frequently. I like everything I've heard. I'd say he's pretty mainstream contemporary classical. There's plenty of his music on youtube... you can check him out there.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Vasks said:


> Solid composer. Relies on traditional techniques and exploration of materials. Do not be afraid...


Seconded. Not among the very, very best, but everything I've heard is good listening.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Not off the wall, but very expressive and worth listening to. A personal favorite is his piano quintet "November 19,1828," which is a surreal musical imagining of Schubert on his deathbed, drifting in and out of consciousness.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

My first Harbison was this, and I still love it:








 Also, this one.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I like Harbison's string quartets, especially 1-4. The Lydian String Quartet has made excellent recordings, & I'd recommend them:










Harbison's 1983 "Ulysses' Bow" is worth hearing, too:


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## Alonso (Feb 1, 2019)

I don't think Harbison is one of the originals, but he has certainly written works that are both enjoyable and well-crafted, like the second symphony and the recent string trio.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

I consider him among the very best, certainly in America. One has to since he has excelled in so many different genres from symphony/orchestral, to chamber and string quartet, to opera and vocal music; and all of it is of very high quality. I particularly find his vocal music very strong. I like how he just writes straight, good music, and avoids trying to pigeon-hole his music into a particular movement/fad or style. I guess it's somewhere between Neoclassical and Neoromantic, but it really doesn't fall neatly into one or the other. He just writes good music from the heart.


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