Roy Harris
Dmitri Shostakovich
John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD.com writes:
American composer Roy Harris Symphony '1933' was the 1st
commercially recorded symphony in the United States. Roy Harris 5th
Symphony was commissioned by the Boston Symphony conductor Serge
Koussevitzky, a close friend of Dmitri Shostakovich.
Roy Harris dedicated his 5th Symphony to the Russian soldiers who were
our allies during WWII.
The work premiered Feb 26, 1943 with the Boston Symphony.
In
1958, Roy Harris was a member of our 1st State Department cultural
exchange with the Soviet Union. Roy Harris was embraced by prominent
Russian music dignitaries including Dmitri Shostakovich. Roy Harris
conducted the Moscow Radio Symphony in a performance of his 5th
Symphony.
During the second Red Scare called
McCarthyism, Roy Harris was asked to stop a USA performance of his 5th
Symphony. However, he refused with explanation that the dedication was
directed to the valor of Russian soldiers during our heroic fight for
world peace. Thereafter Roy Harris suffered an effective boycott of his
music and physical threats that required relocation for the safety of
his family.
The 1st half of POLITICS of MUSIC
concert scheduled June 29, 2020 at the Music Center's Walt Disney
Concert Hall will include chamber music composed by Roy Harris plus
violinist/violist Annelle Kazumi Gregory and collaborative pianist James
Lent performing the 2nd movement of Dmitri Shostakovich Viola Sonata.
See pic 1 Roy Harris, pic 2 Dmitri Shostakovich.
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