Music of Barbara Harbach, Vol. 11: Orchestral Music III - Portraits in Sound

Barbara Harbach's "Music of Barbara Harbach, Vol. 11: Orchestral Music III - Portraits in Sound" is a captivating journey through her symphonic works, released on MSR Classics in 2016. This album showcases four of Harbach's symphonies, each inspired by different literary and social themes, offering a rich and diverse listening experience.

The album opens with Symphony No. 7 "O Pioneers!", a three-movement work inspired by Willa Cather's novel of the same name. Harbach's music paints a vivid portrait of the American frontier, with each movement exploring different aspects of the pioneers' experiences. The second symphony, "The Scarlet Letter", is a dramatic and intense work based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel. The three movements are named after the main characters, Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale, and each one delves into their complex relationships and inner turmoil.

Symphony No. 9 "Celestial Symphony" is a more abstract work, with movements titled "The Annunciation", "Celestial Vaults", and "Temptations". Harbach's music here is ethereal and evocative, exploring spiritual and celestial themes. The final symphony on the album, "Symphony for Ferguson", is a powerful and poignant work inspired by the events in Ferguson, Missouri. The three movements, "Heroes", "The Fallen", and "Together in Harmony", reflect on the social and political issues surrounding the events.

Throughout the album, Harbach's orchestral writing is engaging and accessible, with a musical language that is easy on the ear and hearkens back to earlier classical traditions. Her music is expressive and evocative, with poetic concepts and vocal lines that aptly express the feelings and experiences of the individuals and themes she explores. This album is a testament to Harbach's skill as a composer and her ability to create music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. With a duration of just over an hour, it's a compelling listen from start to finish.