Prolific: Ross Harris is soon to present his Symphony No 8 and has already composed his ninth and tenth symphonies. Photo / Gareth Watkins
Prolific: Ross Harris is soon to present his Symphony No 8 and has already composed his ninth and tenth symphonies. Photo / Gareth Watkins
If there was a title “chief symphonist” in New Zealand, it would surely be awarded to Wellington composer and multi-instrumentalist Ross Harris, whose Symphony No 8 will be premiered by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra this month. Surprisingly though, he didn’t start writing symphonies until he took early retirement from VictoriaUniversity of Wellington at nearly 60.
Symphonies have certainly grown in conception since the 10-minute affairs of early Mozart (who penned his 8th symphony around the time he hit puberty) and several of Harris’s have run to 45 minutes and involved large forces. Three have incorporated vocal soloists. The 8th, however, is cast in one movement, lasting about 16 minutes, and is scored for strings and percussion only.
War has been a regular inspiration for Harris, who was born just five days before the bombing of Hiroshima. Several previous symphonies were inspired by the horrors of both world wars, and No 8 follows in their footsteps.
There’s “a bit of a theme there”, he admits, but points out that this time, the response is to contemporary horrors, namely the war in Ukraine.
“It was such a shock to think the world could be thrown back to the mid-20th century,” says Harris, who felt strongly that he had to respond in some way. The symphony provides stark contrasts – the warmth and vulnerability of the strings against the military sounds of the three percussionists (each armed with a snare drum and a bass drum) who sneak in and gradually overtake the piece. Will this end well? Putting it cautiously, the composer says the symphony’s coda may bring the possibility of hope.
Bearing in mind the number of well-known composers who completed nine symphonies and then expired (think Beethoven, Mahler and Vaughan Williams) I hesitate to ask if Harris has a ninth in the pipeline. I’m relieved and surprised to learn that not only has he now completed a ninth and a tenth, he’s halfway through his 11th, although hints that he might be slowing down.
There are few signs of that so far, as Harris has added several more string quartets to his portfolio in the past few years, as well as penning a concerto for orchestra, which will be premiered by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra next year.
