Some of the material on this four-disc set was recently reissued on New World Records (Solstice and Ariadne), albeit coupled with additional works not found here. Otherwise, this set presents all of MusicMasters’ Lou Harrison recordings. The major offerings include the Seven Pastorales, New First Suite for Strings, the suite from The Marriage at the Eiffel Tower, Philemon and Baukis, Gending Alexander, Homage to Pacifica, Canticle No. 3, the Third Symphony, and the Grand Duo for Violin and Piano. The performances are uniformly outstanding, superbly recorded, and comprise the best possible tribute to this seminal figure in 20th century music. It’s wonderful to have them back in the catalog, and we can only be grateful to Nimbus for making them available to collectors in such a convenient format. Recommended without hesitation. [9/14/2010]
