Harris: Symphonies Nos 5 & 6 etc – Bournemouth SO/Alsop

Though it's admirable of Naxos to ­include a complete cycle of Roy Harris's symphonies (all 16 of them) in the American Classics series, the releases so far have been patchy. Harris's ­inspiration seems fitful in the latest brace of symphonies, too. Both were composed during the second world war, in 1942 and 1944 respectively, in an ­almost naive, idealistic attempt to raise morale for the war effort: the Fifth is dedicated to "the heroic and freedom-loving people of our great ally, the Union of Soviet Republics", while the Sixth, subtitled Gettysburg, is for "the armed forces of our nation". The problem is that Harris's music hardly ever rises above the patriotic breast-beating to ­become anything memorable or ­ remotely personal. The Sixth is ­perhaps the more convincing. Its third movement, Dedication, with its theme gently unfolded over an almost Philip Glass-like pulsing accompaniment, has a quiet, touching poetry, but the rest is disappointingly empty. The ­excellent performances from Marin Alsop and the Bournemouth ­Symphony Orchestra ­deserve greater musical rewards.