In 1933, Copland introduced and recommended Harris to Serge Koussevitzky, the director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a champion of new music. Koussevitzky commissioned Harris, resulting in Harris's first symphony, Symphony 1933, which was successfully premiered in Boston in 1934 and which brought Harris recognition as a serious composer of considerable musical substance.
Five years later, Harris completed his Symphony No. 3, which was again premiered by Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony...