John Harle
John Harle's first instrument was the clarinet, and his teacher on that instrument was Jack Brymer. At age 13, Harle expressed to Brymer the frustration he was experiencing in trying to create the clarinet sound he wanted. Brymer suggested a switch to the saxophone, which proved a natural fit for Harle. His skills soon won him admission into the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied until 1980; he supplemented his education with two years at the Paris Conservatoire. Back in London, Harle made the acquaintance of composer Michael Nyman, joining the latter's band in 1982; Nyman eventually supplied Harle with a full-scale concerto, entitled Where the Bee Dances. Through his work with Nyman, Harle also gained entry into the world of film and television scores. In 1987, Harle was named professor of Saxophone and Chamber Music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 1988 he was the subject of a BBC2 special, "A Man and his Sax"; that same year, the score he co-wrote with Stanley Myers for the film Prick Up Your Ears won the Best Achievement in a Feature Film award at Cannes.
By 1991, Harle was recording for both EMI and Argo as a saxophone soloist. Harle's work for EMI reflected his standard concert programs. These included the Debussy Rhapsodie, Villa Lobos' Fantasia and In the Shadow of the Duke, Harle's tribute to his idol, Duke Ellington saxophonist Johnny Hodges. Harle's Argo recordings feature works written by living composers, including Dominic Muldowney, Gavin Bryars, Luciano Berio, and Mike Westbrook, with Harle specifically in mind. In 1993, Harle composed a commercial jingle for Nissan entitled Nissan Donna; Jazzy B of the hip-hop group Soul II Soul remixed the tune as a single, which made it to number six on the British pop charts. Harle's performance of Harrison Birtwistle's Panic at the Last Night of the Proms in 1995 garnered him a great deal of positive critical attention. Since then, Harle has concentrated strongly on serious composition in addition to his saxophone playing, concertizing, and film work. In 1996 he collaborated with vocalists Sarah Leonard and Elvis Costello on the album Terror and Magnificence, released on Argo. The disc went into the top ten in the U.K., and was followed by a brief concert tour the following year. The following year, Harle contributed to another hit record as part of the arranging staff that worked on Sir Paul McCartney's Standing Stone. The year 1998 witnessed the debut of Harle's opera Angel Magick, based on the life of sixteenth century alchemist John Dee, with a libretto by David Pourtnoy. Angel Magick gained some notoriety for its introduction of full frontal nudity to the stage of the Proms.
As a soloist, Harle has toured worldwide, and claims to be the most recorded classical saxophonist in history. In 2000, Harle renewed his association with Sir Paul McCartney, arranging McCartney's Nova, a tribute to the ex-Beatle's late wife, for the memorial benefit album A Garland for Linda.
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The John Harle Collection Vol. 11: Shipbuilding (1996-2017)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Sospiro Noir on Nov 13, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harle: Terror and Magnificence
John Harle, Elvis Costello, Sarah Leonard, Andy Sheppard
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Aug 12, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection, Vol. 2: Lush Life
John Harle, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Nov 18, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Jazz Album
Sir Simon Rattle, London Sinfonietta, John Harle, Peter Donohoe, Jeremy Taylor, Michael Collins
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harle: Silencium - Music Of Inner Peace
John Harle, Silencium Ensemble
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Oct 20, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tavener: Total Eclipse & Agraphon
Academy of Ancient Music, Paul Goodwin, John Harle, Patricia Rozario
Classical - Released by harmonia mundi on Nov 7, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nyman: Where The Bee Dances / Bryars: The Green Ray / Westbrook: Bean Rows And Blues Shots
Ivor Bolton, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, John Harle
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on May 1, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Birtwistle: Panic / Earth Dances
John Harle, Paul Clarvis, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis, The Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Witness Theme (John Harle Single Mix)
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Jul 14, 2013
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 7: Diversions (The Myrha Saxophone Quartet 1977) (Live)
John Harle, The Myrha Saxophone Quartet
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Nov 6, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sax Drive - Myers, Bennett & Torke: Saxophone Concertos
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jun 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Woods, Bennett, Denisov & Others: Saxophone Works
Chamber Music - Released by Clarinet and Saxophone Classics on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 15: The Power of Limits (Post Minimal Music 1989-2015)
John Harle, The Dreamland Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Nov 20, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 5: The Tale of the Broken-Hearted Accordion (The John Harle Saxophone Quartet 2003) (Live)
John Harle, Simon Haram, Christian Forshaw, Andrew Findon
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Oct 30, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy, Villa-Lobos & Ibert: Saxophone Concertos
John Harle, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 3: The Little Death Machine (Saxophone Concertos 1981-2013)
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Oct 23, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 18: Lounge Party! (A Doggy-Bag of Harmless Sounds)
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Sospiro Noir on Dec 4, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Tyburn Tree - Dark London
Rock - Released by Sospiro Noir on Apr 14, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dahl: Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Hymn, Music for Brass Instruments & The Tower of Saint Barbara
John Harle, New World Brass, New World Symphony, Michael Thomas
Classical - Released by Phoenix USA on Jun 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The John Harle Collection Vol. 9: Leviathan (John Harle Compositions 1985-2013) (Live)
Classical - Released by Sospiro Noir on Nov 6, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dahl: Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Music for Brass Instruments, The Tower of Saint Barbara, et al.
The New World Symphony, John Harle, New World Brass
Classical - Released by Phoenix USA on Jun 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo