Juliana Koch oboe/cor anglais
Michael McHale piano
Julian Bliss clarinet
CHAN 20290
Decades ago the best chance of hearing the music of Ruth Gipps was to attend her occasional and often adventurous concerts with her various ‘semi-pro’ orchestras on the South Bank and elsewhere. (Shamefully I am not sure I ever did.) Now her discography is expanding rapidly, not least thanks to this label and this soloist.
The first item is the 12-minute Sonata No 2 for oboe and piano. This actually dates from 1985 but stylistically it might have been penned fifty years earlier. That style might be loosely described as ‘pastoral’, and, apart from the plangent brief Adagio, is for the most part sprightly, lyrical and winsome. (Think perhaps Francaix’s L’Horloge des Fleurs with piano?) It is true that during some of the quicker moments my attention wandered – is this music simply vivacious, or rather is it just a bit too chatty? Time will tell.
At a similar length the Sonata No 1 dates from 1939, and unsurprisingly is even more overtly romantic and pastoral– the then fashionable neoclassicism does not even get a look in. It is unusual in that the last movement revisits the mood of the first in a more restrained way, rather than the customary upbeat finale: this may not have helped its chances out in the wide world.
Of the dozen or so other tracks most are brief vignettes, for the most part cut from the same cloth: charming, mellifluous and possibly rather too similar in mood and tempo to warrant listening straight through – much better to sample a handful at a time. These are early works (e.g. op 2, op 3, op 12) and the titles – Sea-Shore Suite, Kensington Gardens Suite etc. may well give you a clear idea of what to expect.
Juliana Koch exchanges the oboe for the cor anglais for the final Threnody from 1990, which, inspired by an overheard church psalm, is appropriately dignified and lofty; while in the Trio of 1940 the addition of Julian Bliss on clarinet also brings some more tonal variety, and also variety of mood. This is the most quietly searching work here, and despite an oddly ‘hobbled’ last movement, for me represents the highlight of the disc.
None of this music is heaven-storming, but it is all very enjoyable, and sometimes more. The sound and performances leave nothing to be desired, and Lewis Foreman’s notes are as insightful as ever. If you like this sort of thing this is probably the sort of thing you will like – a lot.
Review by Kevin Mandry