Ruth Gipps (1921-1999): Violin Concerto Op. 24 (1943) - Charlie Lovell-Jones (Violin)
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999): Leviathan, Op. 59 (1969) - Bill Anderson (Bassoon)
Ruth Gipps (1921-1999): Symphony No. 5, Op. 64 (1982)

My review of Volume 3 in this series several months back was a real eye-opener for me to the strength and quality of the music of Ruth Gipps, who I had not heard before. This volume continues in that same vein, with the playing, recording and interpretations of Rumon Gamba making a similarly strong case for her music. It follows a chronological format, earliest first, latest last, on the disc and has informative and detailed notes by Lewis Foreman.

As with Volume 3, the musical style proves to be warmly Romantic in the main, but with some of the sharper sometimes dissonant edges and unusual or unexpected keys one might expect with a composer like William Walton. In fact, the 5th Symphony that completes this disc is dedicated to Walton. A gifted pianist from an early age, Gipps wrote pieces for solo instruments other than the piano, as is the case with the Violin Concerto that opens the disc. In the capable hands of Charlie Lovell-Jones (I last reviewed a performance by him in a release featuring the music of the more prominent English 20th century composer William Walton). He articulates the often chamber like textures sensitively, alternating as they sometimes do with large scale orchestral climaxes. It is a very confident work, from the burgeoning 21 year old composer, at a time when her gender in the musical work put her at some disadvantage.

It is followed by a short piece for double-bassoon and orchestra, written for an émigré from the pre-WWII Germany. It is a capable piece of tone panting, with a gentle touch of humor at times (consider the lubricous opening for example). Lewis Forman identifies the work's title as indicating sea creatures such as whales or possibly sea snakes (given the slithering nature of some of the music). It is played with great sensitivity by Bill Anderson, and provides a rewarding interlude before the 5th Symphony.

This last work in the release is considerable in ambition, requiring the largest orchestral forces in any of her compositions. It was initially rejected by the BBC, one of the key sources of first performances for British composers at the time. It is hard to see why nowadays, other than maybe the cost of the orchestral forces. It is longer than the previous two pieces in this release added together with substantial 1st and 4th (final) movements, with two short movements in between. It displays many of the best aspects of her music, deft orchestration, command over large forms, a melodic sensibility, and a clear sense of orchestral textures. It is a substantial work, and keeps the interest to the forefront due to those characteristics. There is a Baxian sweep to a section near the end of the first movement, I imagine it would actually be quite exciting to hear live. Sadly the first performances since that were conducted by Gipps herself at the Guildhall School of Music were only in the past 2-3 years in the UK and the US.

The rest of the symphony proceeds with a gentle andante with intriguing scoring for harp and keyboards, and some beautiful wind solos. Its a short movement, followed by another, this time a chugging scherzo with a thoughtful middle section, abounding with beautiful scoring for winds.

What follows is an extraordinary final movement, modelled on the Missa Brevis, without any sung words. It starts with a the Kyrie section, focused initially on six horns playing together. The stages of the mass format give Gipps an opportunity to display her compositional ability across a range of moods and speeds. Sometimes a march-like theme (Hosanna), other times a thoughtful interplay of winds (Credo). By the time the coda leaves us on an upbeat, we have a rounded picture of her gifts as a composer and overall musician.

I must applaud Chandos for enabling this series to be produced and made available, it has uncovered some wonderful music from a neglected composer who deserves a higher profile. It reflects those typical Chandos qualities of clear, excellent recording, solo and orchestral playing of a high order and conducting by a real advocate of the composer in question.