Ruth Gipps: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

Ruth Gipps
(1921-1999) was, despite gender discrimination, quite an active composer in her time, with a list of works running to more than 70 opus numbers. She was eclipsed somewhat after her death, but conductor
Rumon Gamba
has championed her works with the
BBC Philharmonic
and has had some success; this 2022 release hit best-seller charts in the fall of that year. It is easy to see why. These variegated works, exacting but often with an unexpected warmth, are enjoyable for anybody and ought to be included more often in symphonic programs. Consider the
Oboe Concerto
, whose sharply contrasting moods are beautifully rendered here by
Juliana Koch
; the lyrical slow movement is a standout. One can hear the roots of
Gipps
' style in the music of
Vaughan Williams
, but she pushes dissonances beyond what he would have done, and there is a bracing quality that is all her own. She excelled in larger forms, where her skillful treatment of orchestration and just of mood, in general, had room to unfold; the shorter pieces here are a bit shapeless, but the variation movement in the
Symphony No. 3, Op. 57
, is exceptionally subtle. Kudos to
Gamba
for finding this large cache of neglected repertory, and one hopes there is more from where this came. ~ James Manheim