Pianist Simon Callaghan, among other things a Coke specialist, goes into the studios July 19-22 this year with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins to make a concerto recording for Hyperion. Can this be the much hoped-for disc of Coke 3, 4 and surviving movement from 5? Best, David
Could be. His diary doesn't say...
http://simoncallaghan.com/diary/ (http://simoncallaghan.com/diary/)
Simon tells me that it is.
Oh, great! Thanks, Gareth.
Duly corrected, Gareth, and thanks for the confirmation.
David
I can report that the recording sessions went extremely well, Martyn Brabbins declaring that Simon Callaghan was one of the best prepared pianist he had worked with. Everyone very pleased. Disk scheduled for release next summer, but may be earlier in 2017 if the editing goes very smoothly. The disk will be part of the RPC series.
Wowee! Lovely!
Very exciting! Thanks for helping to make this possible, Gareth.
That's excellent, Gareth. Congratulations.
Will definitely be buying this. Many thanks Gareth!
Thanks for the plaudits, guys, but it was really Giles Enders and Simon who convinced Hyperion to record the disk. I just hope you like the music when you hear it.
Incidentally, you can hear Simon and Raphael Wallfisch playing the very beautiful slow movt from Coke's 2nd Cello Sonata here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pip9Z_6zkos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pip9Z_6zkos)
Whether this presages a recording of both published sonatas, I do not know - but I have sent an email to Simon asking him.
What lovely stuff. Thank you, Gareth.
The pianist maintains another website https://rogersacheverellcoke.com/ (https://rogersacheverellcoke.com/) that may be relevant too.
Simon has now posted the promotional video for the Coke concertos on You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjbVE6H_m68 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjbVE6H_m68) - and very good it is too IMHO.
How wonderful. Thank you very much, Gareth.
This is great, thank you! Has it been decided which month these will be released?
October, I think!
From the Cover displayed on the youtube video this is clearly Vol. 73.
Wonder who's vol. 72 after the 71 Czerny.
Hmm, I was wondering that...
Looking forward to this release particularly.
From Simon Callaghan's website:
https://ncms.imgix.net/simon/LBe5vJKmmDh9aSR3Q?w=1920
...to be released on November 3rd.
Excellent news!!
Here's the announcement at Hyperion's website:
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ym.asp?ym=2017_11 (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/ym.asp?ym=2017_11)
Volume 72 is Cipriani Potter's Piano Concertos Nos 2 and 4 - http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68151
Quote from: FBerwald on Thursday 09 February 2017, 16:43
From the Cover displayed on the youtube video this is clearly Vol. 73.
Wonder who's vol. 72 after the 71 Czerny.
Yup, see this topic. (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6443.msg68518.html)
Release mentioned - 27 October 2017
(https://image.ibb.co/iOUZba/coke.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68173 (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68173)
The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 73 - Roger Sacheverell Coke
Piano Concerto No 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 30
Piano Concerto No 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 38
Piano Concerto No 5 in D minor, Op. 57
Simon Callaghan (piano), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor)
The exerpts sound very promising, especially No. 3. As the Composer himself withdrew PC No. 1 & 2 and we have 3, 4 and the existing part of No. 5, that leaves us with 6.
No it doesn't unfortunately. The composer listed 6 as "unfinished" in his own published work list, and the MS is presumed lost as it is not amongst those deposited with Chesterfield Library nor amongst the music inherited by his nephew. The Hyperion disk gives us all the existing PCs by Coke.
What a welcome prospect this CD is.
Mouthwatering...
Having heard the upload posted here a couple months ago, I too am very much anticipating this one.
The Hyperion/Coke CD is due for release at the end of this month. Here is the link: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68173 (https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68173)
I urge you to buy this really splendid disk. The music is remarkable (IMHO) and the performance and recording both outstanding.
Thanks, Gareth. Definitely another for the 'wants list'. :)
There is no review in BBC music magazine and the November Gramophone has yet to come out. Remarkably the Coke CD is now No3 in the classical music charts. The recording is superb, I understand from someone who heard Coke play these works that Simon Callaghan has come very close to how they recall Coke played them. As for the music itself, I like it but people must judge for themselves
I see that the disk is one of the "Recordings of the Month" on Music Web International this week.
So it should be too. It's a real revelation, and especially the Fourth Concerto - a real window into Coke's tortured soul.
Jeremy Nicholas's review in the "Gramophone" is decidedly lukewarm and I wasn't particularly impressed either. The melodic material is not really memorable and there's little in the way of development or counterpoint. This one has divided opinion, it seems, but I do think anyone expecting to hear a hitherto unknown concerto by Rachmaninoff is going to be disappointed. Taken on his own terms Coke may have more to offer. There are some interesting reviews on Amazon.co.uk.
By the way, has anyone else noticed that the slow movement of the Fourth Concerto quotes directly from the first movement of the Third?
The booklet does not mention this.
There are certainly echoes of Rachmaninov in Coke, it would be more surprising if there weren't, but he is no imitator and it does both men a disservice to suggest that he is, as some reviews have hinted.
Yes. It is always unfair to compare one composer with another, especially when that"other" is as highly regarded as Rachmaninov. Perhaps Coke is to blame to some extent, though. He should have kept his admiration for Rachmaninov to himself!
I haven't heard these concertos but what do you mean by Echoes of Rachmaninoff - Is it the style in general or harmonic progressions.
I maintain that Coke has his own voice: he is not Rachmaninov, nor Scriabin, nor Sibelius. And why should we expect him to be? Not surprisingly, he imbibed influences from all three of them. But I think he is distinctively "Coke", as I believe a study of his other scores will show.
The problem here is the sort of 'lazy labelling' which seeks to define a lesser-known composer in terms of a better-known one. I suppose we've all done this in attempting to give an idea of a lesser-known composer's music, but at best it's merely an indicator - and at worst it's actually misleading. Coke is his own man - and that's how he should be assessed.
see also Medtner (re Rachmaninov), etc.
Quotesee also Medtner (re Rachmaninov), etc.
Actually, see almost anyone who wrote/writes PCs in a hyper-romantic style post-1900! The list is endless (let's not go there!)
Medtner and Rachmaninov*, maybe, compared to some others of his works --- and I assume from the discussion Coke and Rachmaninov, otherwise this wouldn't be an issue - have as a rule more similarities of sound and approach than one's randomly selected pair of post/hyper-Romantic piano concerto do: so I'm not sure I agree actually.
*and actually I was thinking of Medtner works _aside_ from his piano concertos :), which aren't always the best argument for his individuality of "sound", structural/motivic/... approach (though the 3rd (Medtner) concerto is... anyway...)
Try this old thread, Eric:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3621.0.html (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3621.0.html)
I wasn't suggesting that the comparisons are valid, merely that they are often made...
Ah. Yes. And yes, we did have that discussion in that thread. (And probably "Rachmaninoffian" should not have been equated, the bar set so low, with "Rachmaninoff like moments" as by some there; one thinks perhaps there's more binding the 3 mature Rach piano concertos, 2 piano sonatas, Rhapsody, and a number of his other works than that even if it's not the easiest thing(s) to define. But yes, off Coke-concerto-topic.
Wishing again that NML streamed Hyperion, Dutton and MDG (Hyperion, in this case) (because I'm a cheapskate, I guess...) but they don't- still, I will get to hear these concertos, legally and before long, I'm sure :) (I see NML does seem to have his piano preludes on SOMM and the Danacord CD with a work of his (from Husum). Making a note, no pun intended.)
Edit: i'm hoping that eventually my nearby University library will be on _this_ list once it starts filling up... --- http://www.worldcat.org/title/piano-concerto-no-3-op-30-piano-concerto-no-4-op-38-piano-concerto-no-5-op-57/oclc/1003242811 (http://www.worldcat.org/title/piano-concerto-no-3-op-30-piano-concerto-no-4-op-38-piano-concerto-no-5-op-57/oclc/1003242811) :) That'll do it. (Or of course so would my local public library, which isn't on Worldcat.) (edit 9 months later: 17-odd universities on that list and I don't doubt others that Worldcat just doesn't mention. Not bad. My alma mater isn't but anyway. 17's pretty good...)
As a film enthusiast, liking films from the 1920's to the present day, what I heard in these concertos were, wisps, echos, half remembered fragments of film music particularly in the piano concertos 3 & 4. I recently asked Coke's niece if he had an interest in the cinema. She said that when he wasn't composing his other love was the cinema, going as often as three times a week. She also said that I was the only person to point this out. I wonder if any one else has observed this?
Giles and I discussed this after the performance of the Elegiac Trio which I organised in London in June this year. I found the influence of film music almost stronger in the Trio than in the PCs, though clear enough in both. That said, I hadn't really put my finger on this influence in the PCs until Giles pointed it out to me, when it at once became obvious.
Interesting. How does this influence manifest itself? Are there hints of any particular film music composers?
Both in half forgotten themes and also in orchestration, the latter is particularly noticeable in piano concerto 4. It would take a very patient scholar to look at the films and relate the musical themes to his compositions.
Is it more a feeling of reminiscence than actual quotation?