Sacheverell Coke

[Alan Howe]

Please see this thread:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5578.msg58634.html#msg58634

[eschiss1]

has anyone mentioned the still newish Radio 3 broadcast of concerto 4? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08kyl2d.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Just heard it. I was away in the US when it was broadcast. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't posted, Eric. It's terrific. Wonderful to hear all that orchestral colour and - as I've always maintained - a distinctive voice of his own. Ok, there's a bit of Scriabin there, but much more of Coke. It's fascinating stuff. I was the one who got hold of all the scores from Christopher Darwin's attic. So glad he kept them - and a good thing he kept them in the dark too as they were not originals but old-fashioned "negative" photocopies (white on black), which, of course, fade completely if left in the light. The only full score of the 3rd PC, which has a bit more of Rachmaninov about it, was somewhere in the middle of the full score of his opera "The Cenci".

[Alan Howe]

How absolutely fascinating. One thirsts for more...

[badams@nl.rogers.com]

At the risk of rather blatantly going off topic, does anybody know of any symphonic compositions of Coke, and whether or not there are any adventurous conductors out there who might have an interest in exhuming them?

Brian

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks for the link, Eric, this broadcast had gone under my radar too.

[Gareth Vaughan]

One symphony (the 2nd) out of 3 remains extant. There are two tone poems (The Lotos Eaters and Elegiac Ballade), the overture to "The Cenci" and three pieces for string orchestra; plus two "vocal concertos" for soprano and orchestra. The solo part in these is not wordless (like the Gliere concerto) but is set to texts. There is also the Elegy for a Dead Musician for contralto, violin and orchestra and a "Poem" for cello and small orchestra.
Among the orchestral MSS listed as existing at his death are a further tone poem, "Dorian Gray", the third symphony and the complete 5th piano concerto (only the slow movt. remains). Very sadly, none of these can be found.

[Mark Thomas]

I've posted a recording of the BBC broadcast in our Downloads Board here. When the Hyperion recording is imminent I'll delete it, assuming it's the same performance.

[eschiss1]

The first vocal concerto was published (in reduced vocal score format) as his Op.25 in 1970 by Chappell. ("First vocal concerto : 3 extracts from Tennyson's "The Princess" : op.25" (soprano and piano)). Trinity College Library Dublin and St. Pancras branch of the British Library have a reduced score (published by the composer, 1970) of the poem for cello, Op.36 (reduced for cello and 2 pianos.) The aforementioned prelude to The Cenci : opera in 3 acts, op. 41* can be found in a 20-page manuscript @ U. Sheffield. (This all from Worldcat. There are probably better less generic sources I should be consulting. Even the brief list @ Worldcat does also list some songs, preludes and cello sonatas and a few piano concertos though the libraries carrying the latter may only have reductions too.
I'll make an effort to hear more of his music myself.

Thanks also!)

*That's three composers- Brian, Goldschmidt, Coke- who've set The Cenci to music. That I can think of...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Those publications of Coke's works by Chappell, were funded by the composer himself and when I contacted Chappell some years ago, they denied all knowledge of them or the composer!!! Sadly, I was not surprised.
I have copies of all the Chappell published scores, fortunately.
Good to know that A MSS copy of the overture to "The Cenci" is in Sheffield.

[Alan Howe]

My reaction to PC4 concerns its pervasive and often rather dark chromaticism. There's no doubt that it's a fascinating piece, but I just wonder whether in the end it's all rather self-defeating. I just wanted the clouds to lift once in a while...

[Gareth Vaughan]

But they do, they do. Shafts of intermittent light pervade the gloom and the final bars are like a glorious sunset.

[Alan Howe]

Rather too late, I thought. But I must persist - after all, I'm not really familiar with his idiom.

[jimsemadeni]

After repeated hearings I remain underwhelmed, it is beautifully played and pretty from moment to moment but didn't leave me with a great need to continue the effort or begging for more. Oh, well, not the first time...I remember anxiously awaiting the Urspruch, then wondering if he would ever reach the end of the first movement.

[Alan Howe]

I'm afraid I'm not convinced either - yet.