Gaze Cooper (1895 - 1981) - 1st Symphony

[Reverie]

This rendition is just the second movement (so far) from Gaze Cooper's 1st symphony. The score was kindly made available to me via the composer's granddaughter.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5jVlX7ICAk

[Alan Howe]

Thanks! Here's a website dedicated to the composer:
http://www.gazecooper.com/

[tpaloj]

It's wonderful to come across what seems like an enthusiastic following promoting the composer's neglected work (thanks for the link!) That's certainly one very prolific work-list. It was very kind of his granddaughter to provide you the score. I guess none of his symphonies have been published or recorded?

[Reverie]

None of the symphonies no. A few smaller scale works have been performed locally ( see the videos) on that site.

[eschiss1]

Tried to search for his work at COPAC/JISC, but the page is gone from its new address apparently. The only item at Worldcat or at RCM is "The wind in a frolic: Scherzo for women's voices", op.66, published by Joseph Williams in 1955.

[eschiss1]

Ah. Oxford has that, and also 3 scores by W. Gaze Cooper (same fellow? ah, yes, Walter Thomas Gaze Cooper) from his op.8a and 8b set 1 (for piano, and Op.8a arranged by Berthold Tours), from 1922, 1922, arrangement from 1929 (these three no publisher noted, closed stack.) Edit: Worldcat has some of these too, I wasn't searching widely enough. Also under Cooper, Walter Gaze his Op.63 pieces for violin&piano...

A work of his actually was recorded on a Lyrita CD.  Concertino for oboe and strings (1937). So yes to that question actually- not symphonies, but larger-scale works. (Hrm, Also, I have broadcast recordings? of a violin sonata of his and piano concerto no.3 Op.71 (1953-4) on my computer, but not sure where I got them from.)

(I also see, on YouTube, a movement from the 2017 American premiere of his oboe concertino.)

[Gareth Vaughan]

I did a lot of work on Gaze Cooper at one time and got the Oboe concertino recorded by Cameo Classics. That is the recording now issued by Lyrita. Very little of his music is published and none of his major orchestral works. His piano concerti, of which there are four, plus 2 or 3 early "concerti symohoniques" (which, by the way, I have not seen) are very accomplished IMHO. I was hoping to assist the family in cataloguing his work and updating the website, which contains some errors and could be improved in a few ways, before I suffered with the carcinoma which necessitated a gastrectomy. Now that I have recovered from that procedure, I may make contact with the family again and offer my services.
It is wonderful to have your rendition of the movement from his 1st symphony, Reverie.

[Alan Howe]

It's good to have you around still, Gareth. Thank you. Could you give us an idea of Gaze's idiom?

[jimsemadeni]

Gaze Cooper, though not really for this forum has Pf cto no. 3 and last mvt of pf cto 4 listenable here for those interested: https://archive.org/details/pogonyi-cds?tab=collection&query=walter+gaze+cooper]https://archive.org/details/pogonyi-cds?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Gaze's music is tonal. I would say he sounds a bit like Shostakovich and a bit like Sibelius (the opening of the oboe concertino reminds me of Sibelius). The extract from the 4th PC is deliberately and humorously banal: it is mid-20th century society going to Hell in a handcart!

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Gareth. That's very insightful.

[tpaloj]

This rendition is just the second movement (so far) from Gaze Cooper's 1st symphony. The score was kindly made available to me via the composer's granddaughter.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5jVlX7ICAk

This is a very lovely sample, thank you Martin for making it available!

Gaze Cooper, though not really for this forum has Pf cto no. 3 and last mvt of pf cto 4 listenable here for those interested: https://archive.org/details/pogonyi-cds?tab=collection&query=walter+gaze+cooper]https://archive.org/details/pogonyi-cds?

The link is not working for me. Could you please post it again, would love to learn and listen more of the composer's music.

[Wheesht]

This link should work 

[eschiss1]

Here's the 3rd piano concerto from YouTube in the same recording I have in my music folder.

[Christopher]

His Symphony No.7 was recorded with the Sczeczin Orchestra under the composer's baton; and his "My Grandchildren" suite was recorded by the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra, again under his baton.  His Violin Sonata has also been recorded.